I love Pilates—it’s great for mobility, posture and coordination.
However, I find it doesn’t challenge my muscles in the way that lifting weights does.
I also find it hard to track my progress in Pilates. When I’m strength training, I know I’ve improved when I can use a heavier weight. As a lot of Pilates moves are bodyweight-only, it’s harder to see improvements.
I put this point to Rachel Lennon, a Pilates instructor and personal trainer, and she suggested I try incorporating more Pilates flows into my practice.
This technique can ramp up the challenge of your Pilates session and help you see progress.
What is a Pilates flow?
“A flow is a way of seamlessly transitioning from one exercise to another,” says Lennon, who is also the founder of The Wellness Tribe studio and retreats.
This means that rather than completing an exercise and taking a rest, you’ll move straight through to the next movement. Doing this increases the time the muscles are under tension, which can improve muscle strength and endurance.
Flows usually consist of three to five exercises, which get progressively harder. Beginners may want to stick with the first few exercises, but you know you’ve improved when you can do all of them.
“It’s a good way for people at different levels to get involved,” says Lennon.
Each exercise will also have a set breathing pattern that you should follow, forcing you to focus.
With this in mind, Lennon believes that Pilates flows are also a great way to improve cognitive function and ensure your workouts engage both body and mind.
“It feels like a dance in a way, which can be more engaging and help you get more out of the session,” she says.
How to do a Pilates flow
You can turn any Pilates exercise into a Pilates flow by adding extra elements, or you could start with an easier, modified version of the movement and build up to an advanced option.
Lennon describes this as “layering” and has provided an example of a Pilates flow, using an exercise known as a glute kickback.
Pilates glute kickback flow
Layer one
- Start on your hands and knees, with hands underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips.
- Inhale and relax, then on an exhale, engage your core by tucking in your ribcage and slightly squeezing the glutes.
Layer two
- Stay on your hands and knees with your core engaged.
- Keeping your right knee bent, kick your right leg back until your thigh is in line with your torso. Your foot should stay flexed, so that your heel is pointing towards the ceiling. Focus on engaging your glutes at the top of the movement.
- Lower the knee back towards the floor.
Layer three
- Stay on your hands and knees with your core engaged.
- Keeping your right knee bent, kick your right leg back until your thigh is in line with your torso.
- From this position, extend the leg so it’s straight.
- Bend the leg and lower the knee back down to the floor.
- Optional: When the leg is extended, pulse it up and down 10-12 times before bending the knee and lowering.
You can practice these moves individually, but the idea is to move through them one after the other.
Lennon recommends repeating the entire flow 10-12 times on one side, then the other.
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