Workout of the week: 30-min Pilates workout for strength and power

CAROLINA LÜTHI

Personal Trainer at EVO Fitness Zurich Enge

As a former Olympian rower and food scientist, Carolina knows what you need to get and stay in shape. Carolina is an experienced personal coach in the fields of training planning and DNA-based nutrition optimization. She has a long-time experience in weight and athletic training, Pilates, Yoga and mobility as well as in rowing and cycling. She is thrilled to get the max out of you.

Follow her on Instagram: @carolinaluethi

Book a PT Session: office@carolinaluethi.ch

30-MIN PILATES WORKOUT FOR STRENGTH AND POWER

ALL LEVELS / Pilates workout / strength and power / 30 minutes

Equipment: Dumbbell and gym mat.

As promised last Monday, with every new week, we will have a new workout. This time we count with Carolina Lüthi’s, our personal trainer from EVO Zurich Enge, to bring you a Pilates workout for power and strength.

Pilates is a recent fitness method — it goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, borrowing its name from its creator Joseph Pilates. Joseph’s beliefs that “change happens through movement and that movement heals” are very closely aligned with EVO’s own philosophy.

We are huge fans of movement as a key principle to our workouts, seeing it as not an intervention, but nature’s way. That’s what we will try to achieve with this workout.

This Pilates workout consists of 5 exercises that will be performed in 3 rounds, decreasing the number of reps in each round.

Round 1:

1. Chest lift with rotation – 20x to each side keeping shoulders away from the floor
2. Side bend – 20x to the right side; 20x to the left side
3. Double leg kick – 20x 
4. Standing roll down – 10 x
5. Lunge rotation with weight – 20x to the right side; 20x to the left side.

Round 2: 15 reps each with the standing roll down remaining with 10 reps.

Round 3: 10 reps each

Perform the exercises at a constant rhythm with no rest time between each exercise nor after each round.

30-MIN PILATES WORKOUT

1 – CHEST LIFT WITH ROTATION

1^st round: 20 reps each side
2^nd round: 15 reps each side
3^rd round: 10 reps each side

How to perform the exercise:

• Inhale and exhale to bring yourself to the position. 
• Exhale and rotate right, looking past your knee. 
• Inhale back to centre and repeat on the left side. 
• Don’t forget to move head, shoulder and chest as one and keep your pelvis stable. 
• You can increase the difficulty by bringing your knees up.

2 – SIDE BEND

1^st round: 20 reps each side
2^nd round: 15 reps each side
3^rd round: 10 reps each side

How to perform the exercise:

• Lie on your side, bending the leg closest to the floor and keeping the other straight. 
• Press into supporting elbow and straighten your body to lift the pelvis from the mat. 
• Aim for a rainbow shape with your body while you extend your hand to try to reach as further as you can. 
• Repeat and change sides after completing the number of reps. 

3 – DOUBLE LEG KICK

1^st round: 20 reps
2^nd round: 15 reps
3^rd round: 10 reps

How to perform the exercise:

• Clasp your hands behind your back as high as you can and let your elbows fall toward the floor. 
• Engage your core and lift your abdomen from the mat. 
• Keeping your legs together, kick your heels towards the hips: a three-part kick with a three-part exhale. 
• Keep your hands together and extend your arms behind you as you inhale, stretching your legs out straight above the mat, and your head too. 
• Exhale and return to the starting position. Repeat. 

4 – STANDING ROLL DOWN

10 reps each round

How to perform the exercise:

• Stand hip-width apart. 
• Inhale as you lower your chin towards your chest. 
• Exhale and allow shoulders your upper body to bend you. 
• Now you’re in full plank mode, perform a push-up (note: as you can see in the video, there’s an easier variation: knee push-up). 
• Exhale and slowly stand tall, straightening your back vertebrae by vertebrae, with your head arriving last. 

5 – LUNGE ROTATION WITH WEIGHT

1^st round: 20 reps each side
2^nd round: 15 reps each side
3^rd round: 10 reps each side

How to perform the exercise:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. 
• Hold the dumbbell in front of you and step forward to perform a basic lunge, not allowing your knee to go over your front leg. 
• Twist your upper body to the side of the front leg, keeping the core engaged and squeezing your glutes. 
• Keeping the control, bring the arms back to the middle and bring your foot back. 
• Repeat. 

There you go — a Pilates workout session that will make you feel empowered and stronger. While you’re here, make sure you check our latest workout of the week:

• 30-min full-body HIIT workout