Pilates mat exercises without props provide you with a portable workout you can do anywhere. Whether you spend five or 20 minutes on your workout session, Pilates exercises can give you flatter abs and better posture, as well as tone and tighten your entire body. The system of exercises created by Joseph Pilates can also be performed on specialized pieces of fitness equipment like the reformer.
Five-Minute Workout
Perform a portable five-minute Pilates workout to tone your entire body. Start with 30 seconds of Pilates push-ups, with your hands directly under your shoulders instead of out to the side. Use the next minute to hold a wall slide by sitting down as if in a chair, with your back against a wall. Do 1 1/2 minutes of leg lifts and circles while lying on your side, and then roll onto your stomach and clap your feet together 30 times. For the last 30 seconds, lie on your back with your hands behind your head. Bring one knee toward the opposite elbow and hold for three seconds, switch legs and repeat.
Bikini Body
You can work toward a bikini-ready body in one month with Pilates exercises. Start with front leg lifts that kick back into a lunge, followed by classic lunges with the arms out to the sides. Perform leg lifts in a Pilates push-up position and then execute the push-ups using only one leg. On your hands and knees, extend one leg out to your side for leg lifts you hold for two counts, followed by the yoga plank pose and reverse plank. Next, perform curtsy squats with swinging arms and then sit down, lean back on your elbows, lift both legs 60 degrees and trace circles with your feet together. Work your abs by balancing on your tailbone with your legs raised and knees bent while rolling your upper body up and down. Turn over to lie on your stomach and do the locust pose from yoga.
Longer, Leaner Look
An eight-minute Pilates workout can lead to a longer, leaner look. For the first minute, perform several rounds of the yoga pose upward-facing dog and then roll over to your back and hug your knees into your chest for one minute with your shoulders, neck and head off the floor. Sit up, extend your legs out in front of you, reach for your toes and then roll up for two minutes. Next, sit up straight, extend your arms out to the side and twist your torso to the right and left. Keep this seated position, place your palms on the floor directly under your shoulders, fingers facing toward your toes and lift your body off the ground so only your hands and heels touch the floor; perform leg lifts for one minute. Finish by placing yourself in a Pilates push-up position and perform leg lifts for one minute.
Firm Your Abs
To firm your abs, stand with your arms down by your sides, palms facing back. Move your arms back and forth about 3 to 5 inches as you count to 10, relax and breathe deeply for 10 seconds and then repeat eight times. Step your legs wider than hip-width apart and squat into a plie, where you straighten one leg as you do a leg lift with the other. Perform side lunges with a diagonal ab crunch, followed by kicking each leg to the back and the front. Lift your leg to the side as you sweep your arms to the opposite side to finish the workout.
References
- Fitness Magazine: 5-Minute Pilates Workout, Firm Up Fast
- Fitness Magazine: Get a Bikini Body in 4 Weeks
- Fitness Magazine: 8-Minute Workout, Pilates for a Longer, Leaner Look
- Fitness Magazine: Lose Your Ab Flab, Fat-Burning Power Pilates
- Mayo Clinic: Pilates for Beginners, Explore the Core of Pilates
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