8 pilates workouts to tone everything

A reliable free Pilates workout videos to help you tone your entire body while lying on the mat. This compilation of at home Pilates workouts also includes 2 tougher, more cardiovascular Pilates routines.

Our Pilates Journey

Strengthening our entire body while lying down has always been one of our biggest dreams. It’s a good thing that a few years ago we went to a Pilates class at our local gym. At first, we thought it’s just another version of yoga. Just some slow boring workout for lazy people who want to brag about being sore to everyone they know.

Yet, Pilates turned out to be something completely different. Similarly to yoga, we did have to breathe like Darth Vader on steroids and be focused while seemingly doing nada (that’s nothing in Spanish).

Well that nothing we were doing during the Pilates class turned out to be painful. In a good-getting-toned way. Then our hobby Pilates journey began.

We were learning to work teeny-tiny muscles in our body while moving like a little porcelain doll (if porcelain dolls had muscles and weren’t freaking us out). Learning to activate something they called “powerhouse”. We thought “powerhouse” was something “spiritual” like the subconscious mind and the law of attraction. Who knew powerhouse is actually your core – belly, lower back and hips? Well, we knew after 3 lessons and decided “we can work with that”.

The more we did Pilates, the more we loved it. It gave us stability, control and strengthened muscles in our body we never thought existed. We felt physically strong and we were more focused and calmer.

What Is Pilates?

Pilates was created by a German guy named Joseph Pilates during the last century and he actually called it “contrology” (read this on Wikipedia). We guess he wasn’t full of himself to call his program after himself.

Well, contrology indeed, because you need to perform all exercises with a high level of muscle control while also always keeping your core activated and the spine neutral. Not Simple AT ALL.

Those roll-ups you usually do for your abs quickly? Now you have to take it one vertebra at a time. Up and down.

With Pilates, you do small isolated movements and train deeper muscles than you would if you’d do regular strength training. The two words that describe how we feel after doing Pilates are: strength and stability.

Pilates at Home

Going to a Pilates class is a great experience, but you do need to stick to a schedule that isn’t yours, isn’t flexible and involves you paying money that you might want to save for other things right now.

Luckily, there are so many ways to do Pilates at home right now. Our favorite? Pilates Youtube videos. They’re free and are solid when you don’t have the time, money and flexibility. We mean you can wake up and decide to do a 20-minute Pilates class in your bedroom in your PJ’s and feel great for the rest of the day. If you were to go to a class it would take you at least 1-2 hours in our own experience.

Doing some of these Pilates workouts helped us develop consistency and build a routine. It might not be for everyone, but it has worked well for us until now. So if you are struggling to stay consistent with working out, maybe give these a try to build strength and flexibility.

At this point, we'd like to finish our TED talk and start our Acceptance speech by saying a special thank you, to all the trainers, who shared these notable workouts with the world and with us, so we can stay healthy despite all our excuses and distractions.

What you’ll love about these pilates workouts

We selected 10 Pilates workouts you can do at home in 30 minutes or less. Those are already 2 awesome benefits (short and at home!), but here are some other ones:

• tone up muscles that you usually don’t train
• you barely need any equipment aside from an exercise mat
• if you’re feeling lazy, you get to lie down while still working out (8 of them)
• great to tone up abs and inner thighs
• most of these workouts are also beginner-friendly
• and also they’re free

Please consult with your doctor, before starting this or any other exercise regimen!

8 Mat Pilates Workouts To Tone Everything

These are the 8 Pilates workouts you can do while just lying on your mat.

Pilates Class 1, Renee’s 30-minute class, eFit30

Renee’s 30 Minute class by eFit30

This is perhaps the first Pilates youtube video we ever did and it is one of our favorites. We just felt like we are in a Pilates class with a trainer. Only the class was shorter and we could exercise in our pajamas on the living room rug.

This is a effective workout that tones and stretches your entire body. The video might go a little too fast if you’re a complete beginner, but don’t give up. Maybe try one of the 2 videos below first and then go back to this workout as you get more experienced.

30-Minute Full Body Pilates Workout | Flow With Mira

30 min Full Body Pilates Workout | Pilates for Beginners by Flow With Mira

This workout is excellent if you’re a beginner because the trainer takes the time to explain each movement and it is a full body workout you can do in around 30 minutes.

Total Body Pilates Flow Workout | The Solid 20 Minute Pilates Workout

The Solid 20 Minute Pilates Workout by Re:Align Pilates

You’ll notice the video is actually a little shorter than 20min, but the workout is great nevertheless. + in our opinion with workouts, the shorter the better (sometimes). This video is also great for beginners, but it also gives you the option to make the exercises harder as you get stronger.

Pilates with Kristin McGee

Pilates with Kristin McGee 20 minutes to flat abs, toned arms and lean thighs by Kristin McGee

The effective video is actually a little over 16 min long, but it does tone everything. Intensity and speed are higher than the last two videos, and we'd say it’s an intermediate workout or advanced beginner. What we love about it is that you can tone so many muscle groups and stretch in just over 16 minutes.

Pilates workout 30 minutes full body with Ashley

Pilates workout 30 minutes full body with Ashley by thegymbox

This workout combines strengthening exercises and some stretching at the end. It’s a 30 min beginner workout for the whole body but focuses more on the abs and upper body.

Pilatesology Pilates Beginner Mat Class in 15 min Workout

Pilatesology Pilates Beginner Mat Class in 15 min Workout by Pilatesilogy

This 15-minute routine is pilates like we know it and love it. The video is short enough so you can do it daily (great in the morning). It’s a beginner-friendly routine, but if you’re more advanced you can choose the intermediate or advanced workouts.

Total Body Pilates Workout | POP PILATES

Total Body Pilates Workout by Blogilates

We love how Cassie (the trainer) just smiles through that workout as if it’s nothing for her. Well for us – our abs were burning. It is a whole body workout and you’ll warm up the whole body, but the part we felt tone the most were our abs. This routine is a great choice if you’re short on time as it only takes around 10 minutes.

Pilates 21 Day Challenge – Full Body Workout For Results

Pilates 21 Day Challenge ♥ Full Body Workout For Results by Boho Beautiful

This girl’s workouts are crazy. They’re intense, even though it again looks like nothing. With this particular workout, you’ll feel like your abs can’t handle anymore. And then you do a little more. It’s an notable pilates workout for your abdominals, especially the lower abdominals and the inner thighs.

Fat-Burning Pilates

Now if you’re ready to get up, you can do these 2 awesome Pilates workouts that also incorporate some cardio. This is great if you don’t just want to tone up, but also lose some fat.

The Ultimate 30-Minute Cardio Pilates Workout!

The Ultimate 30-Minute Cardio Pilates Workout! by PS Fit

This workout is not a pilates like we know it. It includes some weights, and you’re actually standing up while you exercise. It’s a great workout for your whole body – you tone your arms, abs and butt.

Victoria’s Secret Model Workout: 20-Minute Body-Sculpting Moves

Victoria’s Secret Model Workout: 20-Minute Body-Sculpting Moves by PS Fit

Now, this workout is just 20 minutes, definitely different than the pilates we know, but it’s effective. You’ll feel it in your whole body and we definitely recommend you stretch after that. Otherwise, you might be in pain for a few days when you laugh or walk.

And that’s it. If you do find the time, try some of these workouts and see which one works better for you, we’re all different after all. We kinda like the 21 Day Challenge video most, but it depends on how we're feeling on that particular day.