After doing Pilates for a full week instead of my usual gym workouts, I realized that Pilates makes me feel both good and bad because I love the gym and running.
I definitely felt the low-impact benefits and my muscles worked in ways that made me stronger in ways I didn’t expect. But as a busy mom and fitness writer, I don’t have much time to work out.
It was hard for me to spend a whole hour on something that didn’t interest me. That’s when I found Zoe and Emily from @zoandemfit. Their six-move Pilates-inspired ab workout gave me all the stress-relieving and body-lengthening benefits of Pilates in just 15 minutes at home. This is how the workout works and what happened when I tried it.
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This 15-minute Pilates ab workout is a short session that includes six core exercises. You do each exercise for 45 seconds and then take a 10-second break. The plan includes:
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– Boat hold heel taps
– Twists in a side plank to dip
– Pulses in the arm
– Bugs that are dead
— Bear mountain climbers
– Lifting your legs while extending your hips
You only need a mat to make floor exercises more comfortable. You don’t need any other equipment besides your own body weight and enough space to move around. If you’re just starting out, don’t worry if these exercises seem new to you. The workout moves at a steady pace, and Zoe and Emily make it easy to follow along with each move. I got a yoga mat and started the video to see how the routine worked for me.
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During this workout, my core was on fire. The session focused on my abs and worked the transversus abdominis, which is the deepest layer of my abs.
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I noticed that my obliques and hip flexors were getting involved as I worked my way through side plank twists, dips, arm pulses, and dead bugs. I had to use my abs more to control each movement while I moved my arms and legs and kept my core tight. I felt it the whole time.
A lot of the exercises in this routine are compound movements, so my whole body was involved even though my abs and core were the main focus. While I kept my midsection braced, the side plank variations and bear mountain climbers made my shoulders and upper back work hard to hold me up.
My quads were also burning during the bear mountain climbers and boat hold heel taps, and my hamstrings got a good stretch during the leg raises with hip extension.
This workout is mostly for your abs, but you still need to keep these other muscles active so you can do each exercise smoothly. Your body really does work as one unit. You can really see this when you slow down and pay attention to how all the muscles work together with each rep.
If your hip flexors click during this workout, it could mean that your abs aren’t working hard enough or that you’re not using your core correctly. That’s not the only thing that could be going on; it could also be related to your mobility, range of motion, or even a health problem. You should stop and talk to your doctor if the clicking hurts. I learned in my barre teacher training that when your hip flexors click during moves like heel taps or deadbugs, it’s usually because the muscles that stabilize your pelvis aren’t fully engaged. Your abs and glutes are the main muscles that keep you stable. The sound of clicking is usually your hip flexor tendon snapping over bone. This isn’t dangerous, but it should remind you to slow down, check your alignment, and tighten your core a little more. During the last 15 seconds of the arm pulses, I found it helpful to support my neck and switch to pulsing one arm at a time. I took a short break to reset when things got too intense, and it made a big difference. It’s always better to take a few seconds to fix your form than to keep going and risk getting hurt.
What surprised me most was how much core training I could fit into a short session without it feeling like a normal ab workout. A lot of the exercises definitely worked my abs, but the mix of movements made it hard for me to tell how hard my core was working until I felt the burn.
There were no long plank holds or crunches that you had to do over and over again. Instead, I moved my arms and legs together while doing patterns that didn’t seem to have anything to do with regular core training.
The transition between exercises went well. I went from lying down to side planks to bear planks and back down to the floor. I paid more attention to the next move than to how uncomfortable or bored I was. The whole routine felt planned out, and it kept my attention the whole time. It gave me all the usual benefits of Pilates without making me check the time all the time.
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In just 15 minutes, this routine gives you great functional training benefits. The exercises mimic everyday movements like bending, twisting, and reaching. You are getting your body ready to do things in the real world better, not just finishing a workout. Regular practice helps you become more aware of your body and how to move more efficiently. It also improves your balance and coordination. A lot of people think that Pilates classes should last between 45 and 60 minutes. This workout goes against that idea. I was completely satisfied after just 15 minutes, and it stayed fun the whole time. When done regularly, these shorter routines are great for building your core and improving your overall fitness and flexibility.
