20 Popular Pilates Moves for Beginners

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Master Pilates educator Vanessa Kelly shares her favorite Pilates exercises

Co-authored by Vanessa Kelly and Jennifer Vasquez, BA, MA

Last Updated: September 1, 2026 Fact Checked

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• Pilates Exercises
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• Benefits
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• Do I need equipment?
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• What are the 34 Pilates moves?
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• Video

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If you want to tone and sculpt your body, Pilates can help you get there. From working your abs to strengthening muscles, it’s an exercise system that can improve your overall fitness. If you’re new to Pilates, this guide’s for you. We rounded up the best Pilates moves for beginners and spoke with fitness experts about their benefits. Learn how to do different Pilates exercises, the benefits of Pilates, and more!

A Visual Diagram of Pilates Moves

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Master Pilates educator Vanessa Kelly explains that Pilates is about creating symmetry in your body. To do this, she says, beginners should focus on core principles like alignment, body awareness, and proper breathing to get the most benefit. Here are some good Pilates moves for beginners:

• The Hundred: Lie on your back, extend your legs out, and pump your arms up and down for 100 counts.
• Roll-Up: Lie on a mat, then roll your upper body up and reach for your toes. Roll back down.
• Pelvic Curl: Lie down with knees bent. Raise your pelvis off the floor, hold, then lower your pelvis back down.
• Single Leg Circles: Lie on your back with one leg up in the air and one extended flat on the floor. With your arms by your sides, move the lifted leg around in a circle.

Steps

Section 1 of 4:

Types of Pilates Moves

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   The Hundred The Hundred is a core-strengthening exercise that includes a total of 100 arm pumps and breath cycles. To do it, health & fitness specialist Greg Maurer says to lay on a mat on your back. Keep your feet on the ground, he continues, and “crunch up slightly, so your lower back will be pressed firmly into the ground, your shoulders will lift slightly, your head will lift slightly, and your arms are extended fully.” Next, Maurer explains, “the arms are going to move up and down in a small amplitude, only a couple of inches. The faster you move them, the more challenging the exercise becomes.”

   • To make it more challenging, Maurer says to elevate your legs slightly.
   • Goal: Do 1 set split into 10 rounds.

   Meet the wikiHow Experts

   Vanessa Kelly is a master Pilates educator who specializes in postural alignment and movement science.

   Desiree Sanchez is a Pilates instructor and teacher who’s been teaching Pilates for nearly 30 years.

   Greg Maurer is a health & fitness specialist whose expertise includes Pilates, yoga, functional training, and more.

   Patricia Ladis PT, CBBA, is a licensed physical therapist who takes a collaborative and holistic approach to helping patients deal with nerve and chronic pain.
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   Roll-Up The roll-up tones your abdominal muscles and can improve spinal movement. When teaching this move to a beginner, Pilates instructor Desiree Sanchez says to “start seated with your knees bent and your feet hip-distance apart. Hold the back of your legs with your hands. Use your abdominal muscles to roll back just till your arms are straight. Then, use your abdominal muscles to curl back up over your legs. Eventually, you would let go with your hands, and roll all the way down to the mat and all the way up.”

   • Sanchez suggests doing this exercise with a Pilates mat that has a foot strap, which makes the move easier to do.
   • Goal: Do 6-8 reps.
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   Shoulder Bridge The shoulder bridge targets glutes, hamstrings, and your lower back. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor. Bring your heels in slightly closer to your glutes. Lift your hips up slowly, pressing through your feet and lifting your spine one vertebrae at a time. Hold the position at the top and make sure your body is in a straight diagonal line from your shoulders to your knees.

   • Goal: Do 8-10 reps.
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   Single Leg Circles Single leg circles are a core stability and hip mobility exercise. Lay down on your back on a mat with arms straight by your sides. Lift one leg straight up and point your toes, and keep one leg flat on the mat. Start to circle the leg that’s in the air by moving it toward your opposite shoulder. Circle your leg all the way around until you’re back at the starting position. Think of it as drawing circles on the ceiling. Repeat with the opposite leg.

   • Goal: Do 5 circles in one direction, then 5 circles in the other direction for each leg.
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   Spine Stretch Forward The spine stretch forward move stretches your spine and hamstrings and can improve your posture. Sit tall and straight, as if your back is against an imaginary wall. Position your legs flat on the floor and a bit wider than your shoulders. Hold your arms straight out in front of you with palms down. Gradually stretch forward as if you’re peeling your spine off the imaginary wall. Then, slowly roll back up.

   • Goal: Do 3-5 reps.
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   The Saw The Saw is great for your abs and spine. Sit on a mat with your sit bones balanced and even. Straighten your legs out in front of you, position them slightly wider than your mat, and flex your feet. Extend your arms straight out to the sides with palms down, like you’re about to take flight. Rotate your upper body to one side, keeping your hips and feet planted on the mat. Reach down as if to touch your pinky toe with one arm. Hold your back arm up. Slowly return to the starting position, and repeat for the opposite side.

   • Goal: Do 4-6 reps for each side.
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   The Dart The dart strengthens your spine and can improve your posture. Lie on a mat flat on your stomach, resting your head on a cushion. Keep your arms by your sides and legs extended. Slowly lift your forehead and chest off the floor, hold for a second, then lower yourself back down.

   • Goal: Repeat for up to 1 minute.
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   Pilates Push-Up Pilates push-ups engage your triceps and target your shoulders and core. Get into the plank position with your hands under your shoulders. Lower your body as much as possible, bending your elbows and pressing through your toes. Push yourself back up.

   • If it’s too difficult, start off by doing this move with your knees down.
   • Goal: Do 8 reps.
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   Pulling Straps If you want to tone your back, the pulling straps move is just what you need. Lie on your stomach with your arms at your sides and legs squeezed together. Tuck your chin slightly. Lift your arms a few inches off of the floor, move them to the sides, then bring them forward. Your arms should be out in front of you and in line with your ears. As you move your arms, lift your feet a few inches off the floor and open your legs slightly. Return to the starting position.

   • Other variations of this move include using weights or using the reformer.
   • Goal: Do 5-10 reps.
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    The Teaser Put your control and body awareness to the test with The Teaser. Lie flat on your back with legs extended out. Next, bring your knees to your chest and extend them up at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Reach both arms out in the opposite direction, so they’re aligned with your ears. Now, raise your arms and head, reaching up toward your feet and holding for a few seconds. Lower yourself back down.

    • Goal: Do 3-8 reps.
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    The Seal Massage your spine and improve back mobilization with The Seal. Sit on a mat, and bend your knees. Lift your feet and legs off the floor, balancing yourself on your tailbone. Bring the soles of your feet together, reaching your hands under your thighs and over your knees. Place your hands on top of your feet. Roll back onto your shoulders, then rock back up to the starting position.

    • Goal: Do as many reps as you like.
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    Side Lift The side lift, also called the side over, works the internal external obliques, explains Kelly. She says to put yourself “in a sideline position lying on the mat. Have your bottom arm extended out all the way. Rest your ear against your bicep and maintain a stacked position through the hips. Make sure that your upper and lower hips are completely stacked.” Then, she continues, put the bottom leg at a “90-degree angle so that the knee is lined up with the hip and your ankle is lined up with the knee. Slightly lift your top leg up and down.”

    • Goal: Do 8-15 reps per side.
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    Pelvic Curl Pelvic curls are good warm-up exercises that mobilize your spine. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet shoulder-width apart. Put your arms straight by your sides, tuck your chin in slightly, and relax your neck. Engaging your ab muscles, lift your lower back off the floor. Push through your hamstrings to raise your pelvis higher. Hold for a second, then lower yourself back down.

    • Goal: Do 10 reps.
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    Single Straight Leg Stretch Single straight leg stretches are great for the back of your legs. Lie flat on your back with your legs extended out and your arms straight by your sides. Lift your head forward, bending your knees and pulling your legs toward your chest. Place your hands on your knees. Extend one leg straight up to the ceiling and the other extended in front of you above the mat. Place both hands on the ankle of the leg that’s stretched toward the ceiling. Now, pull the leg that’s up toward the ceiling slightly closer to you, then switch leg positions. You’re doing a “scissoring” movement as you switch between legs.

    • Goal: Do 5 reps for each leg.
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    Sparklers To do Sparklers, you need small hand weights that are between 1–2 pounds (450–910 g). Stand straight with feet slightly apart. Hold a weight in each hand and extend your arms out straight in front of you. Begin drawing circles in the air, gradually moving both arms up while continuing to make circular motions. Raise your arms above your head or as high as you can comfortably go. Then, circle your arms back down.

    • Goal: Do 3 sets of 5-8 reps.
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    Corkscrew The corkscrew increases abdominal strength and pelvic stability. Lie on the floor with your legs extended out and arms at your sides. Press your upper thighs and knees together, and lift both legs straight up. Point your toes, and sweep your legs to the left, down, to the right, and back to the starting position.Then, reverse the direction of the circle. This is one set.

    • Goal: Do up to 5 full sets.
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    Kneeling Side Reach The kneeling side reach helps your arm balance and opens your hips. Kneel on a mat with your right knee and rest your right hand under your shoulder on the mat so that you’re in a side position. Extend the other leg out to the side, and stretch your left arm up above you. Lift your left leg up off the mat. Next, bring your left elbow and left knee toward each other by bending them. Repeat this movement a few times before switching sides.

    • Goal: Do 5-10 reps on each side.
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    Spine Twist Get better spinal mobility and posture by doing spine twists. Sit tall and straight on your mat with your legs extended in front of you and pressed together. Stretch your arms out to your sides at shoulder-height with your palms down. Twist your body at your torso to one side, as far as you can go. Turn back to the center, keeping your arms extended. Twist to the left in the same manner.

    • Goal: Do 3 complete sets.
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    The Clam The Clam is beneficial for deep glute strength. Lie on your side with your hips stacked on top of the other and lengthen your spine. Bend your legs slightly at the knee, and align your feet with your buttocks. Keeping your feet together, lift the top knee up as high as you can while keeping your hips stable. Bring your knee back down. Do a few reps on one side, then switch to do the same on the other side. These Are Officially The Best Pilates Exercises Of All Time | Marie Claire UK

    • Goal: Do 10-15 reps, and work your way up to doing 3 sets.
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    Wall Squat Wall squats can strengthen your lower body because you have to remain in one pose. Stand with your back against a wall, and place feet hip-width apart. Stretch out your arms in front of you so that they’re aligned with your shoulders. Lower your body between 6–12 inches (15–30 cm), keeping your back against the wall. Once you’ve gone as low as you can go, hold the squat for 10 seconds. Slide back up.

    • Goal: Do 8-12 reps.
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Section 2 of 4:

Benefits of Pilates

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1. 
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   It balances your body. One of the primary goals of Pilates is to improve the symmetry of your body, explains Kelly. Daily activities, like driving and sitting at a desk, can cause imbalances in your posture that lead to weakness and tightness, she says. By focusing on your form and working on gaining better control over your body, she continues, you can improve your range of motion and mobility.

   • Sanchez recommends doing Pilates 3-4 times a week and switching it up between using a mat and the reformer to experience the most benefits.
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   It strengthens your muscles. According to Sanchez, “Pilates is known for developing long, strong muscles.” The way Pilates moves the body makes it stronger and more flexible, she explains. While it’s different from the muscle strength training you do in weightlifting, you can build muscle by doing Pilates consistently, Sanzhes says.
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   It’s great for your abs. Sanchez says Pilates mat work is the best thing you can do to target abdominal muscles. Since you’re working with your body weight on the floor, these moves really engage your abs to help flatten your stomach. She recommends doing mat work several days out of the week to see results.
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   It can alleviate back pain. Licensed physical therapist Patricia Ladis PT, CBBA, says many Pilates exercises help target those deeper muscles to reduce tension. Pilates moves help improve mobility between vertebrae and can stabilize your back muscles. They can also aid with lower back joint stiffness and muscle tightness.
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Section 3 of 4:

Do I need any workout equipment?

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   Start off with a Pilates mat. When you’re new to the workout, you don’t have to add other equipment just yet. It’s generally recommended to get a Pilates mat since they provide more cushion than standard yoga mats. Many Pilates moves can be done with only a mat.
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   Try using the reformer. The reformer is a machine that consists of a black carriage and moving table with springs attached. There are also straps for your hands and feet that provide added support when doing certain moves. The reformer comes with varying levels of resistance to improve your strength and core.
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Section 4 of 4:

What are the 34 Pilates moves?

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1. 
   The 34 Pilates moves are the original exercises created by Joseph Pilates. He published these exercises in his 1945 book Return to Life Through Contrology. He created this system as a way to help people build core strength, flexibility, and control. According to Sanchez, it’s “exceptional and unique in its ability to address the full spectrum of movement issues and of movement potential in the human form.” A few of the more popular original 34 Pilates moves include The Hundred, The Roll-up, Single Leg Circles, and Spine Stretch Forward.

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