When it comes to your health, finding an exercise routine you actually enjoy is one of the best things you can do for your body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends getting at least 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise and two to three sessions of strength training per week. Both can help you increase muscle mass, improve heart health, enhance endurance, and lose excess weight. However, you don’t always have to choose between the two—Pilates exercises can combine cardiovascular exercise and strength training, essentially streamlining your workout goals.
“Pilates can be anything from a slow, focused workout to a sweaty, intense one; it all depends upon the client’s individual goals,” says Catherine Fair, pilates lead at Life Time Westchester. “Generally, we start beginners out more slowly to build muscle memory and teach them how to activate the core. Once these principles are mastered, we move more quickly through flowing sequences, adding more exercises until we can practice approximately 55 non-stop exercises per one-hour session.”
Pilates experts say there are a handful of popular moves that keep your body guessing and your muscles in motion—allowing your metabolism to handle the rest. These are their nine favorite Pilates exercises for weight loss.
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Whether you’re looking to tone up, slim down, or simply get your body moving, Pilates makes for a great strength training workout. Tamara Galinsky, founder and brand president of JETSET Pilates, says that when done regularly, any Pilates exercise that uses isometric contraction should result in weight loss and muscle development.
“Incorporating isometric contractions in Pilates accelerates toning by engaging muscles without movement, maximizing muscle fiber recruitment and enhancing endurance. This method is excellent for sculpting and defining muscles efficiently,” she says.
For example, planks or side planks are a simple isometric exercise you can use to build strength while also helping you slim down, says Ronny Garcia, CPT, personal training manager at Blink Fitness.
“This exercise engages the core muscles and lower back, but it also works the shoulders, arms, chest, glutes, and legs. The full body engagement increases muscle tone and burns calories,” he tells Best Life.
Lunges are great for boosting your lower body strength, which can in turn increase physical endurance and help you burn more calories in the long run.
“The stability required for the carriage lunge, coupled with using a Pilates ring, intensifies core engagement and upper body activation,” says Galinsky. “This not only burns more calories but also contributes significantly to slimming down and toning by targeting multiple muscle groups simultaneously.”
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Garcia next recommends trying a move called “The Hundred.” To try it, lie on your back with your legs raised at a 45-degree angle. Then, pump your arms up and down while simultaneously taking deep breaths in and out until you’ve completed 100 pumps.
“This exercise strengthens the core muscles, creating a toned and slim midsection. Additionally, since this exercise requires holding the position for an extended period, it increases muscle endurance,” Garcia notes.
Next, Garcia recommends the “Roll-Up,” another Pilates exercise that targets the core muscles.
“It also engages the back and legs, improving flexibility. The control required for this exercise is the key to increasing muscle tone,” he says.
To give it a try, you’ll once again begin by laying flat on your back, this time with your arms extended overhead. Slowly roll up to a sitting position, reaching for your toes. Roll back down one vertebra at a time.
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Another move known as “The Teaser” can also provide a rigorous weight loss workout.
“This exercise mainly targets the core muscles but also benefits the lower back, glutes, and legs,” says Garcia.
Ready to give it a try? Lay on your back with your arms overhead and legs extended, Garcia says. Simultaneously lift your legs and upper body, forming a “V” shape, then lower back down with control.
Working against the spring tension provided by Pilates machines can help enhance your workout and lead to faster weight loss.
One of Fair’s favorite moves utilizes a piece of equipment known as the jumpboard. “This is a fast-paced, intense workout that leaves our legs shaking and our hearts pumping,” she notes.
You’ll begin in a supine position on your back or on your side, with your feet flat against the machine’s bottom board. Then, you’ll “jump,” pushing off through the feet and meeting resistance from the springs.
“Heavier springs make our legs work hard, and lighter springs make our cores work hard. We incorporate both into a jumpboard workout, and it’s super challenging and fun!” Fair says.
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Fair’s next recommendation utilizes another piece of equipment: the Pilates chair.
“This involves lots of balance work and is great for athletic conditioning. Just like the jumpboard, but in a standing position, the legs work very hard along with the core to step up and down off the chair with some support from the springs,” she says. “It’s a flowing workout that takes the body from seated to standing to side, front and back, and more. Chair Pilates will leave your glutes burning, your abs aching, and will strengthen your balance.”
Nadia Murdock, a certified Pilates and barre instructor who works with Garage Gym Reviews, recommends Pilates push-ups. “I like this move because it can empower you to explore variations of other traditional moves. Keeping your workouts challenging and interesting is a helpful tool to maintain consistency,” she tells Best Life.
For this exercise, begin with your hands shoulder-width apart and your knees on the floor, essentially in a tabletop position. Shifting your weight forward, you’ll then scoop the tailbone under and engage through your core.
“As you lower your body down, keep your head neutral with your spine,” says Murdoch, adding that it’s important to continue breathing steadily. “Inhale as you lower down while kicking one leg straight out, keeping the other knee bent and supported under your hip. Repeat this on the same side for 12 reps before repeating the action on the other side.”
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Finally, Murdock recommends the corkscrew, “a classic move” that provides consistent results.
“Start by lying down on your back with your arms straight by your side and palms facing down,” she says. Next, lift your hips and swing your legs over your head to a high diagonal, then roll down to the right side in a circular “corkscrew” motion. “To complete the movement, circle your legs down and over to the left, then roll up to a high diagonal again,” she adds.
Repeat this action for 30 seconds on each side, or—if you’re up for a challenge—until exhaustion.