Squats may be hailed as the ultimate booty burner, but if you don’t have access to any equipment or can’t get to the gym, wait till you’ve given this Pilates workout a try! With no equipment needed and these five simple exercises, you may be left wondering whether squats are really that bad after all. There's only one way to find out, so grab your gym water bottle, an exercise mat and get ready to embrace the burn.
Pilates may be perceived as ‘easy’ in comparison to the likes of lifting weights, but don’t be fooled, this workout may just require your bodyweight, but it packs a punch. Guaranteed, Pilates isn’t going to build muscle like hypertrophy training, but it can help strengthen your muscles and build endurance through repetitive movements. A stronger backside can lead to improved balance, athletic performance, and reduce the likelihood of injury.
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You’ll want to grab yourself a towel or an exercise mat for this workout, as all the exercises are floor-based movements. There’s no rest in between exercises, instead you want to try and flow from one movement to the next (you can probably already feel the burn). Then, once you’ve completed all the exercises, rest for 60 to 90 seconds before repeating the workout two more times. Complete 10 reps of each exercise, here’s the workout:
- Leg lift and lower
- Hamstring curls
- Straight leg pulse
- Glute bridge knees out
- Marching glute bridge
Remember, if you don't know how to do any of the exercises, just give the video above a quick watch. If you embraced that burn and are ready to feel it once more, then here's another speedy Pilates workout to tone your glutes. This one is only three moves, so it's ideal for adding to the end of a full-body workout, like this Pilates one, which is excellent for improving your posture and core strength.
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Bryony’s T3’s official ‘gym-bunny’ and Active Staff Writer, covering all things fitness. In her spare time, you will find her in her natural habitat - the gym - where her style of training is a hybrid of bodybuilding and powerlifting. Bryony loves writing about accessible workouts, nutrition and testing innovative fitness products that help you reach your fitness goals and take your training to the next level.