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Wall Pilates: Videos, Instructions, & Sample Workout

8 min read
a woman in black sportswear is leaning on a wall, smiling, wall pilates
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Natasha Caleel

The article is verified by Natasha Caleel
MS in Occupational Therapy, BS in Kinesiology, Certified Corrective Exercise Specialist, CrossFit Level 1 Coach

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Wall Pilates is an accessible way to level up your Pilates game if you need extra support or resistance — so find a wall and get ready to move. Use our yoga app for more workouts like this. 

You can practice this alternative at-home Pilates workout method anywhere — at home, in the gym or on the go. But despite being modifiable, don’t write it off as “easy.” Wall Pilates workouts are still demanding on your body, offering similar benefits to mat and reformer Pilates. 

Below, we discuss the benefits of wall Pilates, 7 best wall Pilates exercises to try, and a wall Pilates workout for beginners with step-by-step instructions. 

Now, let’s get started!

What Is Wall Pilates?

Wall Pilates offers scalable, low-impact Pilates using a wall. During practice, you’ll press your feet or other body parts against a wall for stability or resistance as you move through various Pilates exercises. 

This popular Pilates method has gone viral on social media, with #WallPilates clocking up millions of views and likes on Instagram and TikTok. Impressive.

A wall Pilates workout is a superb starting point for beginners or anyone returning from injury to enjoy Pilates. But you could also use wall Pilates if you have limited mobility, prefer a standing Pilates workout, need more challenge, or are short on equipment and space. But is it effective? 

Is Wall Pilates Effective?

Pilates is known to build core strength and improve balance, flexibility, coordination, stability, and overall strength [1]. But there’s limited research into the effectiveness of wall Pilates workouts [2].

Wall Pilates certainly adds variety to traditional Pilates moves. A wall can provide stability or resistance for those who prefer a challenge.

And many Pilates instructors say it helps relieve pressure on your spine and improve alignment and posture during traditional Pilates exercises. 

The wall acts like a foot bar found on reformer Pilates beds, which allows you to elevate both feet and press against an immovable object, adding isometric load to your muscles. It’s also a low-impact way for beginners to break themselves into the world of Pilates. 

Wall Pilates: Benefits You Get

Here are just some of the many wall Pilates benefits [1]:

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Wall Pilates Workout: 7 Best Exercises

Below, we’ve combined the best wall Pilates exercises into an accessible, beginner-friendly wall Pilates workout you can try from anywhere. The full-body workout challenges every major muscle group to build strength and muscle while being accessible to beginners. 

Follow the wall Pilates videos below for tips on form and how to do each exercise. Stop immediately and seek medical help if you experience pain.

1. Push-ups

The upper-body exercise targets your pectorals, triceps and anterior deltoids (fronts of the shoulders) while strengthening your core muscles. 

a woman is working out, doing Push ups_wall pilates

How:

3-4 sets of 6-12 reps

2. Rock Climbing

Targets your core, hip flexors, quads, glutes, and hamstrings while activating the muscles in your upper body, like your triceps and shoulders. 

How:

3-4 sets of 10-20 reps (1 rep per leg)

a woman is working out, doing Rock climbing_wall pilates
a woman is working out, doing Rock climbing_wall pilates

How:

3-4 sets of 10-20 reps (1 rep per leg)

3. Lunges

Targets the hip flexors, core, glutes, quads, hamstrings and calf muscles, building power and balance and strengthening the legs. 

a woman is working out, doing Lunges_wall pilates

How:

3-4 sets of 6-12 reps (per side)

4. Wall Twists

The rotational movement works your torso and strengthens your core. The move activates the erector spinae (lower back muscles), obliques (muscles that run down your waist from the ribs to the pelvis), abs and deeper core muscles like the transverse abdominis. 

How:

3-4 sets 10-20 reps (both sides make 1 rep)

a woman is working out, doing Wall twists_wall pilates
a woman is working out, doing Wall twists_wall pilates

How:

3-4 sets 10-20 reps (both sides make 1 rep)

5. Wall Scissors

Engages your lower back and core while activating your hip flexors, quads, hamstrings and calf muscles using a supported walking motion.

a woman is working out, doing Wall scissors_wall pilates

How:

3-4 sets of 10-20 reps (1 rep per leg)

6. Buttocks Bridge

Known as a glute bridge, the move targets and strengthens your hip flexors, glutes, quads, hamstrings, lower back and core.

How:

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

a woman is working out, doing Buttock bridge_wall pilates
a woman is working out, doing Buttock bridge_wall pilates

How:

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

7. Bridge Twists

The wall Pilates move targets the abs and obliques and activates the arms, upper back, shoulders and hip flexors. The bicycle crunch variation better isolates the core muscles from a supported position. 

a woman is working out, doing Bridge twists_wall pilates

How:

3-4 sets of 8-12 reps

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Bottom Line

Here’s what we know about wall Pilates:

We also recommend learning how to use a Pilates ring in a workout, which can be combined with a wall to add extra resistance and load for your muscles to work against.

Disclaimer This article is intended for general informational purposes only and does not address individual circumstances. It is not a substitute for professional advice or help and should not be relied on to make decisions of any kind. Any action you take upon the information presented in this article is strictly at your own risk and responsibility!



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