As a certified personal trainer, fitness writer and mum of two (very) active kids, I know working out isn't just about looking good in the mirror. For me, it's about building all-round strength, balance and mobility and feeling strong for everyday life.
I usually train five or six days a week, combining strength training and cardio, but I also like to mix things up with barre, yoga and Pilates. And lately, I've found myself doing a lot more of the latter.
Pilates has become one of social media's favorite workouts, thanks to its reputation for building strength, improving posture and helping you move better. Scroll through Instagram, and it won't be long before you're faced with an impressive-looking Pilates move promising to fire up muscles you didn't even know you had. And I'm not ashamed to admit it: I used to think low-impact Pilates meant low effort. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Celebrity Pilates instructor and founder of Motus Institute Catherine Farrell, also known as Pilates by Cat, agrees. "The biggest fitness myth I wish would disappear is that Pilates doesn't build strength," she says. And here is one exercise she swears by.
What is the Pilates exercise?
"Strength is built by progressively asking your muscles to do more over time. That can mean increasing resistance, repetitions, or sets; working through a greater range of motion; changing the leverage; reducing assistance; or progressing to a more challenging variation. Every one of those principles can be applied in both mat and reformer Pilates," says Cat.
I discovered the one exercise she returns to time and time again with her celebrity clients and runway models, and I had to try it for myself. It's called the reverse plank bridge, and, according to Cat, it is "one of the most efficient full-body movements in Pilates," so I tried it for 30 days.
How to do a reverse plank bridge
- Start seated on the floor with your hands behind you, fingers pointing away from your body. Press your right heel into the mat and hover your left foot just above the floor.
- Push through your right heel and squeeze your glutes as you lift your hips into a tabletop position. At the same time, straighten your left leg, keeping your thighs parallel.
- Slowly bend your arms and lower your glutes towards the floor. As you lower, reach through the lifted leg and raise it toward the ceiling, keeping your core engaged and your ribs drawn down
- Pause briefly, then press back up, opening through your chest as you return to the tabletop position with your leg extended in line with your body. That's one rep.
- Complete 12 reps on each side for 4 rounds, moving slowly and focusing on control rather than speed.
Why is it so effective?
The reverse plank bridge is one of the most efficient full-body movements in Pilates because it strengthens the glutes and hamstrings, challenges the deep core and works the arms and shoulders, while encouraging good posture and balance.
Because you're supporting your own body weight, multiple muscle groups have to work together to stop your hips from dropping or twisting. Instead of isolating one muscle group, you're training your body to work in unison, which is exactly what makes it feel so challenging.
What happened after 30 days?
Sprinkling this move into my daily workouts was interesting. I was under no illusion that it would be easy. I’m used to swinging kettlebells, sprinting up hills and pushing heavy sleds, but not flowing gracefully through Pilates.
Within seconds, my shoulders were working, the gluteal muscles on my supporting side were burning and my core was working overtime to keep my hips lifted. Your glutes certainly feel the brunt of this move, and don't be fooled by the fact you're on the floor, as your entire body has to work hard.
I’ll admit, I finished that first set feeling slightly frustrated. Cat made it look effortlessly graceful. For me, it absolutely wasn't.
The stretch in my hamstring as I lifted and lowered my leg was pretty extreme, too. Keeping a slight bend in my knee helped with this until, after a week or so, I felt my flexibility improving.
As always, I stuck with the challenge I set myself, and what surprised me most was just how many muscles had to work together to control the movement. Think glutes, hamstrings and shoulders, with my core constantly switched on to keep me stable.
As always, I stuck with the challenge I set myself, and what surprised me most was just how many muscles had to work together to control the movement. Think glutes, hamstrings and shoulders, with my core constantly switched on to keep me stable.
After 30 days, I noticed better hip and glute engagement and stability during my longer runs. My core also felt more switched on during everyday movements, and I became more aware of my posture. The ache in my shoulders was also a regular reminder to sit a little straighter at my desk and be more mindful of my posture when getting my steps in.
Adding the reverse plank bridge to my routine helped me feel more connected to my body, particularly during exercises that require balance, control and coordination. But one of the biggest changes was something I hadn't expected: I started using the flow of the movement as a chance to become more present.
With this exercise, I made a conscious effort to slow down and focus on what my body was doing. Once it clicked, the move became a great way to finish a workout or switch everything on before a morning run. In that sense, it became a small moment of mindfulness.
Most importantly, I got better at it. The movement became smoother and more controlled with each day, and by day 30, I may not have looked quite as graceful as Cat, but I was certainly less clunky than on day one.
Overall, the challenge reminded me just how interconnected our muscles are. Strength isn't always about lifting heavier or pushing harder. Sometimes slowing things down, moving with control and paying attention to how your body moves can expose weaknesses and build strength in ways you don't expect.
I’m much more mindful of what slow, controlled movements can give you compared with simply rushing through your reps. In fact, I’ve started slowing things down when I lift weights too. Time under tension, good form and feeling the muscles you're trying to work can be just as important as the weight you're lifting.
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