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11 Best Pilates Abs Exercises, According to Pilates Teachers

The 11 Ab-Shaking Moves Pilates Instructors Want You to Do For a Strong, Toned Core

Jun 26 2020

Want a strong, toned, and functional core? Pilates is a great way to start. This low-impact workout combines flexibility, strength, and endurance in exercises that can be done either on a mat or using a reformer in class. No matter what kind of Pilates you're doing, core strength is the main focus; you'll flow in and out of poses with a yoga-like emphasis on breath. And since we're all about accessibility, we asked 10 Pilates instructors for their top ab moves you can do right at home, no equipment required other than a comfy place to lie down. Incorporate a few of these moves into your next core workout for a slow and steady burn that'll tone and strengthen your abs.

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1. Elbow Plank

"My favourite at home abs workout without a machine is, hands down, planks!" said Nwando Emejulu, a certified Pilates instructor at New York Pilates. "I love to start with a forearm plank."

  • Balance on your forearms and toes with the body in one straight line, elbows directly under your shoulders.
  • Engage your core, pulling your abs in an up, as you maintain the plank for 30 seconds.
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2. Elbow Plank With Leg Lift and Rock

Plank with leg lift challenges your balance and core strength. While you're lifting your leg in the back, "the rest of the body remains absolutely still, and that is where the majority of the work is — in stability," said Julie Erickson, a certified Pilates teacher at Endurance Pilates.

  • Start in an elbow plank.
  • Lift your left foot about six inches off the ground, keeping your pelvis parallel to the floor. Hold for five seconds, then lower the leg.
  • Keeping your body straight and aligned, shift backwards from your wrists and right ankle joint. Shift forwards again and set your left foot back down.
  • Repeat the lift and shift with your right leg.
  • This completes one rep.
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3. Slow Mountain Climber

"By far, my favourite at home exercises are variations of planks," said licenced Pilates instructor Elyse Kaye. "They work your entire body and core." She recommended slow mountain climbers, a move that targets your lower abs with a challenging in-plank crunch.

  • Start in plank with your shoulders over your hands.
  • Bring your left knee forward toward your chest, pulling your abs to your spine to deepen the ab work, holding the position for 2 to 3 seconds.
  • Switch legs, bringing the right knee forward while moving the right leg back. This completes one rep.
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4. Body Saw

Mat-certified Pilates instructor Liz Chen recommended this challenging stability move. If you want to turn it up even more, she said, "do this while raising one leg an inch off the ground, then the other leg." You can try this exercise in a high or low plank position.

  • Start face down on the floor, resting on your forearms and knees.
  • Push off the floor, raising up off your knees onto your toes and resting mainly on your elbows.
  • Contract your abdominals to keep yourself up and prevent your booty from sticking up.
  • Keep your back flat — don't let it droop or you'll be defeating the purpose. Picture your body as a long straight board, or plank.
  • With a flat back, use your elbows to pull your body forward, then come back to your starting position. Be sure to keep your neck and spine in a neutral position. This completes one rep.
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5. Bear Hold and Drop

This exercise teaches you to build core endurance, using your abs to "support your spine against gravity," said Mary Badon, Stott Pilates instructor and owner of Soma Movement Studio in Connecticut.

  • Start in a quadruped position with your wrists directly underneath your shoulders and your knees directly underneath your hips. Your core should be engaged and your spine should be in a neutral position.
  • Use your core to lift your knees one inch off the ground. Be sure to keep your back flat and your abs engaged.
  • On your exhale, lower your knees back down.
  • This counts as one rep.
  • To add intensity, slowly step your feet back into a high plank position, hold, then step them forward again to return to your bear hold. Engage your core throughout.
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6. Tabletop Hold

"This is a great exercise to build endurance of your deepest abdominal muscle, the transverse abdominus," said Heather Jeffcoat, DPT, a physical therapist and BASI-certified Pilates instructor at Fusion Wellness & Physical Therapy. This muscle supports your posture, she explained, and is "the primary muscle
that flattens your lower abs and narrows your waist."

  • Lie on your back with your feet flat on the floor. Contract your pelvic muscles and deep lower abdominal muscle towards your spine.
  • Lift one leg at a time, bringing your hips and knees to 90 degrees. Make sure your pelvis is in neutral position with a slight curve in your lower back (not pressed flat to the floor).
  • Hold for as long as you can, building up to two minutes.
  • To advance the exercise, lower one foot down to the floor with control, using your core muscles. Touch your toes to the floor and inhale as you lift back up. Repeat on the other side for one rep.
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7. Bicycle Crunches

"I love how this one really hits the obliques and challenges the bodies oppositional strength," said Kelsey Taylor, a Peak Pilates-certified instructor at Timberline Fitness Studio. "It also works the deep transverse and pulls everything in and together. "

  • Lie flat on the floor with your lower back pressed to the ground (pull your abs down to also target your deep abs).
  • Put your hands behind your head.
  • Bring your knees in toward your chest and lift your shoulder blades off the ground, but be sure not to pull on your neck.
  • Straighten your right leg out to about a 45-degree angle to the ground while turning your upper body to the left, bringing your right elbow toward the left knee. Make sure your rib cage is moving and not just your elbows.
  • Switch sides and do the same motion on the other side to complete one rep (and to create the "peddling" motion).
  • This counts as one rep.
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8. Pilates 100s

"This one is great because it engages your entire core," said Tracy Green, a certified Pilates and barre instructor at Baptist Health-Milestone Wellness Centre in Louisville, KY. "Focus on the percussive breathing here — it's five sharp, quick breaths in, then five strong, quick exhales. Each breath further engages your abdominals."

  • Start lying on your back with your legs in tabletop position (hips and knees at right angles). Engage your deep abs to round your lower spine into the floor. Make sure you are not "pooching" your abs, which means you are just working the top layer of abs, which is a Pilates no-no.
  • Exhale and lift your upper back off the floor, until the bottom tips of your shoulder blades skim the floor. Straighten your legs to a 45-degree angle (but make sure your low back is staying connected to the floor). Reach your arms toward your feet. Your arms will be about two inches off the floor.
  • Pump your arms up and down with a small range of motion, keeping your elbows straight. Inhale for five arm pumps, and exhale for five pumps. That completes one set or cycle. Over time, work your way up to 10 cycles.
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9. Bird Dog

Bird dog "is really functional movement, where you're using your core to stabilise what your limbs are doing," Tracy told POPSUGAR. It'll activate and strengthen your abs, which ultimately "keep[s] the rest of you from being hurt or injured," she said.

  • Begin on all fours with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
  • Pull your abs in to your spine. Keeping your back and pelvis still and stable, reach your right arm forward and left leg back. Don't allow the pelvis to rock side to side as you move your leg behind you. Focus on not letting the rib cage sag toward the floor. Reach through your left heel to engage the muscles in the back of the leg and your butt.
  • Return to the starting position, placing your hand and knee on the floor. Repeat on the other side. This completes one rep.
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10. Pilates Scissor Kicks

Peak Pilates-certified instructor Naché McCall recommended scissor kicks, an effective lower ab exercise that works your core and gives you a nice stretch in your hamstrings.

  • Lie on your back with both legs in the air.
  • Lift your head and shoulders off the ground. Hold your right ankle as you lower your left leg toward the floor. This completes one rep.
  • Keep your abs pulled to your spine, and switch legs.
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11. Double Leg Stretch

"This exercise is Pilates in a nutshell," said Molly Niles Renshaw, certified Pilates instructor and co-founder Phoenix Classical Pilates. "You feel the deep scoop of your abdominals while reaching your arms and legs away from each other . . . Your core is pulled in and stable while the limbs are working in opposition. This takes strength, control and coordination – all things Pilates!"

  • Start lying on your back with your hips and knees bent to 90 degrees in a tabletop position. Lift your upper back and head off the mat, reaching your fingers toward your toes.
  • Lengthen your legs away from your centre as you lower your upper body, reaching your arms overhead. Keep your low back pressing into the floor as you straighten your legs.
  • Bend your legs back into tabletop position as you lift your upper body off the floor and reach your hands toward your toes.
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