I’m so excited to share my latest Pilates Ring Mat Workout with you. This workout is 50 minutes long and for intermediate level. This session is perfect for those of you looking to challenge yourselves and take your Pilates practice to the next level.
Pilates ring workouts are fantastic for adding resistance and enhancing muscle engagement throughout the entire body while also assisting exercises and correcting form. In this 50-minute session, we’ll be using the Pilates ring, also known as the magic circle, to target various muscle groups and ensure a comprehensive full-body workout.
Why Incorporate the Pilates Ring?
The Pilates ring, or magic circle, is a versatile piece of equipment that helps in:
- Improving Muscle Tone: By adding resistance, it helps tone muscles more effectively.
- Enhancing Flexibility: The ring encourages a greater range of motion.
- Increasing Stability: It aids in balance and stability, which are crucial for overall fitness.
- Targeting Specific Areas: Particularly useful for inner thighs, arms, and pelvic floor.
- Correcting Exercises and Proper Form: The ring provides feedback, helping to ensure correct alignment and execution of exercises, which is essential for preventing injuries and maximizing the effectiveness of your workout.
Workout Breakdown
Here’s a brief overview of what to expect in this pilates ring mat workout video:
- Warm-Up: We’ll start by placing the ring between the ankles and doing a standing roll down stretch to check-in with our body, get the blood flowing and prepare our muscles for the workout ahead.
- Lower Body: Using the ring between our thighs and outer shins, we’ll perform a series of standing footwork and bridging to engage the quads, hamstrings, and glutes.
- Upper Body: We’ll utilize the ring to add resistance to our arm exercises, focusing on the biceps, triceps, and shoulders.
- Core Work: A major part of this workout involves core stability exercises. The ring will help us engage our deep abdominal muscles more effectively.
- Spinal Movement: We focus on moving the spine through all planes of motion and in all directions, ensuring a balanced and holistic approach to spinal health.
- Flexibility and Cool Down: We’ll finish with some stretching exercises to enhance our flexibility and cool down our muscles.
Magic Circle Flow
Here’s the exact exercise flow you’ll follow in this workout:
- Standing Roll Down / Roll Up
- Footwork:
- Parallel: Circle inside ankles
- One inch down/up (back straight like sliding up and down a wall, knees not going past toes)
- Add hinge squat (isolated previous movement from hinge to build proprioception)
- Pulses
- Isolated hold
- Pulses
- Pilates V: Between thighs, heels all the way together
- Up/down
- Pulses
- Parallel: Outside of ankles
- Heels lift / squat / heels lower
- Change directions
- Pulses with high heels squat
- Parallel: Circle inside ankles
- Bridging:
- Magic Circle in hands, pulling outward (shoulder engagement)
- Articulation bridge (legs together)
- Pulses
- Magic Circle outside of shins, parallel
- Hinge bridge (tap butt)
- Pulse the Magic Circle
- Pulse the butt
- Repeat with one leg hovering (both sides)
- Magic Circle in hands, pulling outward (shoulder engagement)
- Hamstring Stretches
- Abs:
- Magic Circle behind head
- Chest lift: Feet planted or tabletop
- Oblique crunch with single leg stretch
- Pulses
- Double leg lower/lift
- Magic Circle behind head
- Seated Series:
- Spine stretch: Hands pulling circle out
- Spine twist: Ring on outside of feet with legs
- Roll up: Ring on outside of feet
- Side-lying Series: Magic Circle in front, palm pushing in, elbow up towards ceiling
- Bend/stretch
- Forward leg sweep
- Leg circles
- Clam
- Clam with develope
- Mermaid Stretch
- Prone:
- Swan: Hands pressing down on ring with one pad on floor
- Double leg stretch: Magic Circle in hands reaching back
- Plank:
- Hand press (Magic Circle under palm under shoulder press down into it)
- Leg lower to ground and lift
- Hand press with arm extended
- Leg side to side
- Leg circle
- Stretches:
- Child’s Pose
- Down dog
- Standing Roll up
The Pilates resistance ring is an incredible tool for both beginners and intermediate practitioners. Its ability to add resistance and support in various exercises makes it a staple in many Pilates workouts. For those new to the Pilates ring workout, this tool can help you better understand how to engage the correct muscles and maintain proper form throughout each exercise.
One of the standout features of the Pilates magic ring is its versatility. Whether you’re focusing on a Pilates ring workout for arms or targeting the inner thighs and pelvic floor, this simple piece of equipment can make a significant difference. By incorporating the ring into a full-body Pilates ring workout, you can ensure that you’re engaging muscles that might otherwise be overlooked.
Moreover, Pilates ring workouts for beginners can be a gentle yet effective introduction to resistance training. The feedback from the ring helps beginners maintain correct alignment, which is crucial for developing a strong foundation in Pilates. As you progress, you can explore more challenging routines, such as an intermediate Pilates ring workout like this one, to continue building strength and flexibility.
Ready to Get Started?
Grab your mat and Pilates ring, and let’s dive into this full-body intermediate workout together! Make sure to listen to your body, take breaks as needed, and most importantly, have fun.
Thank you so much for joining me. Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my channel for more workouts and tips. Let’s continue our fitness journey together with no excuses!
Stay strong and stay motivated!
XOXO, Esther
Latest posts by Esther Kim (see all)
- I tried Halara Activewear | What I Love and Hate - September 25, 2024
- Stability Ball Pilates Workout: 30-Min Full Body Toning & Strength - September 8, 2024
- Explore My Pilates Workout Playlists - September 4, 2024