Pilates Circle Abs & Thigh Workout

So recently I got the chance to try out a Pilates Circle by Infinito. They sent me their pilates circle for free in exchange for a fair and honest review and I figured hey let’s kill two birds with one stone and make it a workout post for the blog! I’m all about multitasking. I’ll be totally honest and admit that pilates isn’t something I do a lot of. In fact it’s something I rarely do, and doing pilates workouts brings back flashbacks of pilates and PiYo training which were fun times, but I get more enjoyment out of lifting heavy. So why did I agree to do the review? Because I appreciate that I need to mix things up fitness wise and this might make me do more pilates workouts at home, travelling etc. Plus I get to do more workout posts like this for the blog, to provide content and information for all of you!

 

Pilates Circle Abs & Thigh Workout

Ok so first up you’re obviously going to need a pilates circle. These usually cost around $25 so are just the price of one drop in studio class so not that much of an investment for your home workouts. Plus you’ll pretty much have it forever. So use it! In this abs and thigh workout I’m using the pilates circle by Infinito. If you’re interested in purchasing one then check out their website.

For each exercise: Beginners complete around 10-12 reps, regular exercises maybe do around 15-20 reps. So the circle is going to be what makes all of these traditional pilates moves a little more intense. Your inner thighs especially will be feeling the burn so if that’s a new thing for you maybe just try 1 set of everything, if you’re used to pilates maybe do 3-4 sets.

Pilates Circle Glute Bridge

Start off the same as a regular glute bridge and lie back with knees bent and feet on floor, and place the circle between the inner thighs. The infinito pilates circle has a ergonomic design so the padded portion fits snugly into the inner thigh. Apply a little pressure onto the circle making the circle more of an oval. The lift and lower the hips.

Pilates Circle Glute Bridge Squeeze

As you finish your last rep of the glute bridge HOLD! Yeah stay up there, then add a little pulse to the circle to fire up the inner thighs a little more. A pulse is a little move, 2″ in and out. Don’t release the circle out too much, you want that constant pressure.

Pilates Circle Crunch

Stay in the same position as the beginning of the glute bridge then place the hands at the sides of the head. Crunch up the head and shoulders and reach through the circle. I like this as it gives you something to look and aim for. Right arm, and left arm counts as one rep!

Pilates Circle Inner Thigh Blaster

Honestly didn’t know what else to call these but they do fire up those inner thighs. Lying back with the knees over the hips and shins parallel to the floor place the circle between the inner thighs. Then squeeze the knees towards each other. * For a bonus round, you can HOLD in (like you did for the glute bridge squeeze) and then do a little set of pulses 2″ release in and out.

Pilates Circle Leg Drop

One of my favorite ab exercises made harder with what I lovingly call the circle of ab death. Lying back on the floor, place the circle between the ankles, extend the legs up to the ceiling and squeeze the circle. Keeping tension on the circle (and it might not be much initially) slowly lower and lift the legs, keeping the core engaged!

Pilates Circle Leg Rotation

Staying in the same position as the leg drop above, keep the pressure on the circle and simply rotate the legs around clockwise, then counterclockwise.  The size of the rotation will depend on your ability to CONTROL THE MOVEMENT. The hips need to stay anchored down on the floor.

Pilates Circle Leg Pull Apart

It’s time to give the inner thighs are break and work on the outer thighs. Lie on one side with the legs extended and the ankles between the circle. Push the legs into the circle, and try to lift the top leg up away from the bottom leg. The movement won’t be big! Don’t forget to repeat to the other side!

Pilates Circle Clam Squeeze

Anyone who’s done a mini resistance band workout will know the clam, this is the clam in reverse! Instead of opening the knees, you’re closing the legs. Lay on one size with the knees bent and feet together, placing the pilates circle between the inner thighs. Without moving the hips try and close the legs by pushing that top leg down to the floor. This one is a bit of an inner thigh killer so you may need a rest or reduce your reps. Don’t forget to repeat to the other side!

So what did I think of the pilates circle? All in all I really enjoyed using the pilates circle by Infinito. It’s using some muscles that I don’t usually use and having the ability to do the workout at home really means I can make the most of the time I do have and sneak in extra workouts. The Infinito pilates circle provided great pressure and was pretty comfortable, plus it means I can prep for classes at home now! And do workout videos for you guys. Hopefully I’ll get around to editing the footage for this workout and have that up on my youtube channel soon!

So do you have one of the pilates circles? Have you used one in a class before? Is it something you’d consider using? Let me know in the comments what you think of the workout, and any ideas for future workouts!

Disclosure: I received a pilates circle from infinito in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own as I keep shiz real yo!