15-Minute Mat Pilates Workout for Core Stability (No Equipment)

[gentle music]

Let's talk about core stability.

It's all about the deep core muscles from your sides,

your transverse abdominals, and your center core.

It's supporting you during daily movement patterns.

Your core is all the time engaged.

Let's take it down.

This is all about the core right now.

Beautiful.

Let's take it down onto your mat.

We're gonna start with a Pilates roll-up.

I really want you to think about inhaling through the nose,

expanding the air through the sides of your rib cage

to the front and back, and an exhale, let it all go.

Let's do one more, [deeply inhales] inhale.

Expand through the belly, through the sides, all the way

through those rib cage and the back.

[deeply exhales] Exhale, let it go.

All right, let's reach those arms nice and long overhead.

Stretch yourself tall.

Take an inhale through your nose.

Now bring your chin to the chest.

Press your lower back into your mat.

Roll on out one vertebrae at a time.

Slowly roll up for two, up for three, fold over.

Reach for your toes, and then slowly unwind.

Take it back down for two.

Roll down onto your lower back for three.

Reach those arms overhead for four.

[deeply inhales] Big inhale.

On the exhale, again, you imprint that spine onto your mat.

Roll on out one vertebrae at a time.

Press and lift all the way up full towards those ankles

or whatever you can reach, right?

You can be right here.

You can also have a little soft bend in your knees

if this feels better for you.

Last one.

Roll yourself all the way up.

Imprint that spine.

Reach towards those ankles,

and then slowly take it halfway down.

We're bending your knees.

We're gonna do one leg lift at a time right here.

I want you to pick up that left leg,

pull it in towards your chest.

Find that center core engagement, bring it back down.

Lift your right leg up.

Bring it back down, now can we open

that caliber a little bit more?

Relax your shoulders down and back.

You're feeling those lower abs as you lift those legs up.

Remember, again, this is a daily movement pattern.

We are lifting our legs up, right?

We gotta get up some stairs.

We might have to move off the chair.

You're getting yourself up, yes.

Last five,

four, three,

two, and one.

Slowly roll back down.

Bring your chin to the chest.

Roll all the way down.

Fingertips behind the head, legs, and table top.

Lift your feet a little higher here for me.

You should be able to see your toes.

And now we're just gonna start pressing

into your lower back.

Imprint that spine onto your mat,

and I'll slowly curl your head, neck,

and shoulders off the mat.

Look into your belly button.

Elbows nice and wide.

And then slowly bring it

all the way back down onto your mat.

Inhale. Exhale.

Imprint that spine onto your mat.

Curl 'em up, woo.

We're getting right into that center cord.

Let's do one more.

Hold it up right here for me.

Extend your legs out.

Don't bring 'em too low.

You can keep them in that 90-degree angle.

And now, bend your knees,

lower your head, neck, and shoulders down.

Take an inhale.

Exhale, curl up, extend those legs out.

Beautiful.

Now, if you wanna make this a little harder,

you can obviously bring those legs lower,

but if you feel like your low back is lifting off your mat,

bring those legs a little higher.

And if this doesn't work, keep your legs bent.

Last one.

We're gonna hold this up right here.

Just hold it.

Imprint that spine a little bit more.

Beautiful.

Hands come by to your sides.

Palms face down if you need to bend your knees.

And now let's go into one hundreds, pump those arms down.

Little pumps, beautiful.

Like imagine you're pumping the air down.

Spread those finger wide, pump it,

pump it, pump it, beautiful.

Can you kick those knees a little bit more out?

Maybe you can extend them.

This is 10,

nine, eight, seven,

six, five, four

three, two, and one.

Bend your knees in, hug them in.

Close your eyes for a second.

Let's roll over onto your left side, pull yourself up.

And we are gonna take this from here into a mermaid.

It's a wonderful exercise to get

into the side obliques right here.

Bring your knees down onto your mat.

I want you to extend your left leg out towards the side.

Pull that heel down. Turn your toes out.

Your right knee is facing forward.

Now, really important here is, tucking that tailbone under.

You don't wanna arch the back.

I always like to say there's an invisible string

on your pubic bone right here, and it's pulling you forward.

Okay, so push those hips forward.

Your right hand comes around your left oblique.

That's the sort of side we're working on,

left arm extends out.

Now, slowly lower that right shoulder down to the mat

for one, down for two.

Lift back up, one,

up two.

If you wanna take this a little further, lower.

Even lower down with the right shoulder to the mat

and lift back up.

Really feeling that strength

and that left oblique here.

We're holding this low,

and four,

three,

two, and one.

Hold it all the way low, look towards your left hand.

Gimme a tiny pulse up an inch down an inch.

Beautiful, tiny little pulse, squeeze that left oblique.

You got five.

We finish this elbow a little archer in three,

two, and one.

Hold it right to here.

Reach that right hand down towards your mat.

Now reach your right hand up to the left.

Reach tall. Yep.

And reach it right back down like you're trying

to pick something up and pull it back into your left hand.

Right, this is another daily exercise.

You might have to pick something up for your kid

and reach it up.

Pick it up.

Reach it up. Yep.

You got five,

four,

three,

two,

and one.

Slowly release.

We're gonna take this out into a quick little plank.

Bring your hands down onto the mat.

Step into a nice plank right here, a long spine.

We're just gonna move your left leg right here.

Pull that left knee towards your right elbow.

Step it back.

Left knee towards your right elbow.

Step it back.

Now know sometimes, planks don't work.

What I want you to do is bring your left knee down,

right knee on top,

and you're just holding a twisted kneeling plank.

that's gonna get your left oblique fired up without moving

and being on a stable ground.

Last 10,

nine,

eight,

seven,

six,

five,

four,

three,

two,

and one, we drop that, onto your knees.

Take a quick child's pose if you need to,

and then come down into your form plank.

You either come down onto your toes

or you drop right away onto your knees.

Hip dip left.

Bring it slowly back center.

Just tip to the left side, not to the right.

You just engaging through your left oblique.

Try to avoid bringing that hip all the way to the side.

Right, it's a small rotation.

You're not pulling from your spine here.

Yep, that's the secret to your hip tip.

Last three,

two, and one.

Now drop it down onto your knees, shake it out.

We got one last exercise to stabilize even more into

that left oblique to come down onto your left form.

Left knee is down.

Squeeze your thighs together,

and now lift up into a side plank.

Reach your right arm up and now let's thread the needle.

Right arm rotates underneath your left oblique.

Reach it all the way back up your advancement here.

If you want a little bit more, stack your feet

and do it from here.

I want your eyes following your right hand.

Reach it up tall. Inhale.

Exhale. Put it under.

Again, wherever you are in your journey,

you can take it on your knees, on your toes,

whatever feels best for you.

It's all about you, there's no other competition.

Slowly come all the way down onto your back.

Let's tie this together for your center core.

Bring your fingertips behind the head.

Legs and tabletop.

We take this into a slow, twisted bicycle.

Right elbow towards the left knee.

Bring it center, left elbow towards the right knee,

slowly back center.

Beautiful.

Rounding out those obliques right here

before we head to the other side.

Inhale.

Exhale, twist.

Fantastic.

You got 10 more seconds right here.

We're straightening those legs up to the sky

for little cherry pickers.

In four,

three,

two,

and one.

Reach those legs up to the sky, flex your toes.

Left-hand reaches towards your right ankle.

Right-hand reaches towards your left ankle.

Just reach up.

Reach up. That's it.

Engage those lower abdominals right here.

Press into that lower back.

Lift a little bit higher, reach.

There's some beautiful cherries at the top.

Reach for 'em.

Grab them. That's it.

You got 10,

nine,

eight,

seven,

six, reach higher.

Four,

three,

two,

one, bend your knees.

Have them in for a split second.

And then slowly come over your left side.

Press your right hand down and pull yourself back up.

Let's take it into the other oblique,

stabilizing through that right side.

I want you to extend your right leg out.

Right toes turned out to the side.

Your left knee and hip is forward.

Left hand on top of your right oblique,

that's the oblique you're working.

Reach your right arm nice and tall.

Palm faces up,

and slowly bring that left shoulder down towards your mat

for one,

down for two.

Tack that tailbone, rise up, right?

It's a small range of motion right here.

You are lowering down, stabilizing through that left

and right oblique, and then crunch up.

You're trying to stay long in that spine.

Reach that arm up high.

And to make this a little harder,

you go a little deeper down.

Bringing that left shoulder more towards your mat.

Last four,

three,

two, and one.

Hold it right here, tuck your tail

a little bit more forward.

Gimme a tiny pulse up.

Reach up for eight,

seven, we finish this out with your archer in three,

in two, and one.

Hold it all the way low.

Extend that left hand, reach towards your mat.

Reach your left hand up to the right.

Pull yourself up.

Last eight,

seven,

six,

five,

four,

three,

two, and one.

Pull yourself up.

Beautiful job.

Let's take it into that high plank.

I want you to bring your hands underneath your shoulders.

We're gonna lift that right leg up.

Pull your right knee towards that left elbow.

Step it all the way back.

Modification, right knees at the bottom,

left knees at the top,

and you're just holding that twisted low plank right here.

Inhale, exhale, twist.

Last eight,

seven,

six,

five,

four,

three,

two, and one.

Drop down onto your knees.

Maybe take that quick stretch if you need to,

and let's take it down into that form plank.

Forms come down, stretch it out nice

and long into your form plank.

Squeeze your inner thighs together.

Drop onto your knees if you need to.

Foot-up modification, let's hip-dip to the right.

Bring it back center.

Remember, the range of motion is so small.

It's coming from your right waistline here.

Squeeze those in our thighs together.

Dip, bring it back, center.

It can, you can be right here on those knees.

Yes.

Last five,

four,

three,

two, and one.

Drop those knees underneath your hips.

Take a big exhale.

Let's finish this out with your side plank.

Right form comes down.

Right knee comes down.

Left knee stacks on top.

Lift your right waistline high.

Reach out, left arm up.

follow with your eyes, your fingertips.

And now thread the needle.

Left arm rotates underneath your right oblique.

Inhale. [deeply inhales]

Exhale.

Now, same thing here.

If you wanna make this a little harder,

come up onto your feet.

Right foot, bottom, left foot on top,

and thread that needle.

Reach it back up.

Squeeze those inner thighs together.

Inhale.

Exhale, lift.

Last five,

four,

three,

two,

and one.

Slowly bring it down.

We're almost at the finish line here.

I want you to take this into a seated position for me now.

Relax your shoulders down and back,

and I'll tuck your tailbone under.

Find that C-curve in your lower back.

Press into your heels.

Now push your fingertips into those thighs.

Lift yourself just up an inch

and bring your upper body back down an inch.

It's a little seated crunch, lift yourself up an inch.

Bring it down an inch.

Now if you feel good, maybe let those hands open up

to the ceiling.

Down an inch and up an inch.

You're gonna feel those lower abdominals really activate.

You got three,

two,

and one, hold it nice and low.

Palms face each other.

Start to reach those arms up for one.

Up for two.

Bring those arms down for one.

Down for two, if this is too much, you do one arm at a time.

Wrapping one hand behind that thigh,

that's your modification.

I don't even call this a modification.

This is just gonna help you make this a little lighter

on your body right now.

Now we're gonna hold this at the top

in three,

two,

and one, hold of right here.

Just hold.

You got eight,

seven,

six,

five, breathe.

Four,

three,

two, woo.

All right. Last part.

You can either start this on your knees,

hands underneath your shoulders.

We take this into a little plank-up.

Bring your left form down, right form down.

Left hand comes up.

Right hand comes up.

Right form down, left form down.

Right hand up, left hand up, and you continue.

Switch through the sides right here.

Now, if you wanna make this harder,

separate your feet form, form,

hand, hand.

When you are up on your toes, you wanna keep those feet nice

and wide so you're avoiding your hip from wobbling around.

Right, you wanna think about spine-and-trunk stabilization.

Last two and one, hold your form playing.

Bring your feet all the way together.

You can drop onto your knees if you need to.

Just hold it.

We're gonna do a little shoulder saw.

Rock your shoulders forward.

Rock your shoulders back.

If you are on your knees,

you just hold your plank, belly back to spine.

Press your forearms down, palms lift up.

You got it.

Last 10,

nine,

eight,

seven,

six,

five,

four,

three,

two,

and one.

Drop that onto your knees.

Open your knees nice and wide.

Drop into your child's pose.

Take a big inhale. [deeply inhales]

[deeply exhales] Exhale sit a little deeper.

Slowly bring your hands down towards your toes.

Hold it here for a second, maybe close your eyes.

Inhale. [deeply inhales]

Exhale, release, and then switch.

Bring that left cheek down.

Take an inhale. [deeply inhales]

Exhale, sink a little lower.

And then slowly pull yourself back up.

Swing your legs in front,

and then lay down onto your back.

I want you to reach your arms nice and long.

Reach your left arm

and right leg long like someone is trying to pull you apart.

And then switch.

Right arm and left leg.

Pull, pull, pull. [deeply inhales]

And switch again.

Right, it's that scaps over-traction right here.

Inhale, [deeply exhales] exhale, pull.

Now slowly imprint that spine down onto the mat.

Take an inhale. [deeply inhales]

Exhale, pull both knees towards the chest,

hug them all the way in,

and then just roll down your lower back.

Little back-roll right here.

Roll it out, give your lower back a little massage.

Roll it outside to side,

and then slowly move over your left side.

Press into your right hand, pull yourself up,

and then come all the way up into a standing position.

Reach that upper body nice and long.

Open your palms. Look up towards the ceiling.

Stretch those abdominal muscles.

Inhale, [deeply exhales] exhale, fold over.

Bend your knees, drop your head.

Shake your head side to side, say yes, say no.

And then soft, bend your knees rolling out one vertebrae

at a time.

Your head is the last that comes up.

Big shoulder roll to the back.

Big shoulder roll to the front.

Beautiful job.

Thank you guys so much for joining me

for this core stability workout.

You did amazing.

Whenever you need a quick little pickup, come back

to this video, do it again, and get stronger with me.

[gentle music]