Flat Stomach Pilates Moves: Will They Slim Your Waist?

Most trainers and fitness experts design pilates routines to suit everyone’s fitness levels and needs. Since lifting weights or ramping up your heart rate is unnecessary here, more people easily incorporate Pilates practice into their lives.

Today, we will cover one of the most asked topics among Pilates trainees – will stomach-focused Pilates exercises help trim your waist?

Spoiler: you can’t lose fat through spot-reduction. You lose body fat in your entire body along with your waistline. However, integrating specific core moves can help you attain results faster. This review will demonstrate the power of Pilates exercises and the potential procedures you need to do to burn calories in your body to achieve a thinner waist. 

What Is The Most Effective Flat Stomach Pilates?

Before discussing core-focused Pilates exercises, we must add that doing only these exercises may be ineffective if your goal is shredding your waistline. 

It does not mean these moves are a waste of your time. 

On the contrary, they help strengthen your core, improve your posture, and even reduce lower back pain. But as previously mentioned, no singular exercise will trim your waist or stomach fat. 

To reduce fat in a specific body region, you will need to reduce overall body fat in your entire body. Working on your core will help develop the muscles below this layer of fat so that when the fat loss occurs, your muscles can become more visible than ever before.

Let’s jump into the top 7 easy exercises for a flat stomach and small waist:

1. Supine Marches
2. Wide Legged Forward Fold
3. Star
4. Standing Crisscross
5. Table Top Knee Taps
6. Pilates 100
7. Diamond Roll-Up
8. Banana Lifts

Supine Marches

Perform the move:

1. Lie on your back, keeping your arms and legs on the tabletop. 
2. Exhale and hinge at your hip to lower your left leg towards the ground. The other knee stays bent in the tabletop position. 
3. Inhale and then exhale to lift the leg back to the starting position. 
4. Breathe slowly and focus on breathing in through the chest and out through the stomach. Each exhale should tighten the core even further. 
5. Repeat 2 sets of 10 reps on each side.

Wide Legged Forward Fold

Perform the move:

1. Step your feet as wide as your arm span and take your arms out to a T.
2. Hinge at your hips and place your hands on the ground. Bend your knees slightly and lengthen your spine to a tabletop position; keep your arms beneath your shoulders. 
3. Shift your weight back to the left heel as you lengthen and straighten your right leg. 
4. Switch to the other leg.  
5. Go back and forth, alternating legs with breath for around a minute. 

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Star

Perform the move:

1. Get in a side plank position with your feet stacked, one hand on the floor for support and the other by your side.
2. Lift your top arm and top leg together, creating a star-shaped figure, and hold 1 count. 
3. Lower back to the starting position and repeat 12 times.

Standing Crisscross

Perform the move:

1. Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and hands behind your head. 
2. Lift one leg off the floor and draw the knee up and across toward the opposite elbow.
3. Straighten your leg back and face forward, but don’t touch it to the floor. 
4. Repeat 10 to 13 times on one leg and then switch legs.

Table Top Knee Taps

Perform the move:

1. Start in a tabletop position. Square off shoulders and hips. 
2. Inhale to maintain a long spine. 
3. Then exhale, lift your left knee from the ground, and tap it with your right hand. 
4. Inhale and put your leg in the starting position. Exhale and lift. 
5. Repeat 2 sets of 8-10 reps on both legs. 

Pilates 100

Perform the move:

1. Lie with your arms at your sides, drawing your knees into your chest. 
2. Curl your head and shoulders off the mat toward your knees.  
3. Stretch your legs out at a 45-degree angle.
4. Lift your arms to the hips level and pump them up and down quickly — five pumps for an inhale and five for an exhale. 
5. Continue 10 times for a total of 100 arm pumps. 

Diamond Roll-Up

Perform the move:

1. Lie on your back with your legs in a diamond shape, touching the soles of the feet together and arms straight above you. 
2. Exhale and roll up to a sitting position without moving your legs and feet. 
3. Inhale and roll back down to the floor. Repeat 10 times.

Read more: Home Pilates Workout Guide: Strengthen Your Core

Does Pilates Slim The Waist?

Even the most vigorous flat stomach pilates at home exercises cannot slim your waist if you eat more calories than you burn. A 2021 research study highlights that Pilates alone is less effective for overall weight loss and gives more perks when combined with a weight-loss diet (1).

Another study indicates that a calorie deficit is the most fundamental and powerful tool for weight reduction. As long as you reduce calorie intake and increase your calorie burn through working out, you boost your chances of shedding pounds and toning up (2).

A well-programmed ab workout for women is still effective for you because a stronger core supports you in:

• Performing daily activities
• Increasing balance and stability
• Mastering more advanced exercises

Pilates is a win-win activity that aids your weight loss process when combined with a healthy diet and balanced intake of calories. 

Will Pilates Give Me A Flat Stomach?

Wall Pilates moves alone are not enough to give you a flat tummy. As a reminder, spot reduction is a myth.

Age, genetics, and lifestyle can also impact body fat distribution. It may be easier for some people to tone their abs, while it’s challenging for others.

Still, the best strategy for healthy weight loss includes burning calories by exercising your entire body and consuming fewer calories than you burn.

Aside from the stomach vacuum exercises or Pilates, you must integrate resistance training into your fitness routine.

One study suggests resistance training effectively promotes fat loss (3). Another research article also highlights the efficacy of resistance training alone on body composition (4).

Therefore, Pilates should not be avoided but added to your sports routine as a complimentary workout. Combining resistance training and Pilates might boost the fat reduction process, including your stomach fat.

How To Get Rid Of Lower Belly Fat With Pilates?

Although you may search “Pilates for belly fat beginners” online, your internet results won’t always be accurate. The reason is that losing weight in a specific body part is impossible.

Getting rid of belly fat with Pilates alone is not likely. 

Yes, flat stomach exercises beginners have several benefits, but they will not directly promote belly fat reduction.

The key is to focus on losing fat in the whole body by:

• Exercising
• Sleeping enough
• Staying hydrated
• Eating healthy meals

Add the Pilates mentioned above to strengthen the core, determine your calorie deficit, and ensure you eat within your goal.

On average, a person must aim for a daily 500-calorie deficit and add more protein and fiber to their diet.

Excellent samples of fiber and protein-rich foods are:

• Kale
• Avocados
• Cauliflower
• Lean meats
• Nuts and seeds
• Hard-boiled eggs

If you have already practiced the best Pilates exercises for beginners and feel like moving to more advanced moves, you can try these three moves:

Banana Lifts

Perform the move:

1. Start on your side with your legs extended and stacked, and keep your arms over your head. 
2. Inhale to reach your body long.
3. On the exhale, lift your legs, head, shoulders, and arms off the floor by squeezing your obliques. 
4. Hold a moment and return to the starting position. 
5. Repeat 10 times and switch sides.

Scissor switch

Perform the move:

1. Lie on your back and lift your legs toward the ceiling at a 90-degree angle. Tuck your hands behind your head.
2. Lift your shoulders a bit, keeping your back flat on the mat. Draw your chin to your chest, and hold so your rib cage folds toward your belly button. 
3. Drop one of your legs toward the floor and bring that leg back up. Repeat with the other leg, alternating as you hold up your chest. Repeat for 15-20 reps.

Spider Plank

Perform the move:

1. Get in a high plank position and float one leg off the floor behind you. 
2. Draw the knee toward the same elbow, then extend it straight behind you without touching the floor. 
3. Repeat 10 times, then switch sides.

What Exercise Flattens Your Stomach The Most?

There is not one primary exercise that could flatten your stomach the most.

The combination of resistance training, a calorie deficit, and abdominal exercises can speed up weight loss.

Additionally, you can benefit from HIIT workouts that mix intense exercise with lower-intensity moves and rest time. These will keep your heart rate up for a more extended period, ultimately leading to burning more calories during the workout.

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Good samples of total body movements that you or a trainer can include in a HIIT circuit:

• Squats
• Pull-ups
• Deadlifts
• Push-ups

Cardio exercises can also help you burn off visceral fat because they can keep your heart rate elevated for the entire exercise duration. Any cardio could work for you:

• Cycling
• Rowing
• Running
• Swimming
• Brisk walking

Regarding abdominal moves, one paramount exercise is often used for toning abs, elevating the heart rate, and strengthening the core. We’re talking about Mountain Climbers.

How to perform mountain climbers: 

1. Place yourself in a high plank position. Keep your body straight and your pelvis tucked slightly. Place your arms shoulder-width apart with both palms on the floor.
2. Extend your legs behind you, feet together.
3. You will start in this position. Slowly move your right knee to your chest then back again. Promptly draw your left knee to your chest and back again. This leg-switching combo counts for one repetition.
4. Pick up the pace and move quickly to engage the rectus abdominis – the muscle that runs down your belly, which most people call the “6 pack”.

Is 20 Minutes Of Pilates A Day Enough To Lose Weight?

Yes, 20 minutes of Pilates per day, intermixed with a calorie deficit and proper hydration, might be enough to lose some weight. Yet, to speed up results, adding cardio and resistance training to your routine is crucial.

This exercise mix will not only trim the fat but also make you stronger, flexible, and able to perform more advanced movements later. 

How Long After Starting Pilates Will I See Results?

Some want to know, “How long does it take to get a flat stomach?” and attain the desired results.

However, it’s hard to define the right timing because results vary based on these factors: 

• Genetics
• General lifestyle
• Your consistency
• Technique and proper form
• Eating habits and hydration
• The intensity of your exercises

Fat loss in the waistline area takes time. According to the Mayo Clinic, cutting back 500 calories daily will equal losing ½ to 1 pound weekly. But this will vary depending on your genetics, starting weight, and gender (5).

Therefore, you might see results in the first 3-4 weeks with active exercise, including Pilates and calorie deficit. 

Read more: Can You Lose Weight Doing Pilates Every Day?

Do You Need Rest Days from Pilates?

Even beginners who commit to core-focused Pilates exercises should integrate rest days into their fitness schedule. Proper rest promotes muscle recovery and strengthens the body without excessive strain.

So, try to have at least 2 to 3 rest days in your weekly Pilates sessions. Besides, the intensity of your training will change over time, and the more intense your workouts, the more rest time your body might require.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Should I do Pilates or cardio first?

Start with cardio workouts, depending on your fitness goals, because they warm your body, then perform Pilates moves. You can also combine both activities into one training and alternate between one Pilates move and the other a cardio one. This combination can add versatility to your training.

• Does Pilates tone the stomach?

Pilates may tone your stomach, but most instructors design their Pilates workouts to strengthen your core more. A toned body can follow a strong core because getting a powerful core helps you execute more challenging and intense workouts that promote the overall weight loss process.

• Can a flabby belly be toned?

You can tone a flabby belly, but it depends on the factors leading to a flabby belly. Some may have inherited it from parents, while others gave birth to children, and their tummies have changed. The key to a toned belly is in the consistency of your workouts, calorie deficit, proper foods, and hydration.

• Should I do Pilates on an empty stomach?

Eating a nutritious meal one hour before your Pilates training is better to help give your body the energy it needs to complete a workout. Besides, it might be hard to focus on exercising if all you can think about is food.

The Bottom Line

We have talked about how core-focused Pilates exercises can work to trim your waist.   Overall, Pilates is an excellent activity for core strength and flexibility. Yet, on its own, Pilates is not practical for trimming your waistline.

Belly fat reduction is possible with calorie deficit, exercising, proper nutrition, and hydration. These strategies can help you lose fat in your body, including your tummy healthi