Back in October, I challenged myself to doing at-home mat Pilates every day for 2 months. When I turned 30 back in March, I started leveling up my routines to “glow-up” and become a better version of myself. Part of that master plan to glow-up was to find a workout split that worked for my life and that also focused more on abs. I really enjoy Pilates, I’ve been doing it on and off for years and years, but never consistently.
At this phase in my life with small kids, it’s hard to get to the gym every day, so I am relying on more at home workouts. Thankfully, YouTube has SO many amazing Pilates videos for free. But when you are starting out, it can feel overwhelming of knowing which videos are great to start with, where to begin learning with Pilates, etc. So when I started this challenge, I also started compiling my favorite workouts and instructors, so that if you are on a similar at-home Pilates journey, you can narrow down the thousands of videos to have a place to start.
Also, at the tail end of this challenge, I did the Pilates by Izzy 25-day challenge. I wanted to give some advice and share what equipment you need before you start because I didn’t know what I needed before I started it and I didn’t see her sharing that info anywhere!
This challenge was exhausting but I’m glad I did it! It taught me a lot about Pilates and moving with my breath. It also helped me lift more when I got back into weight-lifting! I think from here, I plan to do at-home Pilates about 3 times a week and continue going to the gym to weight-lift 2-3 times a week. Overall this has made me feel so much stronger and made me feel better overall!
Best At-Home Pilates YouTube Workouts
Beginner
Full Body
Move With Nicole: 25 Minutes
Flow With Mira: 20 min (this one is great if you have never ever done Pilates or workouts in a long time)
Lottie Murphy: 8 minutes express (more traditional Pilates moves)
Noelle Roberts Studio: 21 minutes Classical Pilates
Rachel’s Fit Pilates: 10 minute wall Pilates
Arms
Pilates with Ashley: 15 minutes
Move With Nicole: 30 min upper body and posture
Abs
Pilates with Ashley: 12 minutes— good guided voice-over for beginners to ensure proper form)
Pilates by Ashley: 10 minutes
Pilates with Ashlea: 10 minutes (more classical moves)
Flow with Mira: 15 minutes abs and hips
Moderate
Arms
Move with Nicole: 10 Minutes
Move with Nicole: 10 Minutes
Abs
Lilly Sabri: 8 minutes
Nikola’s Pilates: 3 Minutes (no voice-over, but this one is quick and challenging)
Lottie Murphy: 13 minutes
Move with Nicole: 8 minute lower abs (this one is moderate/hard!)
Full body
Lottie Murphy: 30 Minutes
Move with Nicole: 25 Minutes
Move with Nicole: 30 minutes (incorporates lots of stretching which feels amazing if you are working out in the morning)
Pilates by IzzY: 25 minutes (moderate/hard)
Hard
Arms
Pilates by Izzy: 15 min (but more like 10 minutes not including stretching) this is weighted, so you need some 3-5 lb weights
Pilates by Izzy: 20 min
Abs
Marie Steffen: 20 minutes (do need ankle weights for this + no voice-over, but there is helpful text on screen to ensure proper form)
Pilates by Izzy: 15 minutes (need pilates ball)
Legs/glutes
Pilates by Izzy: 30 minutes with ankle weights
Favorite YouTube Channels for At Home Pilates
Move With Nicole— I think Nicole does good job of explaining the things you should be focusing on so that you have proper form. I also love that she does a good amount of stretching at end and/or beginning of the workout.
Pilates by Izzy– it’s hard to find people who do harder Pilates workouts on YouTube who are also engaging, but Izzy is SOOO good. Her workouts are HARD and not for absolute beginners, but there are good!
Marie Steffens– if you prefer no voiceover, I suggest Marie because she includes helpful text to ensure good form
Lottie Murphy– she has more classical Pilates style videos and she is so fun and engaging! Plus she gives lots of good cues to make sure you are using proper form.
Pilates By Izzy 25-Day Challenge
I shared some of my favorite Pilates by Izzy workouts above and a little bit about why she’s one of my favorite instructors above. But if you are completely new to Pilates, I don’t recommend you start here! Get used to the different Pilates movements, establish correct breathing through the movements, and learn proper form before you start with this challenge! It is more moderate to advanced and it did KICK MY BUTT! I highly recommend it, but I think you might get frustrated and burned out if you start as a complete beginner here.
Equipment for Pilates By Izzy 25-Day Challenge
Pilates Ball: The one I got is under $7, but if you are really strapped for $, you might be able to skip this one! It is used in several workouts, and will deepen the intensity of the moves, but not 100% necessary.
Weights: These are necessary. I recommend getting 2 sets: a 3lb set and a 5lb set. That way you can easily switch out. I only used 3 lb weights for a good part of this challenge and for some moves (like shoulder presses), I wasn’t feeling a burn at all because you really need a slightly heavier set for some moves.
Resistance Bands: I cannot emphasize enough to get FABRIC ones! I didn’t listen and bought the rubber ones initially because they were cheaper. You will waste your money if you do this. They are so uncomfortable and slide everywhere. Just spend a couple extra bucks and buy the fabric ones.
Mat: I have had this one from Jade Yoga for years and years (since 2017 to be exact) and love it. You can easily get a less expensive one, but this one has held up great for me for a long time.
Blocks: This is also something you could skip if you wanted to and sub for some big books you have in your home instead.
Wrist/Ankle Weights: I have 2 pound wrist/ankle weights and you can easily find a cheaper version of these. Also probably a bit optional, but will definitely level up your workout!
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