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Pilates

Mobility Pilates: a 25-minute class for your spine, hips and shoulders, from standing to the floor and back

A 25-minute Pilates class for moving more freely, 2 or 3 times a week. It starts standing with slow joint circles, goes down to the floor to move your spine and hips through their range with your trunk steady, adds strength at the end of the range, then comes back up for sit-to-stands and balance. Getting down to the floor and up is part of the class, with a chair beside you. No trial has tested this class, so its structure is our editorial choice, and it doesn't replace the balance and strength training that prevents falls: our Pilates for balance class adds that.

25 minBeginner18 movesWall, bench or boxNeck · Shoulders · Glutes · Hip flexors · Abs · Back
Follow along: a timer, a cue and the next move, one step at a time.

Standing: joint circles (about 6 minutes)

  1. Neck CARs (controlled articular rotations)2 slow circles each way
    Beginner · Neck · 3D demoOnly your head moves. Use separate turns and nods instead if your neck is sore; stop if you feel dizzy or tingling in an arm
  2. Shoulder CARs (controlled articular rotations)2 slow circles each way with each arm
    Beginner · Shoulders, Back · 3D demoKeep your ribs still; make the circle smaller where it pinchesEasier: Arm circlesHarder: Sleeper stretch
  3. Standing hip CARs2 slow circles each way with each leg
    Beginner · Glutes, Hip flexors, Hip abductors · 3D demoHold a wall; only the leg movesEasier: Hip circles on all foursHarder: 90/90 hip lift-off
  4. Wall roll-down (wall Pilates)3 slow reps
    Beginner · Abs, Back, Hamstrings · 3D demoBack against the wall, knees soft. With osteoporosis, hands on your thighs and only as far as is comfortableHarder: Roll-up (Pilates)
  5. Get up and down from the floor1 slow cycle, ending on the floor
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoA chair beside you: one knee, then both, then sit to the sideEasier: Sit to stand from a chairHarder: Bodyweight get-up

Spine (about 7 minutes)

  1. Cat-cow8 waves, slower than feels natural
    Beginner · Back, Abs · 3D demoFists or forearms if your wrists complainHarder: Half lord of the fishes (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
  2. Swan (Pilates swan dive)5 small lifts
    Intermediate · Back, Glutes, Triceps · 3D demoForehead to the mat between lifts; skip it if arching pinches your backEasier: Mermaid (Pilates seated side bend)Harder: Double-leg kick (Pilates double kick)
  3. Side-lying open book8 slow openings each side
    Beginner · Back, Chest, Shoulders · 3D demoKnees stacked; pause for 2 s at the endHarder: Thoracic rotation
  4. Mermaid (Pilates seated side bend)3 each direction, each side
    Beginner · Back, Abs, Shoulders · 3D demoSit cross-legged, on a block or on a chair; reach only as high as is comfortableHarder: Side bend (Pilates)
  5. Spine twist (Pilates)3 each side
    Beginner · Abs, Back, Shoulders · 3D demoSit tall on a folded towel; turn smoothly from your ribs, hips stillHarder: Saw (Pilates)

Hips (about 8 minutes)

  1. Single-leg circle (Pilates one leg circle)5 circles each direction, each leg
    Beginner · Abs, Hip flexors, Adductors · 3D demoBottom knee bent; small circles, pelvis stillHarder: Corkscrew (Pilates)
  2. Hip windshield wipers10 slow passes side to side
    Beginner · Glutes, Adductors · 3D demoFeet wide, knees bent; smaller if the groin pinchesEasier: Supine heel slideHarder: 90/90 switch
  3. Side-lying leg circles (Pilates side kick series)8 each direction, each side
    Beginner · Hip abductors, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoSmall circles from the hip; pillow between the knees to restEasier: Side kick (Pilates side kick series)Harder: Kneeling side kick (Pilates side kick kneeling)
  4. 90/90 switch8 slow switches, pause at the ends
    Intermediate · 3D demoHands behind you are fineEasier: Reclined figure four (eye of the needle, Sucirandhrasana)Harder: 90/90 hip lift-off
  5. 90/90 hip lift-off2 holds of 5 s each way, each side
    Intermediate · Glutes, Hip abductors, Hip flexors · 3D demoLift the back shin, then the front knee; cramp is common and harmless, sharp groin pain means stopEasier: 90/90 switchHarder: Active pancake lift-off

Back up, and standing (about 4 minutes)

  1. Get up and down from the floor1 slow cycle
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Abs · 3D demoRoll to your side, come onto all fours, then one knee, and push up with the chairEasier: Sit to stand from a chairHarder: Bodyweight get-up
  2. Sit to stand from a chair5 slow
    Beginner · Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings · 3D demoStand up with your legs, not your arms, and lower slowlyEasier: Sit to stand, pushing on the thighsHarder: Bodyweight squat
  3. Single-leg stand2 holds of 10 s each side
    Beginner · Hip abductors, Calves, Glutes · 3D demoFingertips on a counter; hips levelEasier: Tandem stance and heel-to-toe walkHarder: Single-leg reach matrix
  4. Breath reach5 breaths, exhale longer than inhale
    Beginner · 3D demoArms rise as you breathe in, only as high as is comfortableHarder: Slow breathing (6 breaths a minute)

Tips

  • Two or three times a week; judge it after 6 to 8 weeks on how easily you move, not on how far you reach.
  • For fewer falls, add standing balance and strength work 3 or more times a week, made harder over at least 12 weeks: our Pilates for balance class does it.
  • Stiffness that lasts more than 30 minutes after waking, or a joint that is hot, swollen or locking, needs a GP or physiotherapist.
  • With osteoporosis, keep your hands on your thighs in the roll-down and keep the cat small; this class has no rolling or loaded rounding.
  • After a hip or knee replacement, check the floor work and the hip turns (windshield wipers, 90/90) with your team first.

The doses are suggested starting points, not a prescription. Choose a range you can control and stop for sharp or increasing pain, numbness or tingling. Get individual advice after an injury or surgery, or if you are pregnant or managing a health condition.

Guides that recommend it

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Questions people ask

How long does the mobility pilates: a 25-minute class for your spine, hips and shoulders, from standing to the floor and back take?

About 25 minutes, including any warm-up and cool-down listed. Shorten it by doing fewer rounds; lengthen it by adding one.

What equipment do I need?

You need: A wall, A bench or box. Each move links to its guide, where you can find an alternative if you are missing something.

Is it suitable for beginners?

It is written for beginners. 10 of its 18 moves have an easier option listed beside them if you need one.

How do I make it easier or harder?

Use the easier or harder option listed under each move, change the number of rounds, or adjust the rest. Progress one change at a time.