If you’re looking to improve your balance and stability, Pilates is a brilliant option, but it can be daunting to dive into the practice if you’ve never tried it before, especially if you prefer not to do floor-based workouts.
This standing session is a great introduction to Pilates that anyone can try. It’s done at a gentle pace and uses low-impact moves to test and improve your balance and stability while strengthening the legs, glutes and core.
The session has been put together by Pilates instructor Rachel Lawrence, also known as The Girl With The Pilates Mat on YouTube. You actually don’t even need a mat for this session, but it will help with grip if you’re standing on a hard floor.
Watch Rachel Lawrence’s 10-minute standing Pilates workout
Lawrence leads you through the workout, which is made up of a series of movements mostly done on one leg or in a split stance to challenge your balance.
The pace of the workout is deliberately slow and controlled, and the aim throughout is to engage your core to provide stability while strengthening the legs and glutes.
It’s a session that really shows how much you can achieve with simple, slow movements, because by constantly working to keep your balance you’ll be building strength in the deep core muscles.
The workout is a great way to build and maintain functional strength as you get older in particular. Working on your balance will help to reduce the risk of falls and increase independence, and sessions like this build confidence along with strength in your body.
To maximize the benefits of the workout it’s important to focus on the muscles you’re using with each movement. Along with engaging your core and glutes, work to feel the muscles in your legs — the standing leg will be braced for balance, while the other is raised.
If you’re someone who’s already working out, you might find this session a little too easy for you, in which case this 10-minute dumbbell workout for balance might be a better option.
That balance workout is also a great progression once you’ve done Lawrence’s workout a few times, or you could use a dumbbell or resistance band to make some of the moves more challenging in this session.
Consistency in training, rather than progression, is probably the most important factor with regard to maintaining your strength and stability into later years, though.
If you can find the time to do this session several times a week, or mix it into your training alongside other workouts, it will help to maintain your strength in key muscles for balance and mobility.
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