If you can’t fit a full workout into your day, that doesn’t mean you have to forget about movement altogether.
In fact, exercise snacks—short bursts of movement throughout the day—are a great way to improve your overall health, particularly if you spend a lot of time sitting down.
Try this five-minute routine from Pilates instructor and Barre coach Vanessa Michielon to help you activate your core, shoulders and glutes.
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How to do this “exercise snack” five-minute Pilates workout
The short workout is essentially made up of four exercise positions. We break down the moves below.
1. Plank knee drives
“This is a great way to prepare the whole body for the sequence ahead, activating your core, shoulders and hip flexors while warming up the body through a dynamic, weight-bearing movement,” says Michielon.
“The cross-body action also challenges coordination and control through the trunk.”
How to do it:
Reps: 5 each side
- Start in a high plank with your hands and toes on the floor and your body in one long line.
- Slowly drive your right knee toward your right shoulder, then toward your left shoulder, creating a gentle rotation through the hip.
- Extend your right leg back and bring your foot down into the plank position.
- Alternate sides, keeping your shoulders stable and your pelvis as level as possible.
How to modify this movement:
“For a more gentle variation you can start from an all four position and always keep one knee on the ground when the other leg moves,” Michielon suggests.
2. Kneeling forearm foldover with leg extension
“This is a brilliant combination for your deep core, glutes and shoulders, challenging you to stabilize the trunk while the leg moves through different directions, mobilizing the hip,” Michielon explains.
“The repeated knee drive adds a dynamic core challenge, while the long leg extension strengthens your glutes and posterior chain,” she adds.
How to do it:
Reps: 10 each side
- Start on your forearms and knees, with your elbows underneath your shoulders and your spine straight.
- Turn the fingertips of your left hand toward your right elbow.
- Lift your right forearm off the ground and place your right palm flat in a press-up position toward the right side of your mat.
- Extend your right leg behind you, then draw your right knee toward your right shoulder.
- From here, extend your leg back and up.
- Keeping your right leg straight, slowly lower it and tap the floor.
- Lift your right leg back up and draw the knee toward the shoulder to begin the next repetition.
- Complete 10 repetitions, then repeat on the opposite side.
How to modify this movement:
Stick to the first part of the movement only, simply drawing the knee in and out.
3. Kneeling side kick
“This strengthens your mid glutes and outer hips, and stretches your hamstrings and hip flexors, while your supporting shoulder and core work continuously to stabilize your body,” says Michielon.
“The combination of controlled kicks, pulses and bicycles challenges muscular endurance and hip stability while also improving coordination.”
How to do it:
Reps: 8 sweeps followed by 10 small pulses and 8 bicycles, each side
- Start on your forearms and knees, with your elbows underneath your shoulders and your spine straight.
- Keep your left forearm on the floor and turn your hips to face the right.
- Lift your right arm toward the ceiling or place it on your right hip.
- Extend your right leg in line with your hip height.
- Keeping your pelvis stable, sweep your leg forward and back with control.
- After completing eight repetitions, perform 10 smaller pulses back and forth.
- Next, bicycle your leg eight times by bending your knee into your body, then stretching it back out again, repeating this in a circular motion.
How to modify this movement:
For a more supported version, lay your left hip on the floor and keep your left knee bent.
4. Side plank with rotation
“This is a powerful full-body movement that combines core and shoulder stability with rotational strength,” Michielon explains.
“It particularly challenges the obliques and lateral core while the shoulder and glutes work to keep you stable.
“The rotation also encourages mobility through the upper back while maintaining control through the pelvis.”
How to do it:
Reps: 8 followed by an 8-second hold, each side
- Move into a side plank with your left hand underneath your left shoulder and your legs extended.
- Lift your hips, creating one long line through your body.
- Reach your right arm up.
- Rotate through your chest, threading your right arm underneath your body while keeping your hips still.
- Return to the starting position, opening your chest toward the ceiling.
- Finish with a side plank hold or balance, then repeat on the other side.
How to modify this movement:
For a more gentle version for the wrists, keep your left forearm down instead of extending the bottom arm.
