Fitness Pilates

This 20-Minute Pilates Workout Fires Up Your Core and Glutes at Once

Tehrene Firman

December 10, 2020

Sometimes the workouts that provide the biggest burn are the ones that skip the burpees and instead stick to slow and controlled exercises. Expect every muscle in your core to be shaking with the latest episode of Good Moves, where Chloe De Winter of Go Chlo Pilates takes you through a 20-minute Pilates workout that will make your booty burn on an entirely new level.

Throughout the Pilates for core and glutes workout, you'll be doing exercises that require you to harness every ounce of that particular muscle group's strength. "It's a tough one, but remember you can take breaks whenever you need. Go at your own pace," she says. For your glues, that means leg extensions, rainbows, and knee bends that get more and more challenging with every rep. And for your core, you're looking at moves like straight-leg curl-ups, alternating leg lifts, and oblique curls.

Experts In This Article

Chloe de Winter, physiotherapist, master Pilates instructor, and founder of Go Chlo Pilates

This is a Pilates workout—and not just a handful of exercises you're busting out as quickly as possible at the gym—which every movement is done thoughtfully. Instead of flying through those leg extensions, you're feeling every single part of them. Sure, that makes these exercises more challenging—but taking your time can also make the movements super-effective, allowing you to work your muscles even more deeply.

Aside from a slower pace making this Pilates for core and glutes workout a challenge, there's another aspect that will make you extra sweaty, too: Many of these exercises don't just require strength, but also balance and coordination. Take the glute bridges, for instance. While you're holding your bridge, you float one of your legs up into a tabletop position and kick that leg in and out while keeping the rest of your body as still as possible. "It's all about stability," De Winter says. "This is going to build strength through your glutes, but also around the pelvis and around the low back."

When you're ready for a booty and core workout that may or may not have you yelling at your screen (the burn is real, you guys!), press play on the video above.

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