There are many reasons why Pilates is so popular. For starters, this slow and controlled exercise can be done any time, any place. All you need is a flat surface and a yoga mat to provide some grip and comfort as you perfect your practice.
Secondly, Pilates might be a type of strength workout but it’s low impact meaning it’s accessible to the masses. Designed to strengthen your core and better your posture, Pilates was first created to prevent injuries. So you get a lot of bang for your buck.
If that sounds like your kind of workout, allow us to introduce you to California-based Pilates instructor, Robin Long, founder and CEO of Lindywell, who has created a 10-minute full-body workout.
Containing just five Pilates exercises, Long uses body weight as a force of resistance to tone and strengthen the core. Discover how to do this full-body workout below.
How to do Robin Long’s 10-minute full-body Pilates workout
There are five floor-based exercises in Long’s routine and you’ll complete each move for 10-20 reps. The core-centric moves include the Pilates roll-down, toe taps, arm circles, glute bridges and the single leg stretch.
Don’t worry if you haven’t heard of these exercises before. Long shows and explains how to perfect each move. Unlike a core-blasting high-intensity interval training workout (HIIT), the idea is to complete these exercises with control and precision, while engaging your core and focusing on your form.
When you’re doing these moves, it can be easy to forget to breathe. But as Long reminds you, it’s important to focus on connecting your breath to each movement, inhaling during rest periods and exhaling as you sink deeper into the pose.
Is 10 minutes of Pilates a day enough?
On the surface, 10 minutes of Pilates doesn’t seem like much. But any movement is better than none at all. And it’s no secret that Pilates can benefit multiple aspects of your health and well-being.
For example, as researchers highlighted in a review published in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport, the slow and precise practice can improve your flexibility, mobility and better your balance and strength. The study even acknowledged that Pilates has the potential to improve the ‘overall quality of life’.
In the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, it’s recommended that healthy adults aged 18–65 years should engage in activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance for a minimum of two days per week.
So while 10 minutes of Pilates is a great start, an article in the journal Acta Gymnica suggests you’ll need to complete two to three one-hour Pilates sessions a week for 12 weeks to really boost abdominal strength and endurance.
More from Tom’s Guide
- Forget burpees — build muscle all over body with this 20-minute Pilates-inspired workout and a set of light weights
- Skip the coffee — this 7-move Pilates workout will give you all-day energy in just 20 minutes
- Forget weights, this 30-minute Pilates workout for beginners strengthens your abs and hips
