You’ve heard of Pilates — that popular low-impact exercise that entire gyms and communities of moms are devoted to. You may already know that Pilates can improve your core strength, improve your posture, and prevent chances of injuries during other workouts. Plus, the practice improves cardiorespiratory capacity, which gives you a boost of energy. There’s one problem, however — doesn’t Pilates require specialized equipment and pricy class fees?
Fitness guru Ryan Cooper certainly doesn’t think so. You’re likely already familiar with Cooper’s yoga routines, guided meditations, and full-body workouts. But did you know that this jack-of-all-trades also teaches Pilates? Cooper’s workouts focus on what you can do at home, using just your body (though it certainly feels better on the joints with an exercise mat). So you don’t need to stress over investing in a fancy tower, reformer, chair, or even expensive classes.
In this brisk, 13-minute practice, you’ll start out on the floor to perform this gentle yet thorough routine. You’ll get your heart rate up, but you’ll also enjoy stretching — for example, expect your legs to feel the burn when you perform simple exercises like rotating your foot in the air, above your body. The whole time, you’ll keep your core active (and if you forget, don’t worry — Cooper will remind you). Plus, you’ll flow into some familiar moves like push-ups that will feel intuitive since you’ve been doing them since middle school gym.
Since Cooper always includes cooldowns in his videos, expect a relaxing stretching sesh at the end of the video — which you can treat as a final chance to check in with your body and embrace everything it gives you.
Falling in love with Pilates? Cooper’s full programs include more of these routines, alongside high-intensity workouts, nutritional advice, and — on some levels — one-on-one training. Plus, he’s cutting a deal for Katie Couric Media readers who want to continue working with him: Just use the code KCM50 to get 50 percent off any package on Cooper’s site.
