Work Your Abs From Every Angle With These Bodyweight Pilates Exercises
Bridging
How to: Start lying on back with legs bent, feet flat on floor and arms by sides. Tuck tailbone and lift back off floor one vertebra at a time until torso forms straight line from shoulders to knees. Pause for a moment at the top to squeeze glutes. Reverse motion to return to start. That’s one rep. Complete two sets of 10 reps.
Abdominal Curl
How to: Start lying on back with legs bent, feet flat on floor, and arms behind head, elbows wide. Engage abs, tuck chin slightly, and curl head, neck and shoulders off mat in that order. Slowly reverse the motion to return to start. That’s one rep. Complete two sets of 10 reps.
Toe taps
How to: Start lying on back with arms by sides, legs bent at 90 degrees, and feet lifted in air so shins are parallel to floor. Hinge at the hip joint to lower left foot toward the floor without letting low back lose contact with mat. Lift leg back to start position by engaging low abdominals. That’s one rep. Complete two sets of 10 reps per side.
Bicycle
How to: Lifted in an abdominal curl, legs in tabletop (90/90). As one leg extends forward, twist chest towards your opposite leg using oblique muscles. Keep hips grounded as you twist. Come back to start position and swap sides. Reps: 2 x 10 (each side)
Side lying leg lift
How to: Lying on your side, shoulders in line with hips, bottom leg bent, top leg straight. Float top leg up to hip height using the muscle on the side of your top hip. Lower it back down to the floor. Reps: 2 x 20 °STILL°
Clam
How to: Lying on side, hips in line with shoulders, both knees bent to 90 degrees. Squeeze heels together, lift top knee into clam shape using deep hip muscles. Lower knee back down, never losing heel connection. Reps: 2 x 20
Kneeling side plank
How to: Propped on forearm so your elbow is directly under your shoulder. Knees are bent so you have one long line from shoulders to knees. Press into forearm to lift hips up so you are in a kneeling side plank, feel bottom oblique and shoulder blade engage. Lower down with control. Reps: 30 seconds hold each side
Book opening stretch
How to: Lying on side, knees bent up towards chest, hands clasped behind head, elbows together in front of you. Lift top elbow up and spiral center of chest to point straight up to the ceiling. Let your head follow your chest. Try to keep knees together and hips stacked. Control back to starting position. Reps: 6 x each side
Prone chest lift
How to: Lying on stomach, make a pillow for your forehead with your hands, elbows wide. Draw belly to spine to support the low back. Lift head, chest and arms 3-4 inches off the floor using shoulder blade muscles. Slowly control back down. Reps: 2 x 10
Bird Dog
How to: Begin on hands and knees (all fours position). Extend one arm forward to shoulder height. Extend opposite leg back to hip height. Pause to check hips and shoulders are still square to the floor. Lower down and repeat other side. Reps: 10 x each side
Donkey kick
How to: Forearms and knees on the floor. Draw belly up and in towards the spine. Kick one heel up towards the ceiling without arching low back. You should feel this in the gluteal crease that connects your hamstring to your glute. Lower knee back down. Reps: 2 x 15 (each leg)
Kneeling plank
How to: Hands under shoulders, knees behind hips to create one long line from crown of head to knees. Tuck tailbone slightly, lift space between shoulder blades up and feel belly button draw in to support kneeling plank position. Reps: 30 seconds – 1 minute hold
Full plank
How to: Hands under shoulders, toes tucked, knees lifted to create one long line from crown of head to heels. Tuck tailbone slightly, lift space between shoulder blades up and feel belly button draw in to support full plank position. Reps: 30 seconds – 1 minute hold
Squat
How to: Standing feet hip width apart and parallel. Hinge at the hips to sit back into a squat, chest will lean forward slightly. Keep knees tracking over your second toes. Press into heels to stand back up using glutes for power. Reps: 2 x 15
Lunge with hip hinge
How to: Begin in a lunge position with feet hip width apart, back leg straight and back heel lifted. Hands to a prayer position at chest. Lean upper body forward over front thigh, hinging at the hip, then lift chest back up. Check that front knee is tracking over second toe.Reps: 2 x 10 each side.
Now that your core is fired up and activated, it’s the perfect time to get in some core training. Check out this video below for a weighted abs workout that’ll sculpt your midsection majorly.
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