Pilates is one of the best types of workouts you can do for strengthening and sculpting your muscles. Although you can take in-person reformer and mat classes at studios, a great perk of Pilates is the versatility of being able to do it from home, at your own convenience.
This 30-minute Pilates ring ab workout was designed for DailyOM by Ana Caban, a Los Angeles–based certified Pilates instructor. It targets what is referred to as your “powerhouse,” aka your core. FYI, your core comprises your rectus abdominus (front superficial ab muscles), transverse abdominis (deep core muscles), obliques (side ab muscles), as well as your hips and back muscles. By strengthening these key muscles, you’ll make everyday tasks easier and exercises more effective.
In case you’re not familiar with the Pilates ring, also known as the magic ring or circle, it can increase the intensity of exercises, making them harder, but it can also be used as a supportive tool. There are two types of Pilates rings, both of which are flexible: metal bands around the ring, and plastic. Metal rings are heavier and can feel more challenging.
The Workout
Warm-Up
Caban begins this workout with a short warm-up, which begins with sitting down on a mat with your feet flat on the floor and the Pilates ring between your legs. Caban guides you through a short series of ab movements, where you’re rounding your back and sitting up, to awaken your core. Then, you’ll move into a hamstring stretch with the ring, reaching your heel toward the ceiling and using the ring to flex your feet; you should feel the stretch in your hamstrings in this position.
To take things up a notch, Caban will walk you through the Pilates 100 exercise, where you can either bend your knees 90 degrees with the ring between your ankles or straighten your legs with the ring between your ankles and point your feet toward the ceiling. For either position, you want to lift your shoulders and upper back off the mat while keeping your lower back pressed to the ground as you pump your arms up and down. Don’t forget to inhale and exhale. Inhale for three seconds and exhale for seven seconds.
Take the Course: 14-Day Pilates Body
The Pilates Ring Workout
1. Rib Cage Arms
This exercise will help you draw the connection between your arms and torso, and learn how to move your arms through your lats instead of your shoulders. Lie down with your feet flat on the floor and knees bent. Hold the ring between the palms of your hands and press it over your chest. Without arching your back, slowly float your arms overhead and then back up to the starting position. Remember to keep your lower back pressed to the mat throughout the exercise.
2. Pilates Roll-Up
Lie down on your back with your feet flat on the floor and the ring between your hands. Walk your feet a couple of inches farther away from your hips, then slowly peel your back off the mat, rolling up one vertebrae at a time until you are sitting up. Slowly roll back down one vertebrae at a time to return to the starting position. Feel free to get rid of the ring if the exercise is too intense.
3. One-Leg Circle
Lie down with the ring under one leg and lift the other leg up with your toes pointing toward the ceiling. If you feel strain on your lower back, slightly bend the knee of your top leg. Keeping your bottom leg on the mat, draw a circle with your top leg, bringing your leg across your body, then around and up. Do this with each leg.
4. Seated Magic Circle Exercise
Sit up tall with your legs straight in front of you. Make sure that your shoulders are directly over your hips. If you aren’t able to sit up in this position, sit on a yoga block or pillow for more support. Place your left ankle into the ring and your right foot on top of the ring. Soften your right knee to avoid hyperextension. Place your hands behind your back on the mat and come up to your fingertips. Maintaining a tall posture, press your right leg down into the ring for a few breaths, then release. Inhale as you press and exhale as you release. Repeat for a few reps, then switch sides.
5. Ab Rocker
Sit up and bend your knees to tuck your legs into your chest and pull your head toward your knees. Hold onto your ankles as you find your balance, aka your edge, on the mat. As you inhale, tip your body back as one and then exhale to rock yourself back up. You should feel your powerhouse engaged.
6. Single-Leg Stretch
Lie down on the mat with your legs straight and hold the ring between your hands. Lift the ring over your chest so that your wrists are aligned with your shoulders. Bend your right knee toward your chest. Lift your shoulders and your left leg off the mat, keeping it straight. Keep your gaze at the center under your nose. Pull your left knee toward your chest as you straighten out your right leg. Continue to alternate legs as you keep your shoulder blades off the mat.
To make this exercise harder, you can hold the ring farther away from your center. Make sure to keep your lower back pressed to the mat throughout the exercise.
7. Double-Leg Stretch
Lie down on the mat and place the ring between your ankles. Bend your knees so that they’re right over your hips and lift your head and shoulder blades off the mat, your arms overhead. Reach your arms and legs away from the center, pointing your toes, and then hug your knees into your chest, holding your ankles at the sides. If you feel strain on your lower back, lift your legs straight up toward the ceiling instead of reaching them away from your center.
8. Scissors
Lie down on the mat with your legs straight and hold the ring between your hands. Lift the ring over your chest so that your wrists are aligned with your shoulders. Lift your head and shoulders off the mat and raise your legs toward the ceiling, pointing your toes. Keeping your head and shoulders off the mat and your arms over your chest, scissor your legs up and down. Aim to touch the ring each time you lift your leg up. Remember to keep your lower back pressed to the mat. Gaze at your belly as you scissor your legs.
9. Double Straight-Leg Lower Lift
Lie down on the mat and bend your knees to 90 degrees. Place the ring between your ankles and your hands behind your head. Lift your head and shoulders off the ground and lower your feet to the ground, and then bring them back up. Remember to keep your lower back pressed to the mat to avoid arching. If your back is feeling fine, straighten your legs and lower them toward the ground while maintaining a flat back. Lower down only as far as you can go without arching or feeling discomfort in your lower back.
10. Crisscross
Lie down on the mat with your feet flat on the ground. Place one pad of the ring on your left knee and your right hand on top of the other ring pad. Bring your left hand behind your head for support and keep your elbow open wide. Using your left oblique muscles, twist your left elbow toward your right side, looking over your right shoulder. Press your right hand into the ring to deepen the twist. Repeat and then switch sides.
11. Spine Stretch Forward
Sit up tall with your legs straight in front of you and walk them out wide to the width of the mat or a little wider. Flex your feet. Make sure that your shoulders are directly over your hips. If you aren’t able to sit up in this position, sit on a yoga block or pillow for more support. Stand the ring up far enough in front of you that the heels of your hands can reach them when you straighten your arms. You should be able to maintain a tall posture with your head above your shoulders and your shoulders over your hips. Flexing your feet and keeping your posture tall, push your hands into the ring as you contract your abs and round your spine into a C-curve, then straighten back up. Make sure to press the ring from your lats and not your shoulders.
12. Open-Leg Rocker
Sit up tall on the mat and set your legs up like a diamond shape, holding onto the sides of your ankles. Return to “your edge” like you did in the ab rocker exercise earlier. Pull your shoulders away from your ears and extend your right leg up to shoulder height, pointing your toes, then bring it back down. Repeat with the left leg. If you have a hard time balancing, bring your bottom toes to the ground. Then, lift both legs up, pointing your toes, and hold the sides of your ankles. Hold this position for a few breaths before bringing them back down.
13. Corkscrew
Lie down on the mat and place your feet inside the ring so that they are at 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock. Lift your legs straight up toward the ceiling, pointing your toes. With your lower back flat on the mat and your hands by your sides, draw a circle with your legs, bringing your legs to the right away from your body and back around to the center. Make sure to push your ankles to the sides of the ring to engage your abductors (outer thigh muscles).
14. Figure-4 Stretch
Lie down on the mat. Bend your left knee and place your foot flat on the ground. Bend your right knee wide to the side and place your right ankle on top of your left knee. Thread your right arm through your figure-4 and hold onto the back of your left thigh with both hands. Hold here for a few breaths. Push your right knee away from your body to deepen the stretch. Switch sides.
15. Lat Ring Press-Down
Sit up tall with your legs straight in front of you or crossed. Stand the ring up tall on your left side. Place the ring far away enough so that the heel of your left hand can press on the ring pad. Bring your right hand down on the mat on the right side. Draw your shoulders down and back. Using your lats, press down on the ring for four breaths and then release. Now, bring the ring in front of your body and press down with both hands through your lats, then release. Your shoulders shouldn’t be shrugging. Next, lift the right arm up in front of your chest and press the pads of the ring with your palms without shrugging your shoulders, then release. Bring your arms up higher, on a diagonal in front of you, and press the pads of the ring with your palms without shrugging your shoulders. Slowly lower your arms, pulsing them.
Repeat, pulsing your arms as you bring them back up. Holding the ring between your hands, stretch your arms from side to side before bringing them down.
