Pilates doesn’t just work your abs — it trains the entire deep core system that stabilizes your spine and transfers force through your body. The six exercises below are the most effective in the Pilates repertoire for this purpose, with instructions for both beginners and those with some Pilates experience.
Why Pilates Builds a Different Kind of Core Strength
Most ab training works the rectus abdominis (the surface six-pack muscle) through spinal flexion — crunches, sit-ups, leg raises. Pilates prioritizes the transverse abdominis (the deepest layer), the obliques, and the muscles that stabilize the spine in neutral — producing functional core strength that transfers to every movement you make.
The result is a core that’s stronger from the inside out: better posture, less lower back pain, and more efficient movement in everyday activities and exercise.
Exercise 1: The Hundred
Curl head and shoulders off the mat, extend legs to 45° (or keep knees bent). Arms by sides, pump them in short pulses — 5 inhales, 5 exhales per 10 pumps. Complete 100 pumps.
Beginner: Knees bent, head on mat if neck tires → Intermediate: Legs extended at 45°, held strongly
Exercise 2: Roll-Up
Lie flat, arms overhead. Inhale to prepare, exhale and curl up vertebra by vertebra until sitting upright, reach forward. Inhale, exhale to roll back the same way. Never use momentum.
3 × 5. This is harder than it looks — many people can’t complete a full Roll-Up initially without hip flexors taking over. Start with knees bent until spinal articulation improves.
Exercise 3: Leg Circles
Lie on your back, one leg extended to the ceiling. Circle the leg across the body, down, out, and back up. The entire circle should leave your pelvis completely still. 5 circles each direction per leg, 2 sets.
The deep hip stabilizers and obliques work continuously to prevent the pelvis from rocking — this is the training goal, not just the hip mobility.
Exercise 4: Double-Leg Stretch
Head and shoulders curled up, both knees pulled to chest. Inhale, extend arms overhead and legs to 45°. Exhale, circle arms and pull knees back in. The moment of full extension is where the deep core is maximally challenged — don’t let your lower back arch.
3 × 8. Raise leg angle if lower back arches at 45°.
Exercise 5: Scissors
Curl up with both legs extended. One leg reaches toward the ceiling while the other lowers toward the floor. Hold the upper leg, pulse it twice, then switch. Pelvis stays perfectly still as legs alternate.
3 × 6 per side. Excellent for the deep hip flexors and lower abdominals working together.
Exercise 6: Teaser
Lie flat, arms overhead. Simultaneously raise legs to 45° and curl your torso up until you form a V-shape — upper body and legs balancing on your tailbone. Pause, then slowly return to flat. This is the most challenging exercise here — it requires full core strength, hip flexor strength, and balance.
3 × 5. Modify by keeping knees bent until you can manage straight legs.
A Complete Pilates Core Session (25 Minutes)
- Imprinting + breathing — 3 min
- Hundred — 2 sets
- Roll-Up — 3 × 5
- Leg Circles — 2 × 5 per direction, per leg
- Double-Leg Stretch — 3 × 8
- Scissors — 3 × 6 per side
- Teaser — 3 × 5 (or modification)
- Spine Stretch Forward — 3 × 5
Practice 3× per week. Pilates rewards patience — the control and precision improve over weeks, and so do the results.
Written by
Sarah Mitchell
Sarah Mitchell is a NASM-certified personal trainer and fitness writer with 8 years of experience coaching home fitness. Sarah specializes in beginner programs, bodyweight training, and helping people build lasting fitness habits from the comfort of their own home.
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