A Pilates teacher says this low-impact routine will build full-body strength and it’s ideal for beginners
Train your body to master all the major jobs you need it to do with this no-equipment routine
Heavyweight, all-out workouts aren’t the only way to build strength.
Sometimes going slow, using just your bodyweight and drawing on principles from Pilates can be just as effective.
“In Pilates, we build strength through control, stability and time under tension rather than lifting heavy or using high impact,” says trainer Brittni Johnson of fitness app BetterMe.
When you slow an exercise down, your muscles have to work throughout more of the movement while your core stabilizes your spine and pelvis.
“That combination is what makes a relatively simple sequence feel surprisingly demanding,” she tells Fit&Well, but that doesn’t mean it’s low effort.
“Pilates can create a significant muscular challenge because you’re asking the body to produce movement while maintaining alignment and stability.
“The goal isn’t to move as much as possible, it's to make every repetition count.”
How to do the workout
Drawing on these Pilates principles, Johnson has created this five-move workout designed to train the body in the way it has to function in day-to-day life.
“It involves extending the hips, stabilizing the trunk, supporting your bodyweight through the upper body, and controlling your hips independently of the pelvis,” says Johnson.
Taken together, you will build real-world strength at a slow and steady pace.
To make the most of this five-move circuit, Johnson suggests repeating it two to three times per session.
“Move slowly enough that every repetition stays controlled,” she says.
“If your form starts to change, that’s your cue to stop the set rather than chase more reps.”
As your strength improves, Johnson suggests making the exercises more challenging by slowing down the lowering phase further, adding pauses or introducing light resistance.
“At home, tools such as a resistance band or Pilates ring can add another layer of challenge while keeping the movements controlled,” she adds.
1. Glute bridge
Reps: 10-12
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor hip-width apart.
- Exhale as you press through your feet and lift your hips, keeping your ribs connected rather than letting them flare out.
- Pause at the top, squeeze your glutes, then lower slowly.
Johnson says: “Bridges strengthen the glutes and hamstrings while asking the abdominals to control the pelvis. It's a simple way to train the entire back of the body without impact.”
2. Double toe tap
Reps: 8-10
- Lie on your back and lift your legs into tabletop, so your knees are directly above your hips and bent to 90˚.
- Gently press your lower back into the floor to engage your core.
- Slowly lower both feet toward the floor, moving from your hips and maintaining the 90° bend in your knees, only lowering as far as you can without your lower back arching or your ribs lifting.
- Lift your legs back to the starting position with control.
Modification: If double toe taps aggravate your lower back, you can also modify this move to single-leg toe taps, lowering one foot at a time and alternating sides.
Johnson says: “This is where the deep core really has to work. Your legs are moving, but the goal is to keep your trunk and pelvis quiet. That ability to move the limbs without losing spinal stability carries over into every activity from walking and running to lifting.”
3. Side-lying leg lift
Reps: 10-12 each side
- Lie on your side with your lower leg bent and top leg straight.
- Keeping your pelvis stable, lift your top leg, moving your foot to between hip and shoulder height but being conservative with your range of motion.
- Pause, then lower it slowly without letting your waist or hips roll backward.
Variation: In the demonstration, the model is resting a light weighted bar on the top of her leg to add resistance.
Johnson says: “Leg lifts target the muscles around the outer hip that help stabilize the pelvis and support the lower back. Strong hip stabilizers support balance and control whenever we’re standing or moving on one leg.”
4. Kneeling push-up
Reps: 8-10
- Start on your hands and knees, then walk your hands slightly forward so you create a long line from your knees through your hips to your shoulders.
- Engage your core so your lower back doesn’t collapse as you move.
- Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor.
- Push through your hands to extend your arms and press back up.
Johnson says: “Pilates is sometimes thought of as primarily a core and lower-body workout, but upper-body strength matters too. This variation works the chest, shoulders and triceps while the core stabilizes the body throughout the movement.”
5. Side plank
Time: 20-30sec each side
- Lie on your side, propped up on your forearm with your elbow directly beneath your shoulder.
- You can start with the bottom knee bent for support or extend both legs for more of a challenge.
- Engage your core.
- Press through your forearm and lift your hips, creating one long line through the body.
- Hold this position for time.
Johnson says: “Side planks neatly tie this routine together because your shoulder, obliques, hips and glutes all have to contribute at once. It's especially useful for building lateral core strength, which helps the body resist unwanted side-to-side movement.”
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Brittni Johnson is a nationally certified Pilates teacher (NCPT) and Club Pilates (CP) Master Trainer with over 15 years of experience in performance, education and coaching. She has a background in competitive gymnastics and professional dance, completed a BA in Dance Science at California State University and currently creates Pilates programs for the BetterMe: Health Coaching app.
