Short on time? This 20-minute Pilates workout is enough to improve core strength, boost stability and stretch your muscles

If you're looking to settle into a consistent Pilates routine then a quick 20-minute Pilates session could be your route in. This workout features all the essentials to help strengthen your core, improve your balance, and stretch your muscles.

You don't have to do Pilates for hours on end to reap the benefits of the exercise. The popularity of quick 15-minute Pilates shows us that. Exercising on your yoga mat for as little as 20 minutes can help you make changes to your health and wellbeing, and help you settle into a regular practice.

The key? Consistency, says Sally Kendrick, a dynamic Pilates instructor at MK Reformed and MK Retreats. "If you are doing one-off 20-minute sessions occasionally without structure, you won't see the continual gradual benefits like becoming more flexible and increasing your mobility," she warns. "However, you will still see benefits to your mental health. A one-off 20-minute session is better than nothing but try and build consistency to see results."

So, grab your thick yoga mat and try doing Pilates every day or a couple of times a week with this 20-minute Pilates routine.

20-minute Pilates workout

As demonstrated and described by Sally Kendrick, all you need is a yoga mat and some resistance bands to do this 20-minute Pilates workout.

1. Roll downs

• Starting from standing with your hands by your side, slowly roll down to reach the toes and back up, warming up the spine and back of the hamstrings. 
• Repeat this 5 times.

2. Lying hamstring stretch

• Lie flat on your back with your spine in a neutral position.
• Holding onto a strap around your foot if you need, lift one leg straight into the air, keeping the knee as straight as possible.
• Feel the stretch in the bag of your thigh and hold for 30 seconds.
• Bring the leg across your body whilst keeping your hips stable on the floor to feel the stretch in your piriformis and glutes, hold and release.

3. Shoulder bridge

• Place the resistance band around your legs just above the knees.
• Lay down with your back on the mat with your knees and feet hip distance apart.
• Peel your spine off the mat one vertebra at a time until you are resting on your shoulder blades, keeping the band taut, exhale and bring one knee out to the side, moving from the hip keeping your trunk and pelvis stable.
• Inhale to return the leg to the start and alternate legs for 6-8 reps.

If this exercise isn't challenging enough for you, Kendrick recommends swapping it for a single-leg bridge, which is the same movement but only using one leg rather than two.

4. One-leg stretch

• Lie flat on the mat with your legs in tabletop position.
• Exhale as you lengthen one leg away from the body in a diagonal line with toes pointed.
• Keep your head and neck long and core engaged.
• Inhale to return the leg back and exhale to lower the opposite leg. 
• Repeat the exercise for 8 to 10 reps.

5. Scissors

• Lie flat on your back with your legs in table top.
• Exhale as you lower one foot towards the mat.
• As you return this leg back to table top, lower the opposite leg so they pass each other.
• To make this easier, bring your toe touch closer to the body and to make it harder toe touch the floor further away. 
• Repeat the exercise for 8 to 10 repetitions, says Kendrick.

6. Half roll backs

• Sit upright on your mat with your hips and knees flexed and your feet on the floor.
• Raise arms to shoulder height with your palms facing each other.
• Exhale as you roll backwards down your spine in a C curve bone by bone, inhale to return back to sitting. 
• Repeat 8-10 times, increasing how far you roll backwards until you can confidently reach the mat, says Kendrick.

7. Side lying clams

• Lie on your side with hips and shoulders stacked.
• Bend your knees so that your feet are in line with your spine, rest your top hand on your top hip and keep your shoulder blades in neutral.
• Bring both feet up to hip height keeping your trunk neutral, exhale as you lift your top knee upwards moving from the hip joint, and inhale to return the knee back to the starting position whilst keeping your feet off the mat.
• Complete 8 to 10 times per side.

8. Swimming

• Come into the four point kneeling position with your weight spread evenly.
• Making sure the spine and pelvis are in neutral and the neck is long with your eye gaze downwards to your hands.
• Exhale reaching one arm and the opposite leg away from the body until they are fully extended. 
• Repeat the movement for 8 to 10 repetitions, says Kendrick.

Is 20 minutes of Pilates enough to see the benefits?

Absolutely yes, says Kendrick, but it needs to be consistent. "If you do two or more sessions of 20 minutes per week, you will see and feel the benefits like increased body awareness, flexibility and mobility, as well as improvements in your mental wellbeing," she says.

However, as Kendrick notes, it's important to have structure and consistency in your 20-minute Pilates routine, otherwise, you may miss out on some of the wider benefits of Pilates - such as improved flexibility and mobility.

Sally Kendrick

Sally Kendrick is a dynamic Pilates instructor at MK Reformed and MK Retreats. She has just announced the next retreat in Ibiza for October 2025.

She is also the co-founder of MK Healthhub and has been in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years. Formally trained in STOTT pilates, MK Reformed brings together her experience and passion for all types of movement to create the Dynamic Reformer Pilates that MK Reformed is known for today. 

Benefits of a quick Pilates workout

• Good for beginners: If you're interested in doing Pilates for beginners then a 20-minute workout is a good way to start. As demonstrated by Kendrick, these eight moves cover a full-body Pilates workout in a short session, introducing you gradually to the practice.
• Easy to fit into a busy schedule: They say an hour is only 4% of your day, so a quick trip to the gym shouldn't be a problem for most people - but we know it doesn't quite work like that. A 20-minute Pilates workout is an easy way to build some movement into your day, taking less than half this time.
• Boost your mood and cognition: Wondering what to do after a bad night's sleep? Try a quick Pilates workout. Studies have shown even just 10 minutes of exercise can boost your energy levels, mood, and productivity.
• Budget-friendly: As much as many of us would love to schedule a reformer Pilates class a few times a week, a simple session of mat Pilates at home is going to be a lot friendlier to your purse. A yoga mat and one resistance band is all you need to do this quick routine.
• More efficient than other Pilates types: To make the most of reformer or STOTT Pilates, you'll need to settle down for a proper session. A quick 20-minute Pilates workout prioritises compound movements that work multiple groups of muscles at once.