This 15-Minute Pilates Workout Will Torch Your Core (And It's Beginner-Friendly!) (2024)

Why it’s effective: “This is the perfect exercise to get you warmed up and ready to start moving!” says Rhodes. “It is a great stretch for the neck, spine, and hamstrings. The articulation of the spine will help to increase mobility and improve posture, the slow action allows our abdominal muscles to engage and helps us connect breath to movement.”

How to:

1. Stand tall with your head stacked over your shoulders, hips and feet. The feet should be about hip-bone distance apart. This is your starting position.
2. Inhale deeply, and on the exhale, slowly tuck your chin to your chest and begin to roll the torso down toward the thighs. Scoop your core in and away from the front of the thighs. Your back should be rounded. Extend as far downward as is comfortable.
3. Pause at the bottom, then take a deep inhale. On the exhale, roll up one vertebrae at a time until you have returned to the starting position. That’s 1 rep.
4. Repeat for a total of 5 reps, making sure you don’t rush through the rolling section.

Why it’s effective: This move is a great way to challenge your balance and stability by limiting your supporting points of contact, Rhodes explains. “This is a nearly full-body exercise, with the majority of the work happening in shoulders, lats, back, and abdominals.”

How to:

1. Set up on the mat or floor on all fours, tabletop position, shoulders stacked over hands, knees lined up under hips, and spine resting in a neutral position. This is the starting position.
2. Take a deep inhale and reach right leg straight back while extending left arm straight forward.
3. Pause briefly, then exhale and bend the same leg and arm so the knee and the elbow move toward your core.
4. Inhale to return right leg and left arm to their extended positions.
5. Finally, exhale and gently move back to the starting position on all fours. That’s 1 rep.
6. Repeat for 4 reps on each side.

Why it’s effective: “This move is perfect for building abdominal strength and working on healthy movement for your spine,” Rhodes explains.

How to:

1. Start seated facing the front of the mat, with knees bent, legs parallel to one another, and feet flat on the floor.
2. Sit tall and gently wrap hands around backs of thighs, with arms slightly bent.
3. Inhale, tuck tailbone or pelvis (so the back isn’t perfectly flat), engage core and slowly roll back towards the floor until arms extend out straight in front (without hunching your shoulders).
4. Exhale and slowly pull yourself back up to the starting position with slightly bent arms. That’s 1 rep.
5. Repeat for a total of 5 reps.

Why it’s effective: “This is another great exercise to use your abdominals to challenge the stability of your pelvis and legs, while also actively working the backs of the legs and glutes,” says Rhodes.

How to:

1. Lie flat with knees bent, legs parallel to one another and feet flat on the mat. Extend arms forward by each side so fingers are pointed towards heels.
2. Bracing core, press palms into the floor to lift hips off the mat and into a bridge position. Squeeze glutes at the top.
3. Keeping pelvis and hips stable, slowly draw right leg up until knee is over the hip and shin parallel to the ceiling.
4. Pause, then lower right leg back to start.
5. Repeat with the left leg. That’s 1 rep.
6. Continue alternating for 5 reps.

Why it’s effective: This move is often the most synonymous exercise with mat-based Pilates, according to Rhodes. For good reason; it ignites the deepest layer of abs (or transverse abdominal muscles) while testing stability, control, and precision.

How to:

1. Lie flat with head resting on the mat, knees bent, legs parallel to one another, and feet flat.
2. Carefully lift feet off the mat to bring knees over hips and your shins parallel to the ceiling. (Option to extend legs straight at a diagonal for additional challenge.)
3. Bracing core, gently curl head, neck, and shoulders off the mat and extend arms out toward feet, palms facing down and hovering off the floor.
4. Vigorously “pump” straight arms up and down at the same time, inhaling for 5 pumps and exhaling for 5 pumps.
5. Repeat for 100 pumps.

Why it’s effective: For this move, Rhodes says to expect to feel a strong burn through the glutes, hips, thighs, abdominal muscles, and obliques as those muscles work to stabilize your pelvis.

How to:

1. Lie on right side with knees bent in a half-fetal position (thighs and knees straight out in front of hips, shins parallel to the side of the mat).
2. Align hips, ribs, and shoulders as though back is against a wall. Either cradle your head in the bottom arm or rest head on the bottom right hand. The top arm can help to stabilize the torso by pressing into the floor, or for more of a core challenge, place your top left arm on your hip.
3. Extend top left leg long so that it forms a straight line with the ankle, knee, hip, shoulders.
4. Working in small controlled movements, lift and lower the left leg a few inches for 10 reps. (Omit the opposite leg for now.)

How to:

1. Lie on right side with knees bent in a half-fetal position (thighs and knees straight out in front of hips, shins parallel to the side of the mat).
2. Align hips, ribs, and shoulders as though back is against a wall. Either cradle head in the bottom arm or rest head on the bottom right hand. (The top arm can help to stabilize the torso by pressing into the floor, or for more of a core challenge, place your top left arm on your hip.)
3. Bend left knee to hover parallel over the bottom bent knee.
4. Extend the leg back out again. That's 1 rep. Repeat for 10 reps. (Omit the opposite leg for now.)

How to:

1. Lie on right side with knees bent in a half-fetal position (thighs and knees straight out in front of hips, shins parallel to the side of the mat).
2. Align hips, ribs, and shoulders as though back is against a wall. Either cradle head in the bottom arm or rest head on the bottom right hand. (The top arm can help to stabilize the torso by pressing into the floor, or for more of a core challenge, place top right arm on your hip.)
3. Keeping left leg extended straight and in line with your hips, slowly sweep the straight leg out in front of the body, stopping just before the foot is in line with the hip bone. Repeat 10 times. (Omit the opposite leg for now.)

Why it’s effective: This classic Pilates move activates the glutes, hamstrings, shoulders, triceps, and abdominal muscles simultaneously, according to Rhodes.

How to:

1. Start in a tabletop position with arms straight, shoulders stacked over wrists, and knees under hips.
2. Maintaining the tabletop position, inhale and pull left heel toward glutes.
3. Exhale and squeeze through the back of left leg and lift bent leg up off the mat.
4. Inhale to return to hovering over the mat. That's 1 rep. Repeat 10 times. (Omit the opposite leg for now.)

How to:

1. Start in a tabletop position with arms straight, shoulders stacked over wrists, and knees under hips.
2. Maintaining the tabletop position, inhale and pull left heel toward glutes.
3. Exhale and squeeze through the back of left leg and lift bent leg up off the mat.
4. Extend it straight back keeping knee at hip height. (Keep core lifted and engaged throughout.)
5. Then, bend it back in again. That's 1 rep. Repeat 10 times. (Omit the opposite leg for now.)

Why it’s effective: This move engages the back muscles and entire posterior chain. “Strengthening our back is going to improve our posture and the health of our spine,” Rhodes says.

How to:

1. Lie facedown on a mat or the floor with legs pressed together and extended, arms extended down by sides, palms facing up.
2. Inhale as you simultaneously lift torso and lower body off the mat, pushing pelvis up toward the ribs with glutes engaged.
3. Focus on extending the legs out as long as possible as opposed to lifting as high as possible.
4. Pause, then release back down to the floor. That’s 1 rep.
5. Complete 5 reps.

How to:

1. Lie on left side with knees bent in a half-fetal position (thighs and knees straight out in front of hips, shins parallel to the side of the mat).
2. Align hips, ribs, and shoulders as though back is against a wall. Either cradle your head in the bottom arm or rest head on the bottom right hand. The top arm can help to stabilize the torso by pressing into the floor, or for more of a core challenge, place top right arm on hip.
3. Extend top right leg long so that it forms a straight line with the ankle, knee, hip, shoulders.
4. Working in small controlled movements, lift and lower the left leg a few inches for 10 reps.

How to:

1. Lie on left side with knees bent in a half-fetal position (thighs and knees straight out in front of hips, shins parallel to the side of the mat).
2. Align hips, ribs, and shoulders as though back is against a wall. Either cradle your head in the bottom arm or rest head on the bottom right hand. The top arm can help to stabilize the torso by pressing into the floor, or for more of a core challenge, place top right arm on hip.
3. Lift bent right leg to hover parallel over the bottom leg.
4. Extend right leg out straight in line with hip and torso. That's 1 rep. Repeat for 10 reps.

How to:

1. Lie on left side with knees bent in a half-fetal position (thighs and knees straight out in front of hips, shins parallel to the side of the mat).
2. Align hips, ribs, and shoulders as though back is against a wall. Either cradle your head in the bottom arm or rest head on the bottom right hand. The top arm can help to stabilize the torso by pressing into the floor, or for more of a core challenge, place top right arm on hip.
3. Extend top right leg long so that it forms a straight line with the ankle, knee, hip, shoulders.
4. Keeping right leg extended straight and in line with your hips, slowly sweep it out in front of the body, stopping just before the foot is in line with the hip bone. Repeat 10 times.

How to:

1. Start in a tabletop position with arms straight, shoulders stacked over wrists, and knees under hips.
2. Maintaining the tabletop position, inhale and pull right heel toward glutes. Exhale and squeeze through the back of right leg and lift bent leg up off the mat.
3. Inhale to return to hovering over the mat. That's 1 rep. Repeat 10 times. (Omit the opposite leg for now.)

How to:

1. Start in a tabletop position with arms straight, shoulders stacked over wrists, and knees under hips.
2. Maintaining the tabletop position, inhale and pull right heel toward glutes. Exhale and squeeze through the back of right leg and lift bent leg up off the mat.
3. Extend it straight back keeping knee at hip height. (Keep core lifted and engaged throughout.)
4. Then, bend it back in again. That's 1 rep. Repeat 10 times.

Why it’s effective: Side planks are awesome for working shoulder stability and balance as well as core strength. Plus, this position doesn't add extra stress to the back.

How to:

1. Lie on your left side with knees bent and legs stacked.
2. Press left forearm into the mat under left shoulder, making sure the forearm and fingers are extended long in front. (Option to keep knees bent and stacked, or for a challenge, extend legs long so that shoulders, hips, knees, and ankles are aligned.
3. Pressing the forearm and palm into the floor, lift hips off the mat. (Place the top arm either on the floor in front for extra support, on hip, or for a challenge, reaching towards the ceiling.
4. Hold for three breaths: Inhale and exhale before carefully lowering hips down to the mat.
5. Repeat on the right side.

Why it’s effective: A forearm plank is similar to a high plank (where arms are extended), but the shorter distance to the floor activates the core even more, according to Rhodes.

How to:

1. Start on all fours, and press forearms into the floor with palms splayed and fingertips reaching toward the front of the room.
2. Carefully step feet back, one at a time. Maintain a straight line from the top of head through heels, gazing down just above the fingertips.
3. Tighten abs, quads, and glutes. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, inhaling and exhaling the entire time with control.