Like millions of others, I got swept up in the drama Love is Blind. Who will remain attached outside of the capsules, and whose relationships were doomed from the start? (The early disagreement between Snapper and Cole over the word “great” speaks for itself.)
However, as I watched the relationship between Raven and SK develop, one scene in particular stood out to me as a fitness editor — Raven puts her new fiancé through his paces during a killer Pilates workout.
As the Club Pilates Pilates instructor, Raven Ross can be seen working out throughout the series, especially during her time in the pods. (Remember those jumps while Bartys was pouring out his heart?) However, if like me, you want to try a class with Raven for yourself, you’re in luck — she has her own YouTube channel for free Pilates workouts, and she also shares her workouts. Instagram (Opens in a new tab).
To find out more, I unregistered a file Yoga mat, and tried a five-minute core Pilates class with Raven herself. Read on to find out what happened.
Looking for more Pilates exercises? Check out these 8 Pilates exercises target your core for maximum burnin addition to this 30-Minute Pilates Workout with over 4 million views. You can also read more about whether Pilates for weight loss works here.
What is a 5-minute Pilates ab workout?
The quick Pilates workout doesn’t require you to have any equipment, which makes it easy to work it into your routine if you’re traveling. The workout allows you to follow along with Raven and includes plenty of Pilates boards for core work in a short amount of time.
Do you want to know what you are getting? Here are some of the exercises featured in the exercise:
rocking board: For a rocking plank, start in a forearm plank position, with your body weight on your elbows, then move your body forward until you’re on tiptoes. Then slowly return to the starting position. Keep repeating this movement back and forth.
side panel: Lie upright on one side with legs stacked. Place your forearm flat on the floor and make sure your elbow is in line with your shoulder. Engage your abs and lift your hips and knees off the floor, maintaining a straight line from head to feet. Only the forearm and foot should be touching the ground. Don’t allow your hips to sag and keep looking forward for the duration.
Raven performs this move by lifting, raising and lowering her upper leg for 10 reps.
hundreds: Lie on your back with your lower back pressed to the floor. Squeeze your thighs together, and raise your legs at a 45-degree angle, with your toes pointed. If this is too much for your lower back, hold your legs in a tabletop position. Engaging your core, lift your head and shoulders off the mat, creating a C-shape with your neck, and reach your arms down by the side of your body. Raise your arms up and down 100 times, inhale for a count of 5, exhale for a count of 5.
Here’s more information on how to perform the hundreds of exercises and the best variations to try.
I Just Did Raven from Love is Blind’s 5-minute Pilates Ab Workout—Here’s What Happened
There is nothing I love more than a good Pilates workout. I’m a huge fan of Pilates, and I spent a week in Thailand at a Pilates retreat to learn more about how to get the most out of the different exercises. In my experience, it is one of the best forms of exercise when it comes to getting results across your core, and I was really keen to try this exercise.
like a lot of The best ab exercises, I appreciated how quickly this guy got started – there wasn’t much chatting beforehand, and he got straight to the chase with a rocking board. Raven does a great job of explaining the poses and offering modifications, which makes him a good Pilates beginner to add to their routine.
Since it’s only five minutes long and requires no equipment, it’s super easy to fit into your home workout routine. It reminded me, again, that you don’t need to get your heart rate up or sweat hard to work on your core. This is definitely one I’ll be adding to my weekly abs schedule, plus, I’ve spotted some resistance band Pilates exercises by Raven that I’m eager to try next.