Pilates is excellent for building a strong foundation of fitness and movement integrity. The low impact movements increase core and pelvic stability in a way that benefits the body during both intense workouts, and everyday life.
Slower routines like this may not be the most exciting way to train, but they're important. It’s good to keep in mind that a lack of sweat, or soreness, during or from a workout, absolutely does not mean that your effort has been in vain. Some of the most important parts of fitness are really quite boring and not at all flashy, but they can be critical to quality of life and the health of the body.
The exercises in this 10 minute workout are less classic Pilates and more Pilates inspired - we’ve used slight adjustments or combinations of traditional movements in order to change the exact dynamic and muscles targeted. This workout predominately targets the butt, thighs, and core. You won’t need any equipment at all, though ankle weights or resistance bands can significantly increase the difficulty of this routine.
Workout Structure
This workout uses a 50/10 split for active and rest intervals. Feel free to slow it down by taking longer rest breaks if you need them. There is no warm up or cool down, so be sure to do both of those on your own. Mix and match this routine with other short workouts to build your own custom workout session.
Printable Pilates Workout
Bent Leg Raise to Hydrant Lift
Other side
Clamshell to Extension
Other Side
Supine Leg Lift + Reclined Crunch
Other Side
Back Bow + Single Leg Prone Lifts
Prone Frogger Lift
Bridge: 3 Point Butterfly
Single Leg Drop + Leg Split & Crunch
Avoiding an all or nothing mindset
When it comes to exercising, something is always better than nothing - and not just marginally better, but significantly better. We can get quite a lot of benefit out of 10-15 minutes of activity. We can remind our muscles of proper posture, get our blood flowing, and feel-good hormones running through our bodies.
One thing that comes between many people and their goals is an all or nothing, black or white mindset. I think shorter length workouts sometimes get overlooked because a person might feel that they aren’t “enough” to make a difference. That might be fine if that same person went on to do a longer workout, or any workout at all, but many times this kind of thinking leads to complete inaction. With this kind of thinking, we don’t even give our bodies the benefit of a short bout of activity, which comes with real benefits - and all because the smaller action didn’t seem like it would be enough.
If you ever find yourself falling into all or nothing thinking, challenge yourself to break through it. Challenge yourself to do the thing that doesn’t feel like enough, instead of walking away altogether. You’re still going to feel better by the time you’re finished, and you’ll still be that much closer to your goals. There are still health benefits and your body and mind will still reap the rewards of your healthy decision. With that said, do keep in mind that rest days are still oh so important, and you should never talk yourself out of the recovery time you need after rigorous training!
Whether you use this as a standalone workout, or as a burnout round, I hope that you enjoyed it. Pat yourself on the back and let us know what kinds of workouts you would like to see next!