Even though Pilates has become popular and more accessible than ever as more and more Pilates studio has popped up in your local area, attending Pilates classes can still be challenging. Some of us are just not free to attend the common schedules posted in the nearby Pilates studios or sometimes we are too intimidated to attend these classes.

Pilates Mat exercises can be easily done at home. All you need is a 6 X 8 feet floor space for you to place the exercise mat and a little space on the sides when you move your arms and legs to stretch. Most Pilates exercises can effectively be done without the need for equipment.

In fact, as long as you have learned to do the exercises safely, doing Pilates sessions at home can be quite effective as you can do it more consistently as your training time is flexible. The only caveat in doing these training sessions at home is how to keep your motivation going, especially if you are doing it by yourself. Unlike doing it in a Pilates studio, there will be a lot of personal distractions and unfinished tasks that will tempt you to skip or stop halfway in your home exercise session.

5 Ways to do Pilates sessions at home

Pilates exercises from a book

Before YouTube dominate the world of learning anything, getting a Pilates book, reading it, learning the exercises, and putting a routine together would be one of the most common ways to do a Pilates workout at home. 

Pros: 

• You get to learn and understand the exercises deeper when reading the book. Book information tends to be more accurate and well organized compared to learning it from a random YouTube channel. In fact, according to this article from World Economic Forum that students learn better from books than screens. Reading books may be a little slower, but speed learning can come at the cost of quality and depth of learning. 
• More reliable source
• Consistency of information
• A relatively cheap one-time investment

Cons:

• It takes time as it will require you to do some reading before you can start doing your home exercise session.
• You have to put the exercise routine together yourself and write it down separately.
• Learning and doing the exercises can be highly visual and doing it on books will be very limited to still images.

Pilates through YouTube videos

With its accessibility and really a lot of information available, YouTube could arguably be one of the most popular learning platforms for the new generation. Searching to learn Pilates exercises will give you hundreds if not thousands of options to choose from within seconds.

Pros:

• It is readily available anywhere anytime as long as you have internet access.
• Tons of options within seconds from searching
• Learning exercises from the video will be a lot easier, especially if there are accompanying verbal instructions that come with it.
• Information is free

Here is a link to my UMove Fitness YouTube where I post regularly individual exercise tutorials and full workout routines you can conveniently do at home.

Cons:

• Not all YouTube videos are reliable, so you have to make sure that you follow a channel that contains accurate information and experience in teaching Pilates.
• Overwhelming options - having too many options can be more disadvantageous at some point, and you have to learn to filter the information yourself. 
• You can get easily distracted by ads and other suggested videos which can be not related to your Pilates workout.
• Depends on the internet access

Pilates Online program

Pilates’ online programs have become increasingly popular nowadays, and it comes with better quality and more complete information.

Pros:

• The information can be a lot more complete and extensive though it still depends on the quality of the program.
• More reliable source compared to random YouTube videos
• You will get better consistency in terms of whom you are learning from, which is important to see results in your exercise program
• Can be readily available anytime and anywhere
• Relatively cheap investment for the information that you get.

Cons:

• Depending on the course provider, the information may still be insufficient for you to learn Pilates completely.
• Though the information is readily available to you, it will still require the self-discipline to do the routine.

Live Online Pilates classes

Live Pilates classes have exploded, thanks to the Corona Virus pandemic. With all the off-and-on restrictions ongoing at the moment, attending live online classes has become a common thing.

Pros:

• This could probably be the closest to an actual pilates group class that you can do online. Depending on the size of the class, the teacher may be able to correct your form from the other side of the screen.
• Higher motivation with the presence of everyone in the group
• Real-time verbal and visual cues from the teacher

Cons:

• Timing restricted to the class schedule
• Still comes up short compared to an actual Pilates group class where the teacher gets to see you and give you tactile feedback to correct your form.
• The cost per session can be just as much as an actual Pilates group class in the studio.
• No better than a YouTube video if the class size is too big and the teacher is not able to correct you.

Pilates personal training at home 

Probably the most effective one in terms of time and quality you get with the time you invest.

Pros:

• The best way you can learn Pilates is through personal training. With the full attention given the entire time, you will be able to optimize your learning process.

Cons:

• Timing is still flexible but can be a little limited depending on your Pilates teacher’s availability.
• It can be very costly
• Though personal training is one of the best ways you can learn Pilates, doing it for the long run without incorporation of your own personal practice can create dependency.

	Pilates through books	YouTube Pilates	Online course Pilates	Live online Pilates classes	Pilates personal training at home
Cost	Cheap - one-time cost of the book	Free	One-time or membership - relatively cheap	Per session price	Expensive
Schedule	Full flexibility	Full flexibility	Full flexibility	Depends on the class schedule	Can be arranged with your Pilates teacher
Reliability of information	Yes	It depends	Yes	Yes	Yes
Motivation	Low	Low	medium	high	high
Learning	High in terms of information but limited with the actual exercise performance	Better with visual and verbal cues	Better with visual and verbal cues. Course may come along with extensive reading materials as well.	Better, but it depends on the class size.	High as long as you are proactive in absorbing the information yourself
Accessibility	Accessible once you have bought the book	24/7	24/7	Depends on the class schedule	Depends on the training schedule
Options	Limited to the book/s you bought	unlimited	Lots of options	Lots of options globally	Limited options locally

How to effectively do a Pilates home workout program?

Pilates mat exercises can be done without the need for equipment, so it should be no problem to do a full session on your own at home, but there are a few hurdles in doing so.

1. Educate yourself deeper - Pilates exercises require more attention to detail to reap the full benefits. Educating yourself on the individual exercises will help you do it safely and effectively.
2. Goal setting and review - Loss of motivation could be one of the biggest challenges when planning for a home exercise program. Recruiting someone to do it with you or writing down goals and frequently reviewing it will help you stay on track.
3. Set an appointment with yourself - Though timing can be very flexible when you are following a home exercise program, your other tasks and responsibilities at home aren’t. It makes sense to still have a specific time allotted for your Pilates session.
4. Plan for the long term - though it’s very rewarding to see immediate results, whether you like it or not, taking care of your body is a lifetime commitment. Planning for the long term and incorporating exercise into your lifestyle will show better and long-lasting results and help you avoid burnout.

 

Strength Pilates Mat program at home

There are plenty of exercise programs you can follow to do at home. You only need to watch one exercise program on YouTube and there will be more suggested videos that the algorithm suggests to you. This is a good thing as it will give you options to choose from, but having too many choices can be confusing, or you will end up jumping from one exercise to another.

If you are serious about getting results, jumping from one exercise routine to another will not be very useful. It will compromise your progress in learning the exercises properly and you will not be able to have good progression with your exercise program.

The best way to do an exercise routine is to be consistent with your practice and follow one program for 4 to 6 weeks before changing it. This will optimize the benefits of the Pilates exercises, and you will see better results.

I’ll outline below a good beginner program that you can find from my YouTube channel that you can do for 6 weeks.

Daily mobility warm-up

You can do this routine daily for the rest of your life. It might be boring, but the same as brushing your teeth, you need to do it to maintain your body’s mobility. It is a very easy and simple routine that you can do standing. You must have already learned all of the exercises in the list, but learning is only one thing. Doing the exercises is what you need and my job is to point it out to you.

1. Ankle circles
2. Knee Circles
3. Hip Circles
4. Spine side bend
5. Spine flexion and extension
6. Spine rotation
7. Neck circles
8. Shoulder blade circles
9. Arm circles
10. Elbow circles
11. Wrist circles

Do these movements for 8-10x daily, if not multiple times a day. It will keep your joints young.

Here is a follow-along video that you can use as you do the sequence at home:

Easy Strength Pilates Program 1 

I have published 1 program as of this writing but I will be releasing 1 video every 6 weeks for this series for a total of 6 programs. You can also check on the description of the video to see the individual tutorials of the exercises.

Here is the outline of the program:

Warm-up exercises:

Standing Pilates Roll Down 3x
Elephant Stretch hold for 15 seconds

First set of exercises

A1 Elephant Stretch 5 reps and hold for 15 seconds on the last rep
A2 Hundreds pose hold for 30 seconds
A3 Table Stretch for 5 reps and hold the stretch for 15 seconds on the final rep.
A4 Pilates Roll up for 5 reps

Repeat A1 to A4 exercises for 3 rounds

B1 Fish exercise hold for 30 seconds
B2 Wide Squat for 8 reps
B3 Spine Stretch Forward for 5 reps
B4 Shoulder Bridge for 5 reps and hold for 15 seconds on the last rep

Repeat B1 to B4 for 2 rounds

You can do this program three times per week for six weeks then progress to the next program so you will have a good continuous progression. 

Here is a video of the full routine for you to follow along, enjoy the workout.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you can do a very effective Pilates home program by putting effort into educating yourself, looking for reliable resources, and be consistent with it.

I have written individual articles on most of the exercises on the list. You can read find them here:

Pilates Hundreds exercises tips and modifications
What is Pilates Roll
What is Pilates Swimming which you can read more about the Fish exercise
Calisthenics legs exercises for the wide squat movement
Spine Stretch Forward