These Beginners' Pilates Moves Will Get You Rock-Solid Abs in No Time (2023)

How to do it: Start on all fours on top of your mat. Make sure your hands are directly beneath your shoulders and that your knees are right beneath your hips. Your spine remains in a neutral position (i.e. no slouching or arching). Inhale. As you exhale, reach the left arm up and by your ear while you lift the right leg straight behind you. Point the toes of the lifted leg. Hold for a breath. Return your arm and leg to where they started. Repeat on the opposite side. Perform 8-10 reps on each side for 3 sets.

Pro tips: Stabilize that torso by pulling your navel in. If you are struggling to maintain your balance, try just lifting one arm or one leg separately and build strength from there.

(Tighten and Tone with Prevention's 10-Minute Pilates)

How to do it: Start in a tabletop position with your hands beneath your shoulders and your knees beneath your hips. Lift your knees off the floor and squeeze your butt. Keep your shoulders down and away from your ears. Tighten your core and imagine yourself as one straight diagonal line from head to toe. Avoid slouching your hips to protect your lower back. Also try not to hike your hips. You want to keep everything in line to engage your abdominals. Once you find the sweet spot, hold for 20 seconds to a minute. Perform 3 sets.

Pro tips:While it's important to squeeze your abdominals in this position, don't hold your breath! It will just cause panic and make this position even more difficult to hold. Breath evenly in and out through the nose. If your wrists are bothering you, come down to your forearms.

RELATED: What Muscles Does a Plank Work?

How to do it: Lie on your left side and place your elbow directly beneath your shoulder for a forearm variation. Keep your feet stacked on top of one another. Lift your hips off the floor (with the option to hold for 1-2 seconds) then lower your hips. Repeat 10-20 times and switch to the other side. Aim for 3 sets each side.

Pro tip: If you're having a hard time staying in the side plank position, you can take your top foot and place it on the floor behind you for added support.

How to do it: Lie with your back to the floor. Lift your legs to a 65-degree angle. Point your toes and squeeze your heels together. Raise your shoulders off the floor and crunch your upper abs (you don't have to do a V-sit variation with your back off the floor, as pictured above). Bring your hands in front of you, right by your sides. As you oscillate your arms up and down, inhale through your nose for five pumps and exhale for five pumps. The speed of your arms is dictated by your breath, so you can choose to go faster or slower. Keep pumping and holding this position for 10 complete breaths (or 100 pumps).

Pro tips: Suck in your belly button to maintain core engagement. For more of a challenge, you can lower a legs. If your back is bothering you, bend your knees. If your neck is sensitive, you can keep your head on the mat.

How to do it: Start in a table top position with your hands directly beneath your shoulders and your knees right below your hips. Raise your knees and enter a straight arm plank position. Suck that belly button toward your spine, then bring your right knee as far to your right elbow as you can. Bring your right leg back to its starting position. Repeat on the other side. Go slow. Alternate for 10-20 reps total for 3 sets.

Pro tips: Pilates mountain climbers are slower than the ones that you'll find in a HIIT, class so don't bounce on your toes. Each rep should take 2 seconds each. Also, make sure that the toes of the lifted leg do not touch the floor until you lengthen it back to the ground.

How to do it: Lie with your stomach on the floor. Place your arms on your sides with the palms facing the ceiling. Then lift your abs and feet off the floor. Inhale. As you exhale, squeeze your butt to protect your lower back. Reach your arms behind you and lengthen your spine. Hold for an inhale. Exhale and lower yourself to the floor. Aim for 3 sets of 3-5 reps.

Pro tips: Be careful not to overarch your neck. To avoid that, fix your gaze on the floor. Press your pelvis into the mat to protect your lower back.

How to do it: Lie on your stomach. Rest your head on your forearms with your chin down. Pull your abdominal muscles up and in. Inhale and raise your right leg off the mat. Point your toes and squeeze your glutes. Press your hips bones into the floor. Hold for 2 seconds, then exhale as you lower and repeat on the other side. Repeat 3-5 times per side for 3 sets.

Pro tip: Focus on lengthening the leg you are extending to get that thigh off the floor.

How to do it: Lie on your stomach with your legs straight behind you. Extend your arms overhead. Lift your belly button off the floor, then lift your arms and legs off the floor. Slightly flutter your arms and legs as you extend through all of your limbs. Breathe in for 5 flutters, then breathe out for 5 flutters. Continue this for 3-5 complete breaths. Aim for 3 sets.

Pro tips: This is another exercise where you want to avoid overstraining the neck. Look at a point on the floor. Protect your lower back by pressing your tailbone toward the floor. And be careful not to hunch your shoulders to your ears. The moment you lose your alignment, take a break then continue where you left off.

How to do it: Lie on your back and bring your knees in toward your chest. Lift your shoulders off the floor and clasp your hands behind your head. Exhale and squeeze your bellybutton toward the floor. Inhale. As you exhale, extend your left leg as you twist your torso and reach your left elbow to your right knee. Inhale as you begin to switch to the other side. Exhale as you extend the right leg, tighten the core and reach that right elbow. Continue to alternate in this way. Complete 3 sets of 10-20 reps.

Pro tips: Make sure you're not hunching those shoulders up toward your ears. Relax them down. Keep the focus of the rotation in the abs. Don't lead with the elbows (i.e. rotate that elbow toward your face); you'll lose the engagement in the core that way.

How to do it: Lie with your back on the floor. Lift your knees up to 90 degrees and point your toes. Inhale and suck your navel into your spine. Exhale as you rotate your knees slightly to the right. Maintain core engagement. Then rotate your knees to the left. Perform 10-20 reps total for 3 sets.

Pro tip: To fire up that core, think about gluing your lower back to the floor.

How to do it: Lie on your back with your arms by your sides—legs straight in front to start. Bend your right knee with the right foot flat on the floor. Lift your left leg until it's perpendicular to the floor then slowly make a big circle clockwise. Reverse the direction and repeat on the other side. Aim for 3-5 reps per side in each direction. Perform 3 sets.

Pro tips: Keep your shoulders and pelvis on the floor. It's OK if you can't extend your leg all of the way. It's more important to make sure you're pelvis and shoulders are level to keep your abdominals active.

How to do it: Sit tall, on your butt with your legs wider than your hips. Reach your arms out to the side. Inhale and bring your belly button in. Twist to the left. Exhale and reach as far as you can toward the left foot. Have the pinky finger of the right hand outside of your left foot. Rotate your back arm until your thumb points towards the floor. Continue to reach forward for one breath. Then return and repeat on the other side. Perform 3-5 times per side. 3 sets total.

Pro tip: To get your abs involved more involved in this stretch, work on rotating from the waist.

How to do it: Start on your back with your legs straight in front of you. Point your toes. Inhale. Bring your shoulders off the floor and glue your lower back to the floor. Raise your legs to a 65-degree angle. Lower your left leg just above the floor as your grab the back of your right thigh. Switch. Perform 10-20 reps for 3 sets.

Pro tip: If the V-sit position is challenging, focus on lifting the shoulders off the floor.