Pilates has emerged as a popular at-home workout, lauded for its beginner-friendly nature, low-impact movements, and minimal space requirements. It's an effective workout that can be high intensity, despite being low-impact, toning the core and strengthening muscles throughout the body. Beginners often find themselves drawn to Pilates for its accessibility and versatility, with numerous modifications available for newcomers and ample opportunities to increase intensity as one gains strength and experience.
One innovation in the Pilates world is the introduction of reformer workouts, which use a sliding carriage to provide added resistance during exercises, engaging the core, legs, arms, and back more fully. Wall Pilates offers a way to recreate this added resistance at home, using a wall to mimic the foot bar of a traditional reformer without needing the equipment. This trending workout has gained traction on social media as an accessible and effective option for those who prefer to practice Pilates at home without the hefty price tag of a reformer. Proponents of wall Pilates claim that the added resistance yields similar benefits to reformer Pilates classes, without the commute or expense.
What is Wall Pilates?
Wall Pilates combines traditional Pilates movements with the added resistance of a wall. Exercises like Pilates 100s and bridge pose are common in wall Pilates workouts, but with foot placements against the wall instead of on the ground or extended.
The wall provides resistance that mimics a traditional reformer foot bridge. This added resistance helps build strength. According to Heather A. Milton, an exercise physiologist supervisor at NYU Langone Health’s Sports Performance Center, using a wall allows you to exert force, making it a type of isometric training where you can choose the level of force you exert.
Benefits of Wall Pilates
Callie Jardine, a Pilates instructor and founder of Sweaty Studio, notes that wall Pilates improves stability, balance, strength, and control. Unlike traditional Pilates, wall Pilates often involves elevated feet, which may improve circulation, digestion, sleep, and reduce muscle cramps.
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While traditional Pilates has been around since the early 20th century, wall Pilates is a relatively new workout. Although there isn’t much research specifically on wall Pilates, Milton suggests that its benefits are similar to those of isometric training, making it ideal for strength building without stressing the joints.
Wall Pilates can strengthen the abdominal wall. It is a low-to-moderate intensity exercise, so it won’t provide the same benefits as moderate or vigorous exercise in terms of body composition and cardiovascular health. However, it's a great starting point for improving musculoskeletal health if you're not currently exercising. Wall Pilates is also budget-friendly, as the wall provides resistance without needing extra equipment.
Using a wall can also improve Pilates form. Milton explains that using the wall as feedback, such as during a side-lying leg raise, helps ensure proper alignment. The wall serves as an alternative to an instructor correcting your form in person.
Fitness influencer Renée Mowatt experienced changes in her body after doing wall Pilates 4-5 times a week for a month.
Wall Pilates Before and After: Real Results
The popularity of wall Pilates on social media has inspired fitness creators to start month-long challenges. Participants share before-and-after photos demonstrating the impact of just one month of wall Pilates. Rachel’s Fit Pilates’ wall Pilates challenge has garnered over four million views on YouTube.
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Mowatt, who experienced noticeable changes after committing to wall Pilates for a month, created her own wall Pilates workouts to share with others. She initially did wall Pilates 4-5 times per week to improve her form and fitness. After a month of consistent 10-30 minute workouts, her flexibility, strength, and coordination improved.
Milton notes that those starting from scratch can see improved strength or balance after a month. However, already active individuals may not see much improvement in that timeframe. It may take several months to see measurable results from a low-intensity workout like wall Pilates. Strength gains take 4-6 weeks for the nervous system to improve muscle activation, and around 12 weeks to see changes in muscle size. Pilates may not elicit sufficient stress for muscle adaptation unless many repetitions are performed.
Wall Pilates for Beginners
Wall Pilates is a beginner-friendly workout. Free wall Pilates workouts are easily accessible online with a quick Google search. It requires only a wall and enough space for your body, and doesn’t even require a workout mat. Mowatt calls it a cost-effective and fun alternative to in-class Pilates.
Foundational Pilates movements can help you feel more comfortable, but prior experience isn’t necessary. Mowatt, who had less than a year of Pilates experience before trying wall Pilates, started with shorter 5-10 minute workouts to improve her form. Jardine’s Wall Pilates workouts are designed for beginners, featuring verbal cues and slower movements to help newcomers learn proper form.
3 At-Home Wall Pilates Exercises
Jardine and Mowatt recommend these foundational movements to start your wall Pilates practice:
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Leg Raises (Renée Mowatt)
- Lie flat on your back facing the wall with legs extended vertically and arms alongside your body.
- Rest both heels against the wall.
- Lift each leg one at a time toward your body at a 45-degree angle.
- Alternate for 20 repetitions.
Elevated Hip Bridge (Callie Jardine)
- Lie flat on your back facing the wall, with your feet about one foot away.
- Bring your feet hip-width apart and set them on the wall, so that your calves are parallel to the floor and your thighs are at a slight diagonal.
- Let your arms rest by your side on the mat.
- Tuck your hips under and press through your heels to slowly peel your back off the mat into a bridge position.
- Slowly lower back to the starting position.
- Repeat for 10-15 reps.
Wall Sits with Calf Raises (Callie Jardine)
- Stand with your back flat against the wall.
- Slowly walk your feet away from the wall as you sit down into a squat, bending your knees to a 90-degree angle.
- Make sure your ankles are directly below your knees.
- Roll through the balls of your feet to lift the heels off the mat while staying in the wall sit.
- Lower the heels back down.
- Repeat for 15 reps.
Important note: Listen to your body, take breaks, and modify exercises as needed.
Personal Experience: A Wall Pilates Review
After trying these exercises for a few weeks, I noticed non-scale victories:
- Improved flexibility and less back pain: Initially, my hamstrings felt tight during leg raises and the elevated hip bridge. Wall sits were also challenging. After a week, the exercises became easier, and functional movements were more comfortable. My low back pain also improved.
- Increased strength: By week two, I felt strong enough to add more reps to each exercise.
- Consistency: Because these exercises required no equipment and could be done anytime, I found myself sticking to them consistently.
Top 10 Best Wall Pilates Apps in 2024
Choosing the right Wall Pilates app is crucial for a fulfilling workout experience. Here are ten of the best apps available in 2024, each offering unique features and benefits:
- Wall Pilates: Fit Weight Loss: This app combines an extensive library of exercises with real-time progress tracking and a supportive community.
- Sweat: This fitness app caters specifically to women, offering a wide range of workouts including Pilates, along with an engaging community and motivational challenges. It includes bodyweight exercises, yoga, cardio, and strength training.
- Centr: Created by Chris Hemsworth, this holistic fitness app provides guidance from top trainers and wellness experts, offering a well-rounded workout program with a focus on Pilates, healthy meal plans, and wellness coaching.
- Peloton - Fitness & Workouts: This app transforms home fitness routines with its wide array of instructor-led workouts, including high-energy Pilates classes, indoor and outdoor running, cycling, and meditation sessions.
- Lumowell - Ego360: Recognized as one of the leading fitness brands, this app offers dedicated Pilates workouts for all levels, focusing on effective home Pilates exercises for toning the body and promoting weight loss.
- Pilates & Barre by Fittbe: This app offers a unique blend of at-home workouts that combine Pilates with ballet-inspired exercises and yoga, perfect for achieving balance and strength through graceful movements.
- Pilates Exercises at Home: This comprehensive app caters to all fitness levels, providing detailed instructions and demonstrations for each exercise to ensure correct form and safety.
- The 30 Day Pilates Challenge: This app is designed to kickstart your Pilates journey with a structured, progressive program that guides users through a series of workouts targeting different muscle groups over 30 days, with increasing intensity.
- BetterMe: Health Coaching: This comprehensive app covers various wellness aspects, including nutrition, fitness, and mental health, offering a wide range of Pilates workouts, personalized meal plans, meditation sessions, and habit tracking tools.
- 5 Minute Pilates: Ideal for those with busy schedules, this app offers quick, efficient Pilates workouts, with each 5-minute session designed to target specific muscle groups.
Key Features to Look For
When selecting a Wall Pilates app, consider the following features:
- User Interface Quality: An intuitive and engaging user interface is essential for navigating through workouts.
- Workout Variety: A diverse range of workouts keeps the routine engaging and challenging.
- Progress Tracking Abilities: Tracking your fitness journey is crucial for motivation and measuring progress.
- Customization Options: The ability to customize workouts ensures they align with your fitness goals and preferences.
Safety Tips for Wall Pilates
Safety is paramount when practicing Wall Pilates at home. Ensure you have enough space, use a mat for comfort, and listen to your body to avoid injury.
Additional Resources and Support Systems
Engaging in challenges like the 30-Day Wall Pilates Challenge can significantly boost your motivation and commitment. Explore additional resources and support systems to enhance your Wall Pilates experience.
Standout Features of Top Apps
Each app in the top 10 list brings something unique:
- User Interface: Apps like Peloton and FitOn are known for their user-friendly interfaces.
- Workout Libraries: Pilates Anytime claims to have the largest library with the biggest variety of Pilates classes available.
- Unique Selling Points: BetterMe offers personalized coaching, while 5 Minute Pilates is perfect for busy schedules.
Integrating Wall Pilates into Daily Life
Incorporating Wall Pilates into your daily routine can be a game-changer. Practical tips include setting aside specific times for workouts, using the apps during breaks, or incorporating them into your morning or evening routine.
Achieving Diverse Fitness Objectives
Wall Pilates apps offer varied pathways to reach different fitness goals, whether it’s improving flexibility, strengthening your core, or enhancing overall fitness.
Transformative Impact on Users’ Fitness Regimes
Regular Wall Pilates practice can lead to improved physical health, mental clarity, and enhanced well-being. The long-term benefits include improved posture, increased strength, and better overall fitness.
Additional App Reviews
- Yoga-Go: The Yoga-Go app offers Wall Pilates sessions ranging from 7 to 30 minutes, making it easy to fit into a busy schedule. The app adapts to your fitness level, increasing the intensity as you get stronger. It also offers 28-Day Challenges to keep you motivated and tracks your progress. Users have reported noticeable weight loss, increased strength, and improved flexibility after a month of consistent use. Subscription options range from $15.19 per month to $44.99 for six months.
- WallFit: WallFit focuses on postural movements and enhancing your senses in comfortable movements, promoting calorie burning and muscle engagement. It requires iOS 16.0 or later for iPhone, iPadOS 16.0 or later for iPad, macOS 13.0 or later for Mac with Apple M1 chip or later, and visionOS 1.0 or later for Apple Vision.
- BetterMe: The BetterMe app is Pilates-focused and aimed toward beginners. It has a nutrition function where you can track calories or gather healthy meal ideas. BetterMe provides accountability in the form of group Pilates challenges. You can even message a coach for personalized help, but both of these features cost an additional fee.
- FitOn: FitOn is a great choice for all kinds of workouts, not only Pilates. If you want to pay, you’ll unlock premium music, personalized meal plans, recipes, offline downloads, and the ability to sync your app with various features. The app is very social, and you’re encouraged to find and connect with your friends, or join communities.
- Body by Blogilates: The Body by Blogilates is a free app that provides access to workouts from YouTube creator Cassie Ho’s Blogilates workouts. The video library of workouts is free to use and organized by body part. Features such as the calendar, programs, and journeys are premium and require either a monthly or yearly subscription.
- B the Method: B the Method is a low-impact, Pilates-style workout created by Lia Bartha. The app has over 400 workout videos organized by time and type. For an additional fee, you can purchase private sessions of 15, 30, or 60 minutes.
- Glo Yoga and Meditation: The Glo Yoga and Meditation app has over 8,000 on-demand classes, 90 programs, and 18 different styles of exercise. The most impressive part of the Glo app is the guided onboarding for beginners.
- Pilatesology: Pilatesology is a platform with classes for people looking to participate in classes and instructors looking to learn more and complete CECs. They have classes organized by level of experience: beginner, intermediate, and advanced students.
Apps Not Making The Cut
- Melissa Wood Health: This app has a wide variety of programs, but the instruction in other apps was slightly preferred.
- Amanda Blauer Pilates: This app has plenty of choices, including a series of reformer Pilates classes, but the $39.99 per month cost was a bit high.
- Reverse Health: This weight-loss-focused app includes a 28-Day Wall Pilates Challenge that’s personalized based on your responses to a brief quiz.
Factors Considered During Testing
- Equipment needed: The chosen apps feature plenty of home workouts, requiring just a yoga mat and perhaps some light dumbbells.
- Pricing: The apps were carefully chosen to fit most budgets, with free trials and even an app that provides all workout content for free.
- App setup: The setup process was easy and helped beginners get started with Pilates.
- Instruction quality: The best apps include classes appropriate for all fitness levels, with clear instruction and coaching.
- Workout variety: Workout variety was an important factor.
The Science Behind Pilates
A 2016 study looked at the impact of adding a once-per-week Pilates session in young, healthy, sedentary women. According to Frieda Johnson, CNC, SET, Pilates is also great for core strength. A 2022 study examined the impact of Pilates on the risk of falls, gait, balance, and functional mobility in older adults.
Choosing the Right App and Instructor
Before committing to an app, try a class or two and see how you like the instructors. Lauren Temple, a Pilates instructor and the founder of ToneBR, suggests doing plenty of research before choosing an instructor and paying close attention to how you feel during the session.
Key Considerations
- Equipment: The equipment required to follow along can vary widely.
- Community: Certain apps may provide a community, push reminders to exercise, or even access to a coach or private lessons.
- Free Trials: Always try at least one or two classes before spending any money, as the apps in our list all include free trials.
Common Questions
- Are there Wall Pilates apps with free trials? Most Pilates apps offer a free trial to test the workouts for both Apple and Android users.
- Is there a completely free Pilates app? FitOn is one of the favorite fitness apps that doesn’t charge anything for the workouts.
- Is 20 minutes enough for a Pilates workout? Yes, 20 minutes is enough time to enjoy a great Pilates workout.
- Can I do Pilates at home with an app? Yes, Pilates apps bring professional instruction to your home, allowing you to enjoy a great Pilates workout, even if you don’t have a reformer or much equipment.
- Is Wall Pilates effective? Yes, wall Pilates can be an effective yet low impact exercise. It combines traditional Pilates movements with support from a wall and may help improve your posture, flexibility, and core strength.