At-Home Pilates: An Easy-to-Follow And Comprehensive Guide

At-home pilates can be a great way to get in shape, but it can seem intimidating at first.

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to learn pilates without having to leave your home. Even better: you probably already have everything you need right in your own home.

We've put together a comprehensive guide on how to do this type of at-home exercise programme and why it's worth trying out for yourself.

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What Is Pilates?

Pilates is a form of exercise that focuses on developing a strong core, improving flexibility and increasing balance. It's based on the movement principles of Joseph Pilates, who developed it in the early 20th century.

The word 'pilates' comes from the Greek word pilar (meaning 'a small pillar'). In ancient Greece, there were stone pillars around which people would circle to strengthen their body and mind through movement.

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Basic At-Home Pilates Moves To Try

The following are basic moves you should know to get started with Pilates:

1) Half Roll-Down

Helps in strengthening the back muscles (Image via Unsplash/Dane wetton)

This exercise warms up the body, getting it ready for the rest of the series by working on the lower abs, spine, and back of the legs.

How to do it?

• Place your feet flat on the floor, and sit with your knees bent.
• Tilt your pelvis so that the low back is pressing to the floor, and roll down one vertebra at a time till the lower back touches the floor.
• Engaging the hamstrings, squeeze the glutes, and hollow out your belly to roll back up to start.
• Repeat eight times.

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2) Glute Bridge

Glute bridge is a basic exercise that can improve posture and reduce lower back pain, among other benefits.

To do a glute bridge:

• Lie faceup on the floor with the knees bent and arms by your sides.
• Pushing into your arms, tuck your hips, and roll up, starting with the small of your back and ending with the hips.
• Starting with the ribs, slowly lower back down.
• Repeat eight times.

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3) Side Plank

Side planks are a great exercise for developing core strength and stability, as they work the front and back of the core and sides.

To do a side plank:

• From a high plank position, bring your left hand towards your right.
• Pivot your feet, stepping your left foot behind the right.
• Rotate your body to the right, and extend your left arm up; hold for ten seconds.
• Repeat the exercise on the other side. Perform eight repetitions per side.

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At-Home Pilates: How to Do It?

All you need is a mat for at-home pilates (Image via Unsplash/Dmitriy Frantsev)

Pilates can be done at home, but it's important to have some space around you. You will need a mat and some room to move around, so try to avoid doing the exercise in front of the TV or while listening to music.

If you're new to Pilates, start with the basic exercises first before moving on to more advanced ones. The best way for beginners is by following a video guide on YouTube or elsewhere online.

That will help ensure that you're doing each movement correctly and not straining yourself unnecessarily during practice, which could lead to injury.

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At-Home Pilates Benefits

Here are a few:

1) Strengthens the back

People who sit at desks for long periods often have weak core and back muscles, which results in tension in the shoulders and legs. At-home pilates can help strengthen these postural muscles and help balance out the tension caused by a weak core and back.

2) Burns Body Fat

At-home pilates: Promotes body awareness. (Image via Pexels/Konstantin Mishchenko)

Although Pilates does not burn calories quickly, that does not mean it does not help the body burn fat at all. Building muscle increases one's basal metabolic rate — which is how many calories the body burns while at rest.

3) Promotes Mindfulness and body awareness

Pilates can help you stay in touch with your body as you build strength. If you're doing a strength-training workout like weightlifting, you might not always listen to your body cues.

However, Pilates encourages this kind of awareness, so it's easier to be mindful of tension and stress. There's also an inherent mindfulness to Pilates exercises and a lot of breath work.

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Pilates is a great way to get in shape at home, without the need for expensive equipment or even much space. You can do the aforementioned at-home pilates exercises anywhere. They will help you lose weight and tone the body while improving posture.