A pelvic tilt improves the strength and posture of your lower abdominal muscles and back. When done correctly, it will help you develop strength, and coordination of your core muscles. It also promotes back stabilization, which reduces the chance of back injury. The pelvic tilt is a very basic exercise that can be performed in a variety of positions.
Standing
You can perform a pelvic tilt while standing. The anterior pelvic tilt is performed by pushing your stomach forward and pulling back and up on your buttocks and tailbone. A posterior tilt moves in the opposite direction of the anterior tilt.The posterior tilt is performed by tightening your abdominals and buttocks and pulling your pelvic bone towards your chin. You should hold each tilt a few seconds before returning to a neutral position. Repeat 8 to 10 times.
Supine
Once you perfect the standing anterior and posterior tilts, you can progress to the supine position. However, if getting down on the floor is difficult, you can also do it on a firm mattress or padded bench. While on your back, your feet should be placed flat on the floor and shoulder-width apart. Your arms and hands are relaxed and placed at your sides. The movements are performed just as they were standing. When you do the anterior tilt, you will find that you will create a small arch in your lower back as you push your buttocks and tailbone into the floor. With the posterior tilt you will tighten the abdominals and push your lower back into the floor.
Exercise Ball
You can also do pelvic tilts while seated on an exercise stability ball. The movement is the same as the standing position, however, the stability ball will move slightly with each movement. While seated, your chest should be up and out and your shoulders back and relaxed. Your feet will be on the ground and placed shoulder width apart. Exercise-Ball-Exercises cautions that your body's natural reaction will be slouching the back in order to move the pelvis, but you should fight this by keeping your upper torso upright and chest out. They also recommend holding each tilt for 5 to 10 seconds and repeat 5 to 10 times.
Considerations
When performing the pelvic tilt, regardless of position, you should do so in a slow and controlled manner. Breathe throughout the entire movement and keep the rest of your body relaxed. Once you've mastered the pelvic tilt, you can progress onto exercises like the pelvic bridge where you lift the entire torso off the floor creating a straight line between the knees and shoulders. You can also add additional repetitions or hold the exercise for longer periods of time to make it more difficult.
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