10 Essential Pilates Exercises Every Beginner Should Master
Are you ready to build strength, improve your flexibility and enhance your overall well-being? If the answer is yes, try these 10 beginner Pilates exercises.
Pilates is a form of exercises, originally developed by Joseph Pilates, which offers a low-impact, targeted and holistic approach to fitness. Pilates, unlike many other forms of exercise, focuses on the body-mind connection with an emphasis on precise, controlled movements.
Whether you’re new to Pilates or returning after a break, mastering these 10 essential Pilates exercises will lay a solid foundation for your journey towards a stronger, more balanced body.
*Please note these exercises may not be suitable for everyone. Consult with a qualified healthcare professional before starting any new exercise program.
Michelle, Yellow Pilates Founder on the Isle of Man - where Joseph Pilates developed the Pilates method.
1. The Pelvic Tilt & The Pelvic Clock
The Pelvic Tilt & the Pelvic Clock are both fundamental exercises for beginners. Both movements are similar and designed to improve awareness of the pelvis.
By tilting and visualising the pelvis as a clock, you can mobilise the pelvis in different directions to develop a deeper understanding of the movements of the pelvis. These exercises also help you to identify the neutral pelvis position, which can improve the alignment of your spine and help achieve musculoskeletal balance.
Lie on your back, knees bent with your feet in line with your hips
Imagine your pelvis is a clock, with your navel in the centre
Tilt pelvis towards you (12 o’clock) and away from you (6 o’clock) and repeat 6-8 times
Return to centre and find the middle point: the neutral position
Tilt pelvis side to side (3 o’clock to 9 o’clock) and repeat 6-8 times
Try to smoothly and slowly move through each 4 points of the clock in a circular motion
Repeat in both directions
2. The Pelvic Curl
Building on from the Pelvic Tilt & Pelvic Clock exercises, the Pelvic Curl will begin to move your spine sequentially.
Another fundamental beginner Pilates exercise, the Pelvic Curl is designed to build on your awareness of the movements of the spine, increasing mobility in areas of the spine that are often unused. By slowly and methodically moving the spine, this exercise highlights any imbalances, weakness or areas lacking in the spine that lack mobility. Everyone has imbalances and weakness, so identifying areas for improvement is a positive step forward.
Lie on your back, knees bent with your feet in line with your hips
Tilt your pelvis towards you, flattening your back into the mat
Press down through your feet as you lift your hips off the mat
Try to move one vertebra at a time, from tailbone to shoulders
Pause at the top, where your hips are lifted towards the ceiling
Slowly reverse the movement on the way down, moving one vertebrae at a time
Repeat exercises 8-10 times
3. Single and Double Leg Lifts
Pilates has a focus on strengthening core muscles to improve the body’s overall functioning. Working your deep muscles are vital to maintaining a healthy body and achieving your goals, whether that is staying pain-free or running your next marathon.
This is a great beginner Pilates exercise to begin to find and work your deep abdominal muscles.
Single Leg Lifts
Lie on your back, knees bent with your feet in line with your hips
Breathe out and draw your stomach in towards your spine to engage your core
As you do this, lift one left off the mat towards the ceiling to a table top position where your knee is in line with your hip
Engage your core to stabilise your pelvis, keeping a neutral position
Lower the leg back down with control
Alternate between both legs for 8-12 repetitions
Double Leg Lifts:
Begin in the same starting position
Lift one leg into table top position, lift other leg to join
Lower one leg, then the other
Repeat 8-12 times, alternating the starting leg
4. Ab & Oblique Curl
Now that you’ve begun to activate your abdominal muscles, this beginner Pilates exercise will strengthen your core muscles further. Not only do they improve your strength, but they also improve your stability, spine mobility and overall body control.
Ab Curl:
Lie on your back, knees bent with your feet in line with your hips
Bring your hands behind your head
Take a breath in through the nose, as you exhale draw the belly button in
Allow the head and shoulders to start to curl and lift off the mat
Breathe out, roll back down to the mat to beginning position
Repeat 8-10 times
Oblique Curl:Repeat the above, lifting head and shoulders off the mat
In the curl, moving your spine head and chest towards one side focusing on your oblique muscles
Return to centre, exhale and rotate over to the other side
Repeat 8-10 times
5. Shoulder Isolations
A lot of people struggle with tight shoulders or shoulder pain. Learning how to move your shoulder girdle effectively is key to reducing pain and mobilising the shoulders.
The shoulder blades (the scapula) can slide around the rib cage, an action that is really important to maintaining happy, healthy shoulders and upper limbs!
This beginner Pilates exercise isolates the shoulder blades to encourage them to glide around the rib cage.
Bring your hands and knees onto the mat
Your shoulders should be in line with your wrists, your knees underneath your hips
This is called the four point kneeling position
Breathe in and as you breathe out, let your chest sink down towards the ground
Encourage your shoulder blades to slide towards one another
Press your hands into the mat
Lift the chest and let shoulder blades slide back around rib cage
Repeat exercise 8-10 times
6. Cat Paws
This exercise is key for beginners, as it will help stabilise the shoulder blades, strengthen core muscles and help balance across the body. They key to doing this exercise effectively is to keep the spine, pelvis and shoulders neutral.
Come into a Four Point Kneeling Position, as in the previous exercise
Take a breath in through the nose
As you breathe out, peel one hand off the floor, allowing the elbow to bend, like a cat paw
Keep your shoulders and pelvis aligned
Repeat 8-10, alternating between both hands
7. Superman
Building on the previous beginner Pilates exercises, the Superman will help to improve posture, strengthen the core and achieve balance across both sides of the body. Keep making sure you are practicing with a neutral pelvis, spine and shoulders. Precision, control and centering is key here.
Return to your Four Point Kneeling Position
Take a breath in through the nose
As you breathe out, allow your arm to slide along the mat, reaching out in front of you
Slowly, bring it back to where you began and repeat using your other arm
Now try the same with your leg
Breathe out, allow your leg to slide away from you along the mat
Slowly bring it back to where you began and repeat using your other leg
When you feel confident, try reaching opposite arm to leg out at the same time - like a Superman pose
Repeat 8-10 times, alternating sides
8. Side Lying - Clam
Here we are beginning to work your glutes in this Pilates exercise! Often our glutes are not always working as effectively as they could be. Take your time to find alignment in your side lying position and then keep the hips & the shoulders stacked as you start to move your leg.
Lie on your side, on your mat
Let your knees be bent and your heels in line with your bum
Take a breath in and as you breathe out, allow your top knee to open up towards the sky
Lower your knee back down, keep your hips stacked on top of one another
Repeat 8-10 times, then turn over and repeat on the opposite side!
9. Side Lying - Circles
In this exercise, the core muscles and deep stabilisers have to get more involved. Can you keep everything from your pelvis upwards stable as you move your leg? Focus on activating the glutes again.
Lie on your side, on your mat
Bend the leg that is touching the floor
Keep the top leg straight
Allow the top leg to rise in line with your hip
Start to circle the leg in small, precise movements
Repeat circles 8 times in each direction
Turn onto your other side, to repeat on the other leg
10. Roll Down (Standing)
The Roll Down is a great way to start or end a class. Rolling down from standing helps check in with our spinal articulation, balance, centring, tension and connection to our body.
Be sure to try and articulate every vertebrae of the spine - remembering that the spine starts in the centre of your skull and goes all the way down to your tailbone! Keep both feet equally weighted into the ground, and try to move with floppy arms and a relaxed head.
This is something you can easily do regularly at home, with no equipment required. It is a brilliant way to check in and reset your spine and is key to your Pilates practice whether you are a beginner or seasoned professional!
Stand with your feet underneath your hips with your spine straight
Look straight ahead of you
You should have a slight bend in the knees
Take a breath in through the nose
As you breathe out, allow the chin to nod towards your chest
Begin to roll down through the spine as sequentially as you can
Try to articulate each vertebrae of the spine until you reach the bottom
Pause, breathe in and as you breath out, begin to curl back up through the spine
Restack the spine on top of the pelvis, the head being the last thing to lift
Repeat 8 times
Here are 10 essential beginner’s Pilates exercises to get you started on your Pilates journey. Focus on controlled, precise movements and get to know your own body. You can watch the explanation videos as many times as you need to, so you can begin to really understand the movements.
*Information provided on this blog is for educational purposes only. Certain exercise may be unsuitable for individuals with specific medical conditions, injuries or physical limitations.
