Pilates Moves

A workout compiled from a few pilates mat classes I’ve taken. In these 60+ moves you can get quite a workout, and it takes between 40 minutes and an hour to complete depending on how much you rest between moves. This is strictly for my personal use (or yours if I sent you this link) and I’m in no way a professional pilates instructor so use at your own risk. This would be illustrated, but I don’t have time for that.

Tips to consider

Your shoulders and your ears are not friends. Try to keep your shoulders down and away from your ears during most moves. Keep chest open and shoulders unshrugged.
Mind your lower back. Always be engaging your abs. If you’re feeling a move in your lower back, especially during the ab series, you’re pushing yourself too hard or not engaging your abdominal muscles enough.
Try to not stick out your rib cage. Military posture isn’t what we’re after. If you find yourself puffing out your rib cage, you’re probably arching your back too. You want to find good alignment. Engaged abs, neutral pelvis, ribs finding a good harmony with your hips so that your back has great alignment. Keeping your chest and shoulders open without sticking out your ribs is hard, but it’s ultimately what you want to try to do.
Watch your neck. In most moves, you want your head and neck either totally tucked or totally neutral / straight. If your neck is bothering you, you’re probably working it unnecessarily.
Modify moves if needed. If you can’t sit up straight with your legs in front of you because your hamstrings are too tight, bend your knees a little. If you need to toss in a few extra child’s poses or hip stretches because you feel really tight, do so. If your lower back starts to hurt during abdominal moves, don’t hold for as long / do as many reps.

Warm-up Moves

Tuck chin and roll down one vertebrae at a time until your knees are bent and full palm is on the ground. Hold.
2 long breaths
Straighten legs as much as you can while still having at least your fingertips touching the ground. Hold.
2 long breaths
Make legs completely strength and let body hang, letting your fingers come as close as they can to the ground or touching the ground if that’s possible.
2 long breaths
Get into a squat and move hips around to loosen them.
2 long breaths
Knead the ground like a cat, lifting and rolling your shoulders as you do it.
5 long breaths
Get on all fours, knees hip width apart, palms directly under shoulders with a flat back and engaged abs, move pelvis in and out (like a cat stretch but without using your shoulders).
5 times
Still on all fours, pelvis back in neutral position, push shoulder blades apart and then back together, bending elbows as you lower into it (like a cat stretch but without using your hips).
5 times
Still on all fours, full cat stretch, arching back up, stretching shoulders, and tucking in pelvis on inhale, stretching in opposite direction on exhale.
5 times
Still on all fours, straighten and lift left leg and right arm. Hold.
3 long breaths
Repeat but with opposite leg and arm. Hold.
3 long breaths
Child’s pose.
Lay on your stomach face down on the mat, with your palms on the ground at about shoulder height on the edge of your mat. Slowly raise and lower your upper body, trying not to engage your lower body (unclench your butt, no lower back engagement).
5 times
Child’s pose.
Sit straight up with your legs in front of you (Bend your knees if you need to in order to sit completely upright) and lean over to grab your feet for a hamstring stretch.
3 long breaths
Sit straight up with your legs in front of you (Bend your knees if you need to in order to sit completely upright), arms out to a T and twist to each side for a spine stretch. Keep your hips in place and only twist your upper body.
5 times
Sit up and put your palms on the ground behind you on the mat, leaning backward to a flat back. Flex and unflex your feet.
5 times

Abdominal Series Prep

Lift your body to a top-facing plank, chin tucked. Make sure you aren’t shrugging your shoulders.
3 long breaths
Lay on your back and bend your knees. Place your feet on the ground hip distance apart. Do pelvic tilts, rocking your pelvis in and out.
5 times
Once your pelvis is in a neutral position breath in and on exhale bridge your body up slowly to the shoulder-blades, one vertebrae at a time. Breath in and roll down on exhale, beginning by sinking in chest, one vertebrae at a time.
Neutral pelvis, feet flat on ground, arms raised straight into the air, raise and lower arms straight up for a shoulder stretch.
5 times
Arms straight up, inhale and on exhale roll your body up one vertebrae at a time until sitting up, arms forward. Inhale and roll body down one vertebrae at a time until laying down arms up.
5 times

Abdominal Series

Legs in table top, curl up for 100’s.
Pump arms up an down in small quick motions.
5 long breaths
Leg’s extended straight up, toes pointed.
Pump arms up and down in small quick motions.
5 long breaths
Legs extended to 45°, toes pointed.
Pump arms up and down in small quick motions.
5 long breaths
Hug knees into chest for a comfortable stretch.
With legs in table top and arms extended in a T on the ground, lower legs slowly to the right (without lifting shoulders off the ground). Raise legs back to tabletop and lower legs to the other side.
5 times
Hug knees into chest for a comfortable stretch.
Legs straight up and toes pointed, arms down at side or tucked a little under your butt, lower legs to 45°, raise back to straight.
8 times
Repeat same motion, but with flexed feet, heels pressed together, toes out.
8 times
Repeat same motion, but with flexed feet, toes pressed together, heels out.
8 times

Leg Presses

Legs in table top and feet flexed, put your heels together and your toes out, then press your legs straight out to 45° and return to table top.
8 times
Repeat same motion, but with toes together and heels out.
8 times
Repeat same motion, but with toes and heels together, feet pointed.
8 times
Hug knees to chest.

Spine Massage + Abdominals

Holding on to your hamstrings near your knee, find balance on your sit-bones with your feet off the ground. Tuck yourself into a ball as you roll backward and then back up to this neutral balanced position.
5 times
From the neutral balanced position (sitbones on the ground, feet raised off the ground) extend your legs and arms to a V and then back into position.
5 times

Leg Series

Repeat the block below on each side to work both legs evenly.

Sit on right side, top leg a little forward and right palm on the ground, extend to a side bend / stretch, then let left arm flow under body for a spine twist.

4 times

Lay on your side with your body straight and aligned to the back of your mat, hips positioned directly on top of one another, and belly engaged. Bottom arm is extended and top arm’s palm is down to stabilize. Raise top leg and point toe, lift lower leg to meet the raised leg.

6 times

Extended arm’s palm should now be facing up, raise both legs together along with upper body (arm remains on ground, just chest raises).

6 times

Bring feet to the front corner of your mat, and do leg lifts, pointing the toe of the leg you’re lifting and being careful to keep hips stable.

8 times

Raise your top leg, foot flexed and circle forward as if there is a pencil in your heel and you’re drawing circles with it.

8 times in each direction

Bend your knees and touch top knee to bottom knee, then top toe to bottom toe.

8 times

Superman and Swimming

Lay on stomach for superman, extend and raise arms and legs simultaneously, engaging stomach so you don’t feel it in your lower back. Hold. Repeat 3 times.
3 long breaths each time
Lay on stomach for swimming, extend and raise opposite arm and opposite leg, “swim” by alternating the raised limbs.
3 long breaths
Still on stomach, clasp your arms behind your back. Lift to stretch, raising chest and legs off ground, stretching legs and hands backward but pushing your head forward.
3 long breaths
Still on stomach, grab ankles for a quad stretch, lift legs and chest off ground if you can for a deeper stretch.
3 long breaths
Child’s pose

Planks

Raise body to full plank, feet hip width apart, palms directly under shoulders. Hold.
5 long breaths or longer
Elbows on the ground, hands clasped, raise body to half plank. Hold.
5 long breaths or longer
Child’s pose

Warm-down Stretching

On all fours with knees hip width apart, palms directly under shoulders, flat back and neutral pelvis, cross right arm under body and lower self to ground, side of head on the ground facing the extended arm. Left arm comes behind the back and body tilts away for intense shoulder stretch.
3 long breaths
Raise body to all fours and repeat shoulder stretch on other side, left arm under body, head facing left hand, right arm behind back, leaning into stretch.
3 long breaths
From a neutral all fours position enter a full cat stretch, arching back up, stretching shoulders, and tucking in pelvis on inhale, stretching in opposite direction on exhale.
5 times
Still on all fours in a neutral position, straighten and lift left leg and right arm. Hold.
3 long breaths
Repeat other side.
3 long breaths
Get into a squat position and knead the ground like a cat, rolling your shoulders as you do it.
5 long breaths
Still in a squat move hips around to loosen them.
2 long breaths
Stand up, putting your palms on the ground and knees bent (feet hip width apart). Hold.
2 long breaths
Straighten your legs as much as you can with your fingers still touching the ground. Hold.
2 long breaths
Straighten your legs completely and hang, letting your fingers touch the ground if they can.
2 long breaths
Roll up to standing one vertebrae at a time.

Extra-credit Stretching

Stretch pectoral muscles out on wall, first with arm bent then with arm extended. Try different positions until comfortable and non-pinchy.
Hold a tennis ball between your back and a wall and roll up and down to massage / loosen muscles in upper back. Do the same for your pectoral muscles if they’re super tight.
Lay on back with knees bent, cross one leg over the other and pull to chest for a hip stretch. Repeat on other side.
Cross one leg in front of you and then extend one leg behind your body, leaning over the front crossed leg for intense hip stretch. Repeat on other side.