30-Minute Pilates Workout

How to Do a Seesaw Plank

1. Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, with your weight evenly distributed among all 10 fingers. Your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Engage your deep core and pelvic floor by pulling your belly button in towards your spine.
2. Rock forward, shifting to press your nose over your fingertips. Focus on keeping your hips even, avoiding any piking or sagging.
3. With control, reverse the motion, rocking back so your shoulders are stacked over your elbows.

Modification: Perform this from a modified plank position, dropping to your knees. If you need a wrist-friendly modification, you can perform a forearm seesaw plank by dropping to your forearms.

How to Do a 4-Point Donkey Kick

1. Start in a tabletop position with your knees bent at 90-degree angles and your hips stacked over your knees. Place your left forearm and right hand flat on the mat, shoulders stacked over elbows. 
2. Maintain the 90-degree bend in your right knee as you lift your right leg off the ground, pressing your right heel towards the ceiling. Left knee remains planted on the ground. Focus on moving your leg by squeezing your glutes rather than arching through the back.
3. With control, slowly lower your right knee, returning to the starting position.

How to Do a 3-Pulse Long Lunge and Hinge

1. Start standing tall with your feet hip-width apart, arms relaxed at your sides.
2. Step your right foot back into a reverse lunge, bending both knees to 90 degrees. Keep your chest lifted and your arms reaching overhead.
3. Pulse gently 3 times at the bottom of the lunge, lowering and lifting just a few inches with control (count: 1, 2, 3).
4. After the final pulse, hinge forward at the hips, maintaining a long spine, and swing your arms down and around so your fingertips point toward the wall behind you.
5. Reverse the motion: sweep your arms back overhead, lift your chest and return to the low lunge position.

Modification: If lunges hurt your knees, check out these exercise modifications.

How to Do a Single-Leg Glute Bridge Hold and Power Lift Off

1. Start lying on your back, feet hip-width apart and knees bent.
2. Press through your heels to lift your glutes off the mat, squeezing your glutes as you lift. Think about keeping your core engaged and knees in line with your hips. Keep your right foot planted on the floor, and then extend your left toes straight overhead.
3. Inhale as you lower your right toes towards the ground, hovering them off the mat. Think about keeping your hips high and stable, pressing through your right foot for stability.
4. Exhale as you reverse the motion, lifting your left toes to stack over your left foot, returning to the starting position.

Modification: Find a staggered stance glute bridge by keeping your left heel on the ground. Rather than straightening the left leg, keep it bent at 90 degrees as you lift it off the mat. Keeping the leg bent reduces the intensity of the exercise.

How to Do a Pilates Teaser

1. Start lying flat on your back with your legs extended long on the mat and arms reaching overhead. Keep your lower back gently pressing into the mat.
2. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, begin to roll up through your spine, lifting your head, shoulders and arms off the mat.
3. At the same time, lift your legs off the mat, keeping them together and straight (or slightly bent if needed).
4. Balance on your sit bones, forming a “V” shape with your body. Your arms should be extended forward, parallel to your legs, and your spine tall.
5. Hold for a breath, engaging your core to maintain balance.
6. Slowly lower down with control, rolling through the spine until your back and legs return to the mat.

Modification: Keep your shoulders on the mat. Reduce the intensity of the exercise by performing alternating single-leg kickouts.

How to Do Pilates Hundreds

1. Start sitting on the floor with your legs bent at 90 degrees. Lean back slightly, sitting on your sit bones (two sitting bones and tailbone), keeping a nice, long spine, shoulders down and back.
2. Place your hands behind your knees and lift your feet off the ground. Bent legs are extended out in front of you.
3. If possible, slowly straighten your legs out in front of you. Raise the tips of your toes to eye-level or just higher.
4. Then straighten your arms, extending them out at shoulder height, palms facing down. Pulse your arms up and down 2-3 inches, while holding this position (pilates hundreds or boat pose).

Modification: Keep your shoulders on the mat. Reduce the intensity of the exercise by keeping the legs bent, knees tucked in towards your chest.

How to Do a Side Lying Leg Slide and Kick

1. Start lying on your side, right arm on the mat, left hand behind your head. Extend both legs long, feet stacked on top of one another. Brace your core. Lift your head and neck off the ground.
2. Pull the top (left) knee in towards your face. Then, extend the left leg long, left toes pointing towards the ceiling.
3. With control, keep the left leg straight as you slowly lower it back to meet the right leg. Left foot to meet right foot.

Modification: Reduce the intensity of the exercise by keeping the leg that’s resting on the mat slightly bent.