Curl your head up and place your hands on your knees. Target area: Abdominals, hamstring mobility. You can also just pick a few you like and do them a couple times through to create a standalone core routine. \"Pilates is a mind-body workout that targets your core muscles with every exercise,\" Manuela Sanchez, a Pilates instructor at Club Pilates in Brooklyn, New York, tells SELF. Amy is a freelance writer who covers health, fitness, outdoors, and travel. Squeeze this move into your daily routine. Get ready for a focused Pilates workout that will tighten your entire body She holds a B.A. Precision in this type of scoop is one of the secrets of Pilates. Bring one knee in toward your chest at a time. And the workout method strengthens all different areas of your core. Though the focus is somewhat on the upper body, if you engage the legs and imagine squeezing the gluteals together, the exercise will be easier. Target area: Abdominals, all thigh muscles—especially inner thigh. Strengthening your core is one of the best things you can do for your overall fitness. 2018;37:80-95. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2018.02.003, Byrnes K, Wu PJ, Whillier S. Is Pilates an effective rehabilitation tool? Verywell Fit uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. This is not a crunch. These exercises develop the core strength, stability, and flexibility for which Pilates is famous.. Circle your right leg out to the side, down toward the ground, and return to your starting position. Styled by Tiffany Dodson. Do not let them sink to the mat. The ribs should stay supported throughout each repetition. J Bodyw Mov Ther. Even if you skip the later moves, choose at least two or three warm-up moves to begin each Pilates routine you do. Extend both legs out in front of you as you reach both of your arms overhead. \"It works the abdominal [area] on both a deep and superficial level to achieve true core strength,\" Sanchez saysmeaning that th… Lift your left leg of the floor a few inches. Stay in your curve for the whole exercise. Bend your body directly sideways as you stretch, as though you were between two sheets of glass. Curl your head up, reaching your arms long alongside your body, palms down. Bring both knees in toward your chest, place your hands on your shins, and curl your head up off the floor. Get the app here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clean-eating-plan-and-recipes/id1262482098?mt=8 Grab a mat and begin., Target area: Abdominals—especially the six-pack or rectus abdominis.