Pilates Exercises For Beginners Moves to Get You Started

Welcome to the world of Pilates! This form of exercise, created by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s, is a wonderful way to boost overall health, flexibility, strength, and mind-body awareness. Perfect for beginners, Pilates exercises use controlled movements and breathing patterns to improve core strength and stability. So, let’s explore some basic Pilates exercises to help beginners get started on their fitness journey.

A Beginners Guide to Pilates Gentle Moves to Get You Started

Understanding Pilates

Before we dive into the exercises, it’s important to understand what Pilates is all about. Unlike other types of workouts that focus on high-intensity, fast-paced routines, Pilates centers around slow, controlled, and thoughtful movements. The key goals of Pilates are to enhance muscle tone, flexibility, body balance, spinal support, improved posture, and mental awareness.

Principles of Pilates

Pilates is based on six core principles: concentration, control, center, flow, precision, and breathing. Each of these plays a vital role in performing Pilates exercises correctly and effectively. For beginners, understanding and practicing these principles from the start is key to getting the most out of Pilates.

Pilates Exercises for Beginners

1. The Hundred: Pilates Exercises for Beginners

The Hundred is a classic warm-up exercise in Pilates, designed to activate your core and improve circulation. Here’s how:

• Lie flat on your back, with your legs bent at a 90-degree angle, feet lifted as if you’re in a tabletop position. Keep your arms straight and palms down by your sides.
• Take a deep breath. As you exhale, lift your head, neck, and shoulders off the mat, gazing towards your knees.
• Begin pumping your arms up and down with a small range of motion, inhaling for five pumps and exhaling for five pumps.
• Repeat for 10 cycles. You should feel your abs working and your blood pumping!

2. Pelvic Curl

This exercise is great for articulating the spine and stretching the lower back.

• Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• As you exhale, curl your tailbone under, lifting your spine off the floor one vertebra at a time.
• At the top of the lift, inhale, then exhale as you slowly lower your spine back onto the mat one vertebra at a time.
• Repeat this movement five times.

3. Spine Stretch: Pilates Exercises for Beginners

This exercise promotes a flexible spine and is a great tension-reliever for the back muscles.

• Sit tall on your sit bones with your legs extended straight in front of you, slightly wider than hip-width apart.
• Extend your arms in front of you at shoulder height.
• Take a deep breath and as you exhale, round your spine and reach your fingertips towards your toes, like you’re trying to stretch a cap over your head.
• Inhale and roll back up to sitting tall.
• Repeat this movement five times.

4. Single Leg Circles

This move works on hip flexibility and control in the powerhouse, Pilates’ term for the center of the body.

• Lie on your back with your legs extended. Lift one leg towards the ceiling, keeping the other leg flat on the mat.
• Circle your lifted leg across your body, down, and around, then back up to complete a full circle.
• Do five circles in each direction and then switch legs.

5. Swimming: Pilates Exercises for Beginners

Swimming strengthens the back body and enhances coordination.

• Lie flat on your stomach with your arms stretched overhead and your legs extended.
• Lift your left arm and right leg a few inches off the mat while keeping your gaze down to protect the neck.

• Alternate arms and legs in a fluttering ‘swimming’ motion.
• Keep ‘swimming’ for 5-10 breaths.

6. Saw

The Saw is an excellent exercise for spinal rotation and flexibility, and also works the obliques.

• Sit tall on your sit bones, extend your legs a bit more than hip-width apart, and stretch your arms out to the sides.
• Twist your torso to the right, and as you exhale, reach your left hand towards your right foot in a ‘sawing’ motion. Your right hand should reach towards the back.
• Inhale to sit back up, and then repeat the movement on the opposite side.
• Perform this 3-5 times on each side.

Essential Tips for Beginners

1. Start Slow: As beginners, take the time to learn each exercises correctly Pilates is not about the speed or quantity of repetitions but about the quality of each movement.

2. Breathe: Remember the principle of breathing in Pilates. Proper breathing helps activate your muscles and keeps you focused. Usually, you’ll exhale on the effort of the movement and inhale on the return.

3. Listen to Your Body: Do not push through pain. If you feel discomfort or pain during an exercise, stop.

4. Seek Professional Guidance: If possible, consider taking a few sessions with a certified Pilates instructor. They can guide you on proper form, alignment, and breathing techniques.

5. Consistency is Key: Pilates Exercises for Beginners

Pilates is a journey. Consistency in practice will help you experience the full benefits of the method.

Remember, the ultimate goal of Pilates exercises for beginners is not just physical fitness but also the connection between the mind and body. It helps create awareness of our bodies, the way we move, and how we can improve. As you embark on your Pilates journey, remember to enjoy the process. Happy practicing!

To wrap up, Joseph Pilates once said, “In 10 sessions you will feel the difference, in 20 sessions you will see the difference, and in 30 sessions you will have a whole new body.” So, stay consistent and embrace the transformation that Pilates brings to your body and mind.