Latest news with #Pilates-inspired
Tom's Guide
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
No time for the gym? Build and sculpt your legs with this equipment-free lower-body workout instead
Thinking about skipping the gym? You're not alone. But a solid workout doesn't need to happen there. This 10-minute Pilates-inspired routine is perfect for leg day and easy to do right from your living room. This workout comes from online fitness instructor Lily Sabri and is designed to give you a class-like experience in just 10 minutes. Whether you're a Pilates pro or new to the practice, don't be fooled by how gentle it looks. The routine targets smaller, often-overlooked muscles to build real strength and tone your lower half. Pop on something comfortable — our guide to the best gym leggings can help if you're looking for ideas — and roll out a mat to stay supported on the floor. With one minute on each move and just five seconds of rest in between, Sabri's routine is quick and effective. The trainer provides clear audio cues throughout, letting you know where to place your bodyweight, which muscles to engage and when to breathe or relax. Trust me, I am going to have your legs absolutely on fire by the end of this workout. Sabri's guidance is both encouraging and there to challenge you. Throughout various moves, she offers small tips to increase the intensity, such as lowering deeper into a squat. She also tells you where to focus your bodyweight, when to breathe and how to stay engaged throughout. 'Trust me, I am going to have your legs absolutely on fire by the end of this workout,' she says in the video. If you've ever assumed Pilates is just slow stretching on a mat, think again. While it might look low impact from the outside, those small, controlled movements can leave your muscles shaking. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. That's because Pilates focuses on building strength from the inside out. It targets deep core muscles, stabilizers and those smaller muscles you didn't even know existed until they started burning. If you're new to it, you might also enjoy reading the guide 3 things I wish I had known as a Pilates beginner by my colleague Sam, who breaks down the basics and what to expect in your first few sessions. Pilates is all about precision and control, unlike weight training, which often works larger muscle groups using heavy resistance. It uses your own bodyweight or sometimes small equipment like bands or rings to create tension and challenge your muscles in subtle (but seriously effective) ways. You won't be doing deadlifts or bench presses, but you will still feel the burn differently. Pilates is also a great way to tone your muscles. It helps to strengthen your body without necessarily adding bulk. That's why people often claim it gives a more sculpted or lean look. But it isn't just about appearances. Pilates also helps with posture, balance and overall mobility. The more you practice it, the longer you'll be able to go, the more challenging moves you'll manage and you might even find yourself reaching for a pair of light dumbbells to up the ante.
Tom's Guide
10-05-2025
- Health
- Tom's Guide
Short on time? This 30-minute standing HIIT class will boost your metabolism and build strength
While the past few years have seen the rise (and rise) of low-intensity workouts, like Pilates and yoga, grow in popularity, there's still a very valid case for adding in some high-intensity interval training (HIIT) into your workouts. For starters, this high-energy, heart-raising workout style can give your metabolism a boost while increasing your cardiovascular endurance. This sweat-inducing workout can also reduce blood pressure and cholesterol levels and help you gain maximum results in minimal time. But, better yet? You just need enough space to roll out a yoga mat and enough motivation to move your body to get going. The good news is that this standing 30-minute HIIT workout from Eleni Fit comes with a Pilates-inspired twist. Mixing popular Pilates moves, like standing leg lifts, crunches and a roll-down, this workout gives you the best of both worlds as you'll see and feel the benefits this low-impact form of exercise brings, but it's wrapped up neatly into a time-saving HIIT workout. Fitness trainer Eleni suggests warming up before jumping into this workout. In total, there are around 20 exercises featured in this workout. HIIT is a workout style that alternates between short bursts of intense exercise and brief recovery periods. Therefore, the idea with this session is to complete each exercise for 40 seconds before resting for 10 seconds. In your rest period, Eleni demonstrates how to complete the next move with the right form. This will give you enough time to just about recover before you head into the next Pilates-inspired move. As we mentioned, all of the moves in this workout are bodyweight. But don't be fooled into thinking they won't get your heart rate up. For example, there's a side lunge and reach, narrow squat kicks, balancing butt pulses and a plié side crunch followed by a reach up. All exercises take inspiration from common Pilates moves, but instead of repeating them eight or 10 times as you might in a usual mat class, you'll be completing them as many times as is possible (without losing your form) until the 40-second timer is up. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. Doing so will help you increase your strength, give your endurance a boost, and raise your heart rate while adhering to a low-impact style of working out. When you've completed the first 10 exercises, you'll get a handy 60-second water break before ticking off the final 10. Of course, if you find you need to rest for longer, or some of the exercises are too challenging to complete for 40 seconds, listen to your body without going over the top. Along with being organized into a HIIT session, many of these moves are supersets, which is a training technique where two exercises are performed back-to-back with minimal rest in between. Not only can this style of training promote greater muscle growth, but it can help you get more bang for your buck as you're doing twice the amount of moves in the same amount of time.
