A top personal trainer says this Pilates workout works every muscle in the best way possible

If you want to strengthen your body’s muscles from head to toe and build solid core strength without using machines or dumbbells, then this mat Pilates session is worth trying. Pilates is low-impact, yet a great way to build muscle endurance, while enhancing your mobility, balance, and coordination. No equipment is needed for this workout either; just yourself, something soft to lie on and a little space.

Pilates goes beyond delivering physical benefits, but mental ones too. While all exercise is great for our mental wellbeing, a small 2020 study involving 87 young men found that a single 30-minute mat Pilates session led to noticeable reductions in anxiety, fatigue, and overall negative mood.

This workout is from Sweat app trainer, Katie Martin, and apparently “it works every muscle in the best way possible”. From taking a look at the exercises ourself, we can see there are a lot of goodies in their for your core, lower body, with a little sprinkling for your upper body too. We’d aim to complete three rounds of the exercises below. Once you’ve completed one movement, rest 20-40 seconds before moving on to the next. Then, once you’ve done all the exercises, take 90 seconds to two minutes before going in for your next round. Here’s what you’ve got:

• Tabletop leg extensions – 12 per side
• Glute bridge – 12 reps
• Glute bridge heel lifts – 12 reps
• Bird dog crunch – 12 per side
• All fours hamstring curl – 12 per side
• Clam – 12 per side

If Pilates feels more up your street, then we've got plenty of other workouts that you can try. Here's a 8-move fully body one. Again, all you'll need is your bodyweight, or you can add ankle weights to crank up the intensity. Pilates is also excellent for your core, so if you want to give yours more attention, here are three brilliant beginner exercises you can try.