Forget sit-ups and planks — this 10-minute standing Pilates workout strengthens your core and lower body

There are a lot of different ways to achieve your fitness aims, and while classic core workouts with lots of floor moves like sit-ups, planks and crunches are certainly effective, they’re not the only way to strengthen your abs and deep core muscles.

Standing workouts can be just as good a way to work your core, and they’re more accessible thanks to the fact that you don’t have to hit the floor.

This 10-minute standing Pilates workout from fitness trainer Monika Larssen, who goes by MonikaFit on YouTube, is a great way to build a stronger core without classic floor exercises, and it’s also good for strengthening the lower body and improving your balance.

It’s suitable for all fitness levels and you don’t need any equipment to do the workout either, though if you’re more experienced and want to make the session harder, you could use one of the best kettlebells to increase the difficulty.

Watch MonikaFit’s 10-minute standing Pilates workout

10MIN 'GOOD MORNING' PILATES WORKOUT | All-Standing | No Equipment - YouTube

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There are 12 moves in the workout, and you do each for 40 seconds, then rest for 10 seconds. Monika does the workout with you so you can copy her form, and there are demonstrations of the upcoming move on the screen during your rest breaks.

There are no spoken instructions, though, so make sure you can see your screen throughout so you know what to do and what’s coming up. The workout challenges the core through moves like hip circles and toe touches, and the legs through a variety of squats.

To challenge and improve your balance, a lot of the moves are done on one leg or in a split stance, so you’ll do the exercise twice, once on each side of the body.

This kind of workout is great for building strength and stability in the deep core muscles, and because it’s all done standing at a slow pace, it’s an approachable session that people of all fitness levels can do.

Monika suggests this would be a great workout to start the day with, and I wholeheartedly agree, because you can do it slowly to gently wake up the mind and body while ticking off a strength session in just 10 minutes.

If you can’t add it to your morning routine, it’s still a fantastic option for later in the day, as well. As always, the key is consistency if you’re looking to strengthen your core, so try to fit this workout or similar ones in two or three times a week, and in time, you’ll notice the benefits.

Once you’re comfortable with the workout, it’s important to increase the difficulty of your training to keep progressing and building strength and fitness. You can do it in many ways, like increasing the length of your workouts, adding weight, or pushing harder to increase the intensity.

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