A Pilates expert shares her top three exercises for beginners to build a stronger core

If you want to strengthen your core but feel uninspired by your usual sit-ups, this three-move Pilates workout could be just what you need to spice up your routine. With nothing more than your bodyweight and a mat for comfort, you can complete it in under 15 minutes – perfect for tight schedules or at-home training days.

This workout comes from Lotty Campbell Bird, Founder of Collective Fitness, a Pilates and barre studio based in the Cotswolds. “Pilates is a great way for strengthening our deep core muscles – the abdominal muscles, the muscles surrounding the spine, the muscles in the diaphragm, and the pelvic floor," explains Lotty. "This creates a strong central base for the body, supports major joints, reduces pain and helps prevent injury. But a strong core also boosts stability and improves posture, which supports our functional movement and agility in everyday life. "

Ready to fire up your core muscles? Grab your gym water bottle (things are about to get heated) and give Lotty's workout a go...

1. All-fours extensions

Benefits: This movement is a great way to engage your abdominal muscles to stabilise the pelvis and work the muscles in the arms and back to stabilise the spine.

How to:

• Place your hands on the floor under your shoulders and knees underneath your hips, keeping a neutral spine – imagine you have a cup of tea balanced on your tailbone
• Maintaining this position, exhale as you extend one leg backwards and the opposite arm forwards and hold for one to two seconds
• Inhale as you return to the starting position
• Alternate sides with each rep

Reps/sets: 8-10 reps per side and repeat three times

2. High plank

Benefit: The plank is a full-body exercise, where every single muscle is engaged to support the body and also as an opportunity to lengthen and strengthen the spine.

How to:

• Place your hands on the floor underneath your shoulders
• Extend your legs out behind you to hold your body in one long line, maintaining a neutral spine without tucking or tilting your pelvis
• If this is too hard, you can drop to your knees to make it easier

Sets/reps: Hold for 30-45 seconds and repeat three times

3. Ab curl

Benefits: Finding stability in a neutral pelvis provides the most efficient and effective way to engage the abdominals and pelvic floor muscles, while the flexion in the upper back helps to improve mobility in the spine.

How to:

• Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor – your spine and pelvis should be in neutral alignment
• Interlace your hands behind your head to support your neck
• Inhale, then, as you exhale, lift your head, neck and shoulder blades off the mat.
• Use your upper-back muscles to stabilise your body and engage your abdominal muscles
• Inhale as you lower

Once you’ve mastered these moves you could either try increasing your reps/time, or even try adding some extra resistance into the equation, such as a light pair of dumbbells, ankle weights, or even a small weight plate. Need more core-inspired workouts? Give this standing ab workout a go next, or this six-move workout (spoiler, there's no crunches).