By: Bethany Barich (Follow on Instagram & Twitter)
Pilates – you either love it, or you hate it. Personally, I’m in the middle. I can sit here and brag all day about how much I think Blogilates is amazing, and Cassey Ho is a lifesaver in regards to helping me shed fat. However, I will never be caught in a Pilates class because I’m that person who struggles, and screams from frustration, during half of the poses.
Pilates has some fantastic benefits, though, that make it worth those struggles and screams.
One of the top reasons to get out there and try Pilates is because it’s a killer core worker – which is why this article is happening.
Pilates also is nice for easing back pain, loosening our joints, improving our performance in sports, and making us more flexible. Let’s get back to that first reason, though, the core strength. Having core strength is great for endurance, keeping balance, doing yoga, and we end up feeling great because we look good naked. To achieve all of those benefits of having a hardcore core (ha, see what I did there?), let’s take a look at five of the best Pilates moves for our abs.
The Hundred
There are a lot of variations to this pose, but no matter how you do it, you’ll have burning abs by the end. You can start with your legs on the ground and bring them up as you curl, or you can bend your knees at a tabletop position if the pose is too difficult at first.
Roll Up
This literally is my favorite Pilates move ever, because I find it to be so simple and challenging at the same time, plus my abs feel fantastic afterwards. If you’re into Blogilates like I am (as stated before), check out one of her videos, where the entire workout is dedicated to doing roll ups! Plus, when you feel your aren’t being challenged enough with the regular roll up, beginning adding weights into the game. It’ll be harder on your core and you’ll get a bonus arm workout too.
Criss Cross
Imagine the bicycle crunch, but with straight legs and a lot more control. The control aspect comes into play because you do this move at a slow pace, and switch sides every breath. If you’re having struggles with losing fat around the obliques, try doing these, because they target that trouble area.
Double Straight Leg Stretch
This workout targets our lower abs, which is perfect because that’s a big trouble area for most women out there. Not only that, it works our legs (mainly the quads)! If you find yourself having neck pain throughout this move, just relax your head on the ground and continue doing the move like that. Whenever you’re ready to advance on, you can move onto the Double Leg Stretch!
Corkscrew
Remember how I said I would struggle and sometimes scream when I did Pilates? It’s because of this move. I absolutely hate doing the corkscrew, but absolutely love the way I feel when I’ve finished. It’s a difficult move, but it helps work my legs and core. You can modify it to be a bit easier by bending your knees, then as you get more advanced, you can straighten your legs out.
