04: Pilates Core Mobility (32 Minute AT HOME Workout for ABS)

Hey, everybody. I'm Amy from Bodyfit by Amy. And this is your Pilates core mobility workout. So this is an all body weight workout. We'll go from standing down to the mat, and we're going to get active recovery, mobility, some gentle cardio, and a lot of core. Of course, I'll give you lots of different options to work to your level. Are you ready? Let's do it. Let's start in a standing position. Feet about shoulder width apart, hip distance apart, soft bend in the knees, roll those shoulders back. Just try to relax in your body. And then let's try to get centered as well as check in with our alignment. So we're starting at the top of our head. We're going to think about stacking our ears over our shoulders, shoulders over the rib cage, rib over the hips or over the pelvis, and then hips over the knees and the ankles. And I want you to try to get into that alignment without holding a lot of tension, without thinking, oh, I got to stand up straight. But. But also enough engagement and support that we're not also letting ourselves sink forward. All right. So shoulders can be gently drawn back and down. And again, really thinking about stacking our ribs over our pelvis. So that's where we often get either pushed out or back. So if we can align there, then we can really connect with that core. Now we're going to get a lot of mobility, but because we're also going to get core, let's put our hands on our belly and think about that diaphragmatic breathing. So big. Inhale to expand. As we inhale, we're inhaling to relax. Inhale out through the back, sides, and belly. Not up and down, but out on the inhale. As you exhale, everything comes in to connect. So we're thinking about zipping up the core, lifting up the pelvic floor and connecting through the center. So just a few on your own. Inhale to expand, relax, Let the pelvic floor drop, Exhale. Everything comes in and up a few more just like that, at your own pace. And then we're going to get into moving our bodies a bit so we'll get some cardio mobility. So gentle cardio. And one more and breathe. Now that we're feeling connected, let's start with just a little step touch. So super simple. Let's get our arms in and out. So nothing too crazy. We're not going to be getting our hearts pumping super hard, but more just to get the blood flowing in our body, take them up and down A little higher if you can. Don't worry about being on the beat or anything like that. That's not what this workout is about. But mobility is movement, right? So we want to be able to move through our bodies with ease. So that's what we're working on today. Not lifting super heavy and getting strong. Not worrying too much about cardiovascular, getting those heart rates up, heart pumping, lungs working, but mobility. And we're going to incorporate with some Pilates based moves as well as a little bit of standing bar. But don't worry, it's not going to be super dancy. And also getting some core stability and core strength. So just little taps here, right? And then we're going to reach across. So I often put this one in my warm ups because it gets us that nice good stretch across our body. We're rotating through the knees and the hips and then let's take the arms over the head. So same motion, little tap but reach. And again, our goal here is mobility. So if you need to go a little slower so you can stretch a little more, by all means go for. Does not have to be fast. Just right through here and then one more. We're just going to reach it down. So I'm going to tap that foot out and reach. So one forward and one back again to get the stretch right through here and just focusing on what feels good in your body. All right. We're all here to increase our mobility, to maybe increase our range of motion, to release tension, get rid of some of that tightness. But I want it to feel good. It shouldn't feel painful. It should feel like you're working but not where you're miserable. Right? That's never what we want. So let's take those arms out and we're going to take it with a flat back down. So watch me from the side. And then we're going to scoop and round it up. So making them different. Flat back down and round it up through here. Soften in the knees. You're not going straight with them. I take it here and breathe right here. And one more and then let's take those toes out. So we're here. We're just going to press on the shoulders, right? Shoulders are coming forward. We're pressing gently on those legs on the inside, right? Some movement here. And then let's take it up. So we're here. We're gonna do a big deep plie and out. So just moving through the arms. And again we call it a plie. Even when we're lifting weights or I do. Some people call it a sumo. It does not have to look like dance. Right. It's just an opener. Breathe. And down. Yes. All right, two more. Last one. We're gonna bring it up. Start with little taps. Arms are coming here, right? You can keep it right here. Or we're going to build it. Bringing the knees up. So core is engaged, right? You can keep it smaller if that's a better option for you, or take it a little higher. Bringing it up. Bring it up. There we go. We've got four, three, two, and one. Right here. Let's take it right here. We're going to actually, at the end of your mat, tap it back. So big reach. And here. So again, like we do in our warm ups, but right here, if you want to get lower in a lunge, you can. If you want to keep it more, a little tap back. That works too. All right, let's hold this one back so you can hold it here. If you're able to drop down, we're going to get that mobility here. We're just going to scoop those arms up, feel the mobility. And then we're going to take those hands, we're going to lift it up, then we're gonna drop it down, scoop and then hands, lift it up. And again. You don't have to go straight here. I'm not. I'm gonna do the best I can. Depends on how much stretch you need. And again, if you want to keep this up top, you can, where you just scoop here and then fold it over, get one more balance right, and here. So walk that foot in, hold that stretch. Slowly roll it up. We're going to keep that same foot back. And watch me here. I'm going to drive the knee in and out. So I'm going to angle a bit. So you can see. Our goal here is a standing crunch while we get mobility through the upper body and shoulders. Right? You can take it nice and slow, and if you need balance, you can take that arm out, or hand on the wall, hand on the chair, and breathe right here. Knee comes in. Core control. 4, 3, 4, 2. Good. So wherever you are, take that other leg back. So other leg here. We're going to scoop it down. I'm going to turn to the other side so you can see. So if you're able, we're going to drop it all the way down. Feel that hip flexor mobility leaning into that stretch. And then bring those hands forward and press it back, right? Scoop it all the way down. Big reach to the sky. Big stretch Hands forward, Bring it here, scoop it up and forward. And again if you need to, you can keep it up top and just fold over. And here we got one more here. And then slowly bring that in. Hold that stretch and slowly bring it up. Staying here, bring that knee in. Here we go. In and out. So balance here. So the core has to work. This leg is getting some strength, right? But we're getting mobility as we move through the upper body and bringing that knee in. But we're also stabilizing with the core. Breathe here. Bring it up. Four, three, two. Good. Breathe. Roll those shoulders back. All right, now we're going to come at the other end of your mat. We're going to start with a hinge. So mobility. Driving the hips to the back. Reach it up, hinge it forward. So bringing the hands down towards the mat, Soft bend in the knees. Slowly roll it up and reach it up. So we're starting here. Get the stretch, get the mobility. Bring it up. One more. Just like that. Reach and up. And then this time, we're going to inchworm it out. So you can inchworm out to the knees or you can keep that hinge. But if you're able, we're going to get the core involved as we get that good mobility through the back of the legs, through the spine, through the upper body, through the core, and then we walk it back. So again, if you need to take it to your knees to do that, you can you do you be where you are today. Let's get a few inch worms. Walking it out at your own pace. It does not have to be fast. Again, we're focused on mobility and getting our core engaged, right? Taking it back two more at your own pace. Feel that nice, good stretch through your back and take it back. And one more. So if you're staying up top, meet me down on the mat. You can be on your knees or on your toes, but we're gonna take it here. Holding that high plank or holding on your knees, whatever feels good for you. I know it's a lot of core, so if your hands or core need a break, take it to the knees, and let's press it up into that down dog. It doesn't have to be perfect. And then as we come forward, you either come to the knees or come to the plank. Drive the knee into the chest, other side, take it here, and you either come back down to the knees, or here, watch me. You can do down dog, and you can do child's pose and drive it in. Or down dog. Down dog or Child's pose and drive it in. Keep it going. Bring that knee in. Feel that core back again. If the child's pose is better for you, that's okay. Breathe. One more. Good. Let's go ahead and take it down into that 90, 90. So seated position. You're here. All right. If you need to, of course, you can take this sitting off of a chair or bring those legs out a little more in front. But let's get some hip mobility. Right, we're going to rotate them 90, 90. Turning your body. Rotate them. And you can have the hands out in front or you can brace yourself here. Whatever feels better for you, you do you. Right. Here we go. And here. One more each way. And then right here, you can hold this here. Maybe this stretch is exactly where you need to be. Or you can bring it into that pigeon stretch. So we're here. We're holding it here, feeling that nice, good hip stretch. Now to incorporate a little bit more core, we're going to come up on those hands. Now watch me. This is optional. You can hold the stretch or you're going to use your core and inner thighs. Little lift down into the pigeon. We've got five. So using your core lift and then stretch. So we're keeping it in that position so we keep the mobility, but we're lifting from the core. I know it's not easy. And bring. Breathe one more. And then hold that pigeon again. So if you want to take it down, really ease into that stretch, we're bringing it up back to your 9090. We're going to switch it other side. So again, if you just want to hold this here or sitting on the edge of a chair, you. If you want to hold it. Turning into it. We want to turn into that pigeon. Let's get that pigeon stretch. Here we go. Give me your wrist a little break. And then if you want, we'll do that lift. We've only got five. I want you to really think about the stretch in the hip, but also lifting with the core. Here we go. Because remember, there's no mobility without stretch strength. There's no strength without mobility. You have to have them both and you have to be working on both. That's why I try to get a lot of sneaky mobility and strength workouts. Or I try to pair mobility with something like core. Right. Or Pilates. So it feels less like straight up mobility, more like you're getting a lot of things done, which you are. And relax and hold that pigeon again and breathe from here. Let's bring Those feet out in front. Again, if this is not right for you, you can sit on the edge of a chair. Let's take your knees to the side, opening up the hips this way, right? So we're gonna bring it back to the side. And from here, we're going to lift to here. So this hand is here. If that's not right for you, you can be on the elbow and just do a small little lift. But one leg in front, and we're coming up basically to a side plank. I'm going to give you a few options as we go, but we're going to start here. So again, give your wrists a little break. You can always take a break if you need to. Feet out in front as we do a big scoop, lift the hips forward and lift this hip to the side and then slowly down. Don't overthink it. Find what's comfortable for you. Maybe that's just a little stretch instead of a lift. That works, too. Bringing it up. And here, one more like this. Now we're going to bring those feet together, and we're going to bring it up here and slowly down. So you're kind of shifting into that shoulder again. If that doesn't feel right for you, just get a little stretch. Maybe you're more into the mobility than the core today. That is okay. Or that's not good for your shoulder, but either way, here we go. I'm gonna take it up and take it down. Bringing it up and down. Two more. Last one. And down from here, let's stay on the same side. Extend this leg out, and we're going to bring this knee in. So come on your knees first. I'm gonna slide more towards the middle. And whatever hand was down there taking the opposite. Opposite leg out. So we're getting a good hip stretch. So first we can bring those elbows down, and you're just going to kind of lean forward and back to get that hip opener, right? Starting with this, Give yourself a stretch, this good mobility, and then slowly walk your way up to this position. If you need to put a towel or a mat underneath that knee or again, just hold that stretch. Going to take those arms out. We're going to fold it over, just tapping down, and then use your core to reach. So we're getting the stretch, we're getting the lateral flexion. We're getting the hip opener, but we're getting lateral movement for our core and our core. Here we go. So just drop. Use your core to lift. And not just bending from here, but zipping up Here. Right. Take it. Drop and lift. There we go. Drop and lift. Down one more. And here. And then back to that stretch. You can adjust if you need to. You. So we're going to bring that knee in. Let's just get a little child's pose. So I'm going to stay forward, but you can be here. Sit back into the hips, reach those hands forward. And before we get that other side with everything, let's just get a good old mobility stretch. We're going to reach under child's pose and then back to center. So you can just hold the child's pose. Or if you want to just keep. Get that reach. Yes, you can sit back, breathe. Stretch the shoulders. And up. Breathe. One more each side. And last one. And back to that child's hole. So hanging out here. All right, team. So we're gonna slide our knees to the other side. I know. Now we got to think of all the things that we did. So remember that first one. We're just gonna do that reach up. Sorry, that reach up to here. So we're bringing the hips. Hips forward. So your legs are staggered kind of in that 90, 90. So we do this, and then we're going to take it up to that full plank. So a little out in front here. Bringing it up and slowly down. And again, if that's not right for you, just take the lift out of it. Just reach. Right. Still getting the core. But if you can. Little lift. Know it's kind of a weird move, but you are moving through those hips while we move through those sides. And lots of shoulder mobility as well. Two more. And last one. And here. Now we're going to bring those knees together. So remember this. We're going to bring it up, we're gonna bring it down. This side's a little easier for me. So again, you can stay on the knee. You can stay with just the stretch, or you can lift the hips. Remember, we're lifting through the center core as well as those obliques. Here we go. Big reach. And bring it down. As you come down, shift your weight to here so your hand, your wrist gets a break. Right? Reach. And here, lots of obliques. Up and down and reach. One more. And here. And relax. Very slowly. Let's bring the knee in so we're back to this position. So remember, we're going to get the hip open. Opener. This one feels a lot tighter for me. I don't know about you, but again, if you need to cushion that knee or if this doesn't feel good, just find a stretch. We're going to bring it down and do a little forward and back into that hip. Really good mobility that we don't get often enough, right? And then as you can bring it up, arms out. Remember, we're going to do that little fold over just very gently, using the core to lift, using the core to stretch. And hip stretch. Here we go. And lift. So when you really think about your core lifting and not just trying to muscle your way through it, right? Bringing it up, using the muscles, but thinking about the core lift, you're gonna feel it, right? Two more. Breathe. And up. Last one. And breathe. Turn into your mat. Child's pose. One more time. Big stretch. So let's come up onto all fours. Just a few little rounds of that cat cow surrounding up and rolling through. So finding that good positioning, making sure we're not too far back in our hips, not too far forward. Rolling through the spine to come up, and then rolling through and again. I get pretty locked up in that lower lumbar spine, so I'm going to really focus on those parts. My upper back wants to move. My lower back gets pretty tight. And breathe. And one more. And breathe. Let's take it all the way down on our elbows. So just coming into that baby cobra, right, we don't have to get up super high, but just to stretch through the hips, stretch through the core. And if this is not right for you, you can go back to that child's pose. But from here, we're going to take it to those plank singles. So if you've never done plank singles with me, big inhale. As you exhale, you're using your core to lift to the knees, using your core to lift to the toes. Slowly down, slowly down. Your goal is to have your core do the lifting and the lowering. Not pushing from the elbows or the knees or coming up from the toes, but really using your core. So at your own pace. Inhale, relax, exhale, contract. Pull everything in. Tilt the hips to the ribs, and then keep going, lifting to the toes. Or you can stay on the knees. Maybe that's a better option for you. And then slowly down, slowly down, keeping it going. And breathe up and here and slowly down. So a lot of core work on this one to add a little extra layer of mobility if you want. Breathe. Once you get up to the toes, still using your core, you can do a little pike. Back to center. Use your core, back to the knees, all the way down at your own pace. Inhale, exhale, lift, lift, lift. Stretch. Slowly down, slowly down. Can we get One more. We're in the home stretch of this workout. Use your core only. Lift, lift, lift and stretch slowly. Down, down and up, baby. Cobra again. Or if it feels good for you, you can come all the way up up. Dog or cobra up. Just look side to side. I know. Oh, core, right. Go ahead and roll over onto your back. I'm going to come this way so I can move my microphone easily. But go ahead and slowly come down on your back. Let's open those arms out to the side. Let the knees drop to one side. Feeling that stretch. So keep the knees to one side. Take that arm over. And then we're going to rotate open book right and left all the way through so your arm and your knee are going across to feel that opener, that mobility. And then really think about using your corners core to stabilize. Right. Even though, yes, it's a stretch, it's such a good mobility exercise, we love it. But you're also staying connected in the center. That's why we did those plank singles first, so you can be feeling it, you can be thinking about it right here. And then let's take the knees to one side and just hold that stretch, letting the knees drop, opening up, looking away from the knees all the way through. And then carefully draw the knees to the other side and look away. And bringing it back, bring it here and just hug the knees in one at a time. So you can either grab underneath or right on top and just pull in gently. So just to give that back release, you can hold it as long as you need to. Two, and let's get that core working one more time. So you can keep that stretch or you can extend that leg out. And we've got our little single leg stretch. So I like to grab outside of the knee, inside of the ankle. In for two, stretch in for two. If you can keep the shoulders working, I mean, if you can keep the shoulders lifted, you're going to keep the core working. But if you need to drop them down, that's okay, too. And again, this can totally just be a stretch if you'd rather. Or you can get a little more. And then let's take those feet up. If you can flex your feet, grab on the calf for the thigh for two, for scissors. I like to keep the flex so we keep the stretch, but you can point it as well. And again, making sure you're just not grabbing on the joint either above or below. Deep core for 4, 3, 2, and 1. Hug those knees and gently roll side to side, side, so you can grab on the inside if you want to open up a little bit of that. Happy baby. Or you can grab your feet, whatever feels good again, feeling that release in the back. And hopefully you felt the mobility, the stretch, the core work, and maybe a little bit of that strength and cardio. Let's roll to one side and come up to a seated position and just let your head drop to one side. And we'll take that opposite hand down to get that stretch. So forearm and wrist because of things on our hands, but letting your head drop here. Let's take it other side, please. Leave me a comment. Leave me a like, let me know how you felt after this workout. Can look over your shoulder. One hand behind, one hand across. Just a little gentle spinal twist, if that's right for you. Other side right here. My goal with active recovery is to give you exactly that active recovery. Get you moving, get the endorphins going, get everything feeling good. Good. But also give you that nice relaxation and reset as well. Thank you for being here. Let's get one big, deep breath in and out. That was your Pilates core mobility workout. Great job, everybody.