If you’re new to Pilates, it’s best to start slow. This workout requires focus and precision; you could easily injure yourself if you rush it.

POP Pilates is a total body, equipment-free workout that sculpts a rock-solid core and lean dancer’s body like nothing else. And every exercise is modified to fit the needs of each class participant.

Strengthen Your Abdominals

Whether lifting heavy objects, bending down to pick something up or playing your favorite sport, having adequate core strength can make all the difference. Your core, also known as your powerhouse, comprises the obliques and deep core muscles like the transverse abdominis that help support and stabilize your spine.

Pilates workouts at fitness centers such as Fitness Evolution, including LES MILLS+ Mat Pilates, focus on strengthening your muscles and connecting your mind and body through short, simple exercises that can be done with only your body weight. This low-impact, full-body resistance training is especially effective for those looking to strengthen the core without putting too much strain on the joints. It can also help ease back pain by helping to improve your posture and supporting proper movement patterns that can reduce lower back pain. As a bonus, Pilates enables you to burn calories by increasing your metabolism. Combined with a balanced diet and regular cardiovascular exercise, it can also indirectly support weight loss.

Strengthen Your Spine

Pilates exercises, particularly those with a lot of spinal flexions, like the Pilates roll-up and the single-leg lift, strengthen the muscles that stabilize the pelvis. This helps reduce low back pain and improve posture by creating a strong core aligned with the rest of the body.

As well as helping prevent injury, strengthening the spine improves overall balance and coordination. This makes it easier to perform other types of exercise and increases the efficiency with which you can move through daily life.

Including Pilates in your workout routine can help strengthen the core muscles. Still, it’s important to supplement it with other types of exercise so you don’t overwork the muscles and create injuries. This is called cross-training, which helps prevent the risk of exercise burnout, which can cause people to stop exercising altogether. This can be especially problematic for those who suffer from a condition known as dysmenorrhea, which is painful menstrual cramps.

Increase Your Flexibility

Pilates exercises are designed to lengthen and expand muscles rather than bunch them together. This improves flexibility and mobility and can help reduce pain from injuries or tightness.

Pilates requires focusing on your breath and body, like yoga and other mind-body practices. This increased awareness boosts your balance and core strength and can help you manage stress. If you suffer from dysmenorrhea, incorporating Pilates into your routine can help reduce your symptoms.

Elevate your fitness with POP Pilates, a fun and exciting fusion of ab-chiseling; classical Pilates moves choreographed to upbeat top 40 hits. In this equipment-free workout, you’ll move rhythmically from one exercise to the next, developing a rock-solid core and leaving no muscle group untouched.

Improve Your Posture

A strong core improves posture, which can help you look and feel better. It can also make everyday movements more comfortable, such as lifting and twisting, and even reduce back pain from poor posture.

Mat Pilates Class can also help you build strength without putting too much strain on your joints and muscles, making it ideal for anyone with a bad back or other physical limitations. For example, studies suggest that mat pilates can help ease your discomfort if you have dysmenorrhea.

POP Pilates takes the century-old, eponymous workout to a new level with a dance-inspired cardio routine performed to the beat of popular music hits. The equipment-free class combines ab-chiseling moves with total body sculpting to give you a lean dancer’s physique and rock-solid core. And because each exercise can be modified to your fitness level, you can get the best of both worlds—core strengthening and an energizing, sweaty total-body workout! Just remember to listen to your body. If a move is too challenging, stop and rest before continuing.