7 Pilates Exercises To Improve Posture & Feel Your Best
Good posture is so much more than just standing tall and looking confident. Pilates can help to improve your posture and overall health, teach you how to properly hold yourself, and help correct imbalances that may be contributing to poor posture.
There’s no perfect posture but we can get you a lot closer to your best posture with the right exercises and techniques.
The Importance of Good Posture for Overall Health
Proper alignment of the body ensures that our muscles, joints, and spine function in their most efficient way. Your current posture is a result of genetics, strength, exercise routine, and lifestyle habits. If you have poor posture, that has likely been your body’s best way of supporting itself for your lifetime. It’s trying it’s best. However functionally, better supporting your back and working towards good posture will only help your confidence and overall health.
How Poor Posture Affects Your Health
Specifically poor posture can cause back and neck pain, headaches, and fatigue. Issues like spinal dysfunction, joint degeneration, and decreased lung capacity are also possible. The strain on muscles and ligaments can lead to chronic pain and discomfort.
I’d say generally complaints about Posture tend to be more aesthetic. People want their shoulders back and to stand tall, they don’t like how their posture looks in photos, they’re aware of how their shoulders round forward and how that looks as they stand. Whether it’s a functional or aesthetic concern, incorporating Posture-aware exercises into your exercise routine will help significantly.
The Connection Between Pilates and Posture
Pilates strengthens the core, improves flexibility, and promotes overall body awareness. Posture isn’t just your spine - it can start all the way down in your feet.
There are then some other key factors that can change your posture; Ankle Mobility, Pelvic Position, Abdominal Strength, Thoracic Rotation, Breath Connection, Deep Neck Stabilizer Strength, and beyond. Often people will try and force themselves into their “perfect” posture but instead training the key muscles and focusing on breath will make the largest difference.
Remember, you’re not broken - we’re just optimizing. Instead of forcing your shoulders back there’s likely a more natural mid-point to find your true posture.
RELATED: Does Pilates Tone Your Body?
7 Pilates Exercises To Improve Posture & Feel Your Best
Here are seven effective Pilates exercises that target key areas for improving posture:
#1) Spine Stretch Forward
This lengthens the spine and stretches the hamstrings and back.
Sit on the floor with your legs extended straight in front of you and your feet flexed.
Extend your arms forward at shoulder height.
Inhale deeply, then exhale as you reach forward, drawing your navel toward your spine and lengthening through the crown of your head.
Hold for a few seconds, then inhale as you return to the starting position.
#2) Swan Dive
The Swan Dive strengthens the back muscles for better posture and spinal extension.
Lie face down with your hands under your shoulders and elbows bent.
Inhale as you lift your chest off the mat, engaging your back muscles.
Exhale as you lower back down.
#3) Chest Lift
This exercise targets the upper abdominal muscles to maintain a strong core.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
Place your hands behind your head, elbows wide.
Inhale to prepare, then exhale as you lift your chest towards your knees, engaging your upper abs and keeping your lower back on the mat.
Inhale as you lower back down with control.
#4) Single Leg Stretch
The Single Leg Stretch improves core stability and hip flexibility.
Lie on your back with your knees pulled into your chest.
Lift your head, neck, and shoulders off the mat.
Extend one leg at a time while keeping the other leg bent, holding onto your shin or knee.
Switch legs in a scissoring motion, maintaining a strong core and stable pelvis.
#5) Shoulder Bridge
This exercise strengthens the glutes, hamstrings, and lower back.
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
Inhale to prepare, then exhale as you lift your hips towards the ceiling, creating a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
Hold for a few seconds, then inhale as you lower your hips back to the mat with control.
#6) Saw
The Saw stretches the spine and hamstrings while engaging the core.
Sit with your legs extended and arms out to the sides.
Twist your torso to reach one hand towards the opposite foot, keeping your other hand extended back.
Alternate sides with each breath.
#7) Plank
The Plank is a full-body exercise that strengthens the core, shoulders, and back.
Start on your hands and knees, with your wrists directly under your shoulders.
Extend your legs back, coming onto your toes and forming a straight line from your head to your heels.
Engage your core, keeping your body aligned without sagging or arching your back.
Hold for 20-60 seconds, maintaining steady breathing.
Tips for Incorporating Pilates into Your Routine
To maximize Pilates and its benefits for your posture, we recommend incorporating it into your weekly routine. If you’re completing the exercises described above, we’d recommend repeating them daily and then seeing how you feel. If you’re incorporating them into your own Workouts, spending the last 5 - 10 minutes of your workout on Posture-based work will also be helpful and a great way to wind down from a strength training workout.
Finding the Right Pilates Class for You
Find a class that suits your level and goals. Look for certified instructors who provide personalized guidance and ensure you perform the exercises correctly. You want trainers who repeat exercises and progress them - you don’t want to be doing a different exercise every week. Set goals and work progressively with your trainer towards those goals.
Likewise, your trainer should be able to articulate why you’re doing a certain exercise and how it ties into the rest of your training. Purposeful training will accelerate your results.
RELATED: 6 Benefits of Pilates for Men
Practicing Pilates at Home
To work out at home, utilize online resources and videos.
Ensure you have a comfortable space and the necessary equipment, such as a mat and resistance bands, to perform the exercises safely and effectively.
Improving Your Posture with Pilates
Incorporating Pilates exercises into your routine can significantly improve your posture and overall well-being. Get started today with 40% OFF a Single Session Body Assessment!
Contact us today to book your session and start your journey to better posture and health.
FAQs
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Pilates is a low-impact exercise method that focuses on strengthening the core muscles, improving flexibility, and enhancing overall body awareness and control. Pilates exercises are performed with precise movements and controlled breathing patterns, emphasizing quality of movement over quantity.
Some benefits of Pilates include improved posture, increased muscle tone and strength, enhanced flexibility, and reduced risk of injury.
When you know how to move slowly and from the core, you learn how to control everything else.
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Hiring a private Pilates instructor offers personalized attention, tailored workouts, and focused guidance. This leads to faster progress and reduced risk of injury. Working with a private instructor also allows you to address specific goals and receive immediate feedback.
When you take group classes, you get the benefit of movement but often not the progression and programming of working with a private instructor.
By focusing on form and weekly progressions, you’ll achieve your goals and see a difference a lot faster with a private trainer.
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When selecting a trainer, it is important to consider their experience and method of teaching. Here are a couple of tips!
Consider the trainer's experience with different fitness levels, ages, and goals. Is there anything specific that you’d be after? Let us know! Our trainers have diverse backgrounds, and we can make sure you’re compatible.
Ensure you feel comfortable asking questions and expressing your needs. The studio is a safe space, we want to hear everything - how things feel, if something is off, does this exercise makes sense? We’re not here to boss you around or blindly lead; we’re collaborating and want to hear from you
Seek recommendations and reviews from friends. You can read some of our reviews here. We take our client relationships super seriously. You trust us with your body, and we’re honored that you’re here.
Attend trial sessions to gauge compatibility and teaching style. Book an intro session first: see how you vibe with the studios and the trainer. If you don’t love your first session, we’ll comp your next one so that you can work with another instructor and see if there’s a better fit. We want you to LOVE your sessions with us.
Meet Tamara – Your Pilates Expert
Hi! I’m Tamara, a Certified Pilates Instructor and founder of The Pilates Circuit in NYC. With 9+ years of experience, I specialize in results-driven, athletic Pilates to improve posture, core strength, and overall wellness. Whether you're recovering from diastasis recti or leveling up your fitness, I’m here to guide you every step of the way!
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