Not sit-ups, planks, or crunches: I do this simple Pilates exercise every single day to build a strong and stable core and work on my hip flexor mobility

a photo of a woman with strong abs — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Building a strong core is far simpler than it sounds, and trust me, I’ve been writing about fitness fads for the past decade. Building a six-pack is a different ballgame entirely, and if that’s your goal, you’ll need to focus on your diet, stress, sleep and overall body fat percentage.

Yet a strong core is about far more than visible abdominal muscles. Your core is your body’s corset, protecting your spine from injury as you move, and helping you run, walk and lift with better posture and balance.

While I’ll occasionally do traditional "ab workouts," I’ll more often than not find myself practicing Pilates most evenings to unwind before bed. I’m a marathon runner, currently gearing up for my sixth marathon (and my first postpartum race), and I use Pilates to strengthen my body and keep me free from injuries.

The abdominal exercise I swear by is Pilates toe taps — I used it as part of my postpartum recovery program to rebuild my core and pelvic floor muscles, and I still use it today to work on the deep stabilizer muscles in my midsection. Read on to find out how to do it and the form mistakes to look out for.

How to do the Pilates toe tap exercise

Like all Pilates exercises, the key here is to move slowly and with complete control. You’ll only need your bodyweight, but using one of the best yoga mats underneath you can help keep things more comfortable.

an illo of a woman doing a Pilates toe tap — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Lie on your back, with your lower back pressed into the floor.
Lift your legs off the floor, keeping a bend in your knees. Your knees should be in line with your hips.
Raise your arms, keeping them outstretched. This is called the tabletop position.
Engage your abs, thinking about sucking your belly button into your spine, or bracing your abs, as if you were about to be punched.
Slowly, and with control, tap one foot to the floor, touching it with your toes, then lift your leg to your starting position.
Repeat on the other side.
Ensure your lower back stays pressed into the floor throughout, and that you perform the same number of reps on both sides.

What are the benefits?

Deep core activation

While exercises like sit-ups and crunches work the rectus abdominis, or "six-pack" muscles, this simple-looking exercise targets the deepest transverse abdominis muscles. These muscles protect your spine from injury and stabilize the body as you move.

You’ll also be working the pelvic floor here, too, making it a great one to do postpartum, as you’ll want to focus on strengthening the muscles that have relaxed during childbirth to avoid incontinence.

Remember to always check with your doctor or midwife before returning to exercise after giving birth.

a woman doing pilates toe taps — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

Hip flexor mobility

The key to this exercise is to keep the 90-degree bend in your knees as you tap your toes to the floor. This ensures the movement is coming from your hip flexors, not your knees. If you spend a lot of time sitting or you’re a runner, you might find you have especially tight hip flexors, so this is a great exercise to loosen things up.

Pelvic stability

Due to the tabletop position, your pelvis is stabilized in this exercise. This helps protect your lower back and teaches you to keep your pelvis stable as you tap your legs — a good thing to practice for other strength training exercises.

What are the form mistakes to look out for?

Like most ab exercises, you’ll want to ensure your lower back is pressed into the exercise mat for this exercise. If you feel your lower back peeling away from the mat, you’re not engaging your abs, and you could be putting yourself at risk of injury. Reduce the range of motion, and don’t worry if your foot doesn’t reach the floor; it’s more important to keep your back supported.

You’ll also want to avoid rushing this movement — the key is to move as slowly as possible. Make sure you’re not holding your breath. too. Think about inhaling as you drop your toe to the floor, and exhaling as you lift your leg back up to the tabletop.

a woman holding a yoga mat with strong abs — (Image credit: Shutterstock)

I do Pilates toe taps every day — here’s how I’ve progressed the exercise

Pilates toe taps are a fantastic foundational exercise in Pilates, but as you get stronger, it’s also an easy one to progress to ensure you’re working your abs hard. Here are a few ideas:

Double toe taps: Instead of tapping one foot to the floor, perform a double tap each time you lower your toes to the mat, lowering both at the same time. This is a bigger challenge for your lower abs. Again, only lower as far as you can go while keeping your lower back pressed into the mat.
Add instability: The exercise immediately gets harder if you add some instability. To do this, place a Pilates ball or a foam roller under your lower back and perform the toe taps.
Extend the tap: Another easy way to increase the intensity of the exercise is to tap your toe further away from your body.

Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.

More from Tom's Guide

Jane McGuire is Tom's Guide's Fitness editor, which means she looks after everything fitness related - from running gear to yoga mats. An avid runner, Jane has tested and reviewed fitness products for the past five years, so knows what to look for when finding a good running watch or a pair of shorts with pockets big enough for your smartphone. When she's not pounding the pavements, you'll find Jane striding round the Surrey Hills, taking far too many photos of her puppy.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.