The low-impact advantages were evident to me, and I could feel my muscles strengthening in unexpected ways. However, I don’t have much time for exercise because I’m a busy mother and fitness writer.
I found it difficult to focus for an entire hour on something that didn’t interest me. I came upon Zoe & Emily from @zoandemfit at that point. I was able to get all the body-lengthening and stress-relieving benefits of Pilates in just fifteen minutes at home with their six-move ab workout. This is how the workout goes and what transpired when I tried it.
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Six core exercises are included in this quick 15-minute Pilates ab workout. Each exercise takes 45 seconds to complete, with a 10-second break in between. The regimen consists of:
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To dip, the side plank twists.
Pulses in the arms
Dead bugs
Bear mountain climbers
Raising your legs while extending your hips
For comfort when performing floor exercises, all you need is an exercise mat. Other than your body weight and adequate space to move around, no additional equipment is needed. If these exercises seem strange to beginners, don’t worry. As you watch Zoe and Emily demonstrate each exercise, you’ll notice that the workout moves at a steady pace with easy-to-follow transitions. To test the routine myself, I picked up a yoga mat and began watching the video.
During this workout, my core was burning like crazy. The deepest layer of my abdomen, the transversus abdominis, was particularly worked during the intensely targeted session.
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I became aware of my obliques and hip flexors joining in as I advanced through side plank twists, dips, arm pulses, and finally dead bugs. I felt this throughout the entire session as I had to use my abs even more to control each movement when I moved my arms and legs while maintaining a tight core.
Even though my abs and core were the primary focus of this routine, my entire body was engaged because many of the exercises are compound movements. Bear mountain climbers and side plank variations required me to brace my midsection while relying heavily on my shoulders and upper back for support.
The boat hold heel taps and bear mountain climbers also caused my quads to burn, and the leg raises with hip extension helped to stretch my hamstrings.
These other muscles must remain active to support your smooth progression through each exercise, even though the abs are the main focus of this workout. Your body truly functions as a single entity. This is particularly noticeable when you slow down and focus on how each muscle works in unison during each repetition.
Your abdominal muscles may not be working hard enough or your core may not be properly engaged if your hip flexors click during this workout. That isn’t the only explanation, as it might also have to do with your mobility or range of motion, or even a medical condition. You should stop clicking and consult your doctor if it hurts. I discovered during my barre teacher training that the reason your hip flexors click during exercises like deadbugs or heel taps is typically because your pelvic stabilising muscles aren’t working to their full potential. Your abs and glutes are the primary stabilising muscles. Your hip flexor tendon snapping over bone is usually the source of the clicking sound. Although it’s not dangerous, this reminds you to slow down, check your alignment, and tighten your core a little bit more. Supporting my neck for the last 15 seconds of the arm pulses and switching to pulsing one arm at a time helped me. I took a brief break when things got too intense, and it really helped. It is always preferable to take a few seconds to adjust your form rather than pushing yourself too hard and running the risk of getting hurt.
The most impressive thing to me was how much core training I was able to accomplish in a short session without it feeling like your average abdominal workout. My abs were undoubtedly targeted by a few of the exercises, but because of the variety of motions, I didn’t really notice how strongly my core was used until I started to feel the burn.
Long plank holds and repetitive crunches were absent. Rather, I performed patterns that didn’t seem to be related to typical core training while moving my arms and legs together.
The transitions between the exercises were seamless. I went from lying down to side planks, then to bear planks, and finally back to the floor. I paid less attention to discomfort or boredom and more attention to the next movement. My focus was maintained throughout the entire routine, which felt purposeful. It provided the standard Pilates benefits without requiring me to continuously check the time.
