Wall Pilates for Beginners: 8 Exercises to Try

Pilates has risen from virtual obscurity to one of the most popular exercise options. Created by Joseph Pilates nearly a century ago, it is known for its ability to gently and safely promote strength, flexibility, and mobility improvements. 

A new form of Pilates has emerged that is ideal for beginners and those with limited mobility and balance. You can do it at home without any equipment. It’s called ‘Wall Pilates.’

Using a wall provides the stability and support that beginners and balance-challenged people need to perform exercises safely. This form of exercise is particularly beneficial for seniors and people recovering from injury.

As a personal trainer, I work with people in their 60s and 70s. I’ve been introducing wall Pilates in their workout programs over the last few years with very good results. In this article, I’ll share eight exercises I use with seniors and beginners to improve their strength, body tone, and flexibility.

8 Wall Pilates Exercises For Beginners

These eight Wall pilates exercises should be performed as a continuous circuit. That means you move directly from one exercise to the next with minimal rest between them. Once you have completed all eight exercises, rest for two minutes before completing another round.

Work up to completing four rounds of the circuit.

1. Wall Angels
2. Wall Tree Pose
3. Wall Butterfly
4. Wall Glute/Shoulder Bridge
5. Wall Leg Stretch
6. Wall Squat
7. Wall Push Up
8. Wall Sit

1. Wall Angels 

1. Position yourself against a wall, with your back to it and your arms reaching toward the ceiling.
2. Slide your arms down the wall without bending your elbows until they are at your sides. Then, return to the start position.
3. Perform ten repetitions.

2. Wall Tree Pose

1. Position yourself against a wall, with your back to it and your arms reaching toward the ceiling.
2. Transfer your weight to your right foot as you bring the left foot off the floor and put it against the wall.
3. Hold this position for five seconds.
4. Repeat with the other foot.
5. Do five repetitions on each side.

3. Wall Butterfly

1. Stand with your back against the wall and your hands pressed against the wall, with your fingers pointing down.
2. Move your hands in a flapping motion as if you are mimicking a butterfly’s wings.
3. Repeat this movement ten times.

4. Wall Glute/Shoulder Bridge

1. Lie on your back with your feet flat against the wall and your knees bent. Your butt should be about a foot from the wall.
2. Lift your hips towards the ceiling and squeeze your glutes.
3. Hold for five seconds, and then relax.
4. Repeat eight times

5. Wall Leg Stretch

1. Stand facing the wall and place your hands on the wall for balance.
2. Keeping your left leg straight, bend your right knee and place your right foot on the wall.
3. Hold this position for five seconds, then switch sides.
4. Repeat on the opposite side.
5. Complete five repetitions on each side.

6. Wall Squat

1. Stand with your back against the wall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Slowly lower your body down the wall, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
3. Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor.
4. Slowly push yourself back up.
5. Perform ten repetitions.

7. Wall Push Up

1. Stand facing a wall about 18 inches away from it.
2. Place your hands on the wall at shoulder height and slightly wider than shoulder width.
3. Bend your elbows to bring your chest to the wall.
4. Push back to the starting position.
5. Perform ten repetitions.

8. Wall Sit

1. Stand with your back against the wall with your feet shoulder-width apart.
2. Slowly lower your body down the wall, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
3. Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor.
4. Stay in this parallel squat position for 30 seconds.

6 Principles of Wall Pilates

The following underlying principles of Pilates are common to all forms, including Wall Pilates. 

1. Breath

Proper breathing increases oxygen flow to your muscles. It all helps to focus and relax the mind. Focus on breathing deeply into the diaphragm, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

2. Concentration

To truly benefit from Pilates, you need to stay focused. Concentrate on every exercise with the goal of strengthening the mind-muscle connection. Being in the moment will help reduce stress and anxiety.

3. Center

The center of your body is your core. A key focus of Wall Pilates is to strengthen the core. A strong core helps improve posture, stability, and balance and helps reduce the likelihood of injury.

4. Control 

Pilates emphasizes controlled, precise movements that are performed slowly and with focus. This improves coordination, promotes strength development, and increases mind-body awareness.

5. Precision

Each movement should be performed with precision and accuracy. It requires following specific alignment cues and controlled movement. 

6. Flow

This refers to the smooth, fluid transition between movements. It allows you to construct a fluid, seamless routine that promotes balance and harmony.

A Brief History of Pilates

Joseph Pilates was born in a small village outside Dusseldorf, Germany, in 1880. His father was a prize-winning gymnast, while his mother was a naturopath. Joseph was a sickly child, and his peers frequently picked on him. His physical frailty motivated him to work on building up his body.

By age 14, Joseph had developed his physique to such an extent that he was chosen as a model for a series of anatomical charts. 

In 1912, the 32-year-old Joseph moved to England. When war broke out two years later, he was placed in an internment camp along with many other Germans. He was soon teaching his fellow inmates to do exercises and instructed boxing and wrestling. 

Joseph also helped bedridden patients to do rehabilitative exercises. He adapted hospital beds with pulleys, springs, and straps in what was a forerunner of the Pilates Reformer machine. 

When the war ended, Joseph returned to Germany. Settling in Hamburg, he continued to promote his exercise methods and was soon hired as a physical education instructor by the Hamburg Military Police. Around this time, he also worked with famous dance choreographers Rudolf von Laban and Mary Wiggan.

In 1925, Pilates immigrated to the United States. On the ship, he met his future wife, Clara. The couple opened the first Pilates Studio at 939 Eighth Avenue in New York City. Before long, the studio had become the go-to fitness place in New York. 

Joseph taught out of his New York studio until the late 1960s. He died in 1967 at the age of 87. Clara turned the studio over three years later to a trusted friend and student named Romana Kryzanowska. 

In the 1980s, attempts were made to trademark the Pilates name. A class-action lawsuit dragged on until, in 2000, a Manhattan Federal Court ruled that the word Pilates was an exercise technique similar to yoga or karate. As a result, it could not be trademarked by any one entity.

As a result of this ruling, anyone can now claim to be a Pilates instructor without requiring certification from any overseeing body. Anyone can also publish Pilates information, so you must be wary that you are receiving the proper instruction. 

What is Wall Pilates?

Wall Pilates came into prominence in 2020 during the COVID lockdowns. With gyms and Pilates studios out of bounds, instructors looked for ways that people could perform Pilates at home without a Pilates reformer. 

They found inspiration in Pilates’s early days, as Joseph and Clara taught them in their original New York studio. This form of Pilates uses a wall to provide support and create extra resistance. The wall also takes the place of the footbar used in Pilates classes.

Wall Pilates Benefits

Here are the benefits of wall Pilates:

Extra Support

Doing Pilates against a wall provides a supportive structure to work against. This can help with balance and is beneficial for newbies. It provides a feeling of safety when they get into challenging positions. 

Muscular Endurance

When you do exercises against a wall, you can produce isometric force on the muscles. When you push into the wall, you place stress on the target muscle, potentially improving muscular endurance and strength. 

Wall Pilates movements are slow and controlled. As a result, they work the muscles for an extended period. This further promotes muscular endurance.

Core Strength

Traditional Pilates promotes core strength, particularly the rectus abdominis and erector spinae (lower back). It also helps improve spinal alignment, which improves posture. This is particularly important nowadays, as many people have developed slumped shoulders due to spending long hours in front of a computer screen. 

Doing your Pilates exercises against a wall helps to promote spinal alignment. This will work your core muscles more effectively and reduce the likelihood of a misalignment injury. 

Low-Impact

Wall Pilates is a very low-impact form of exercise. Because no jumping or running is involved, joint stress on the ankles, knees, and hips is very low. This makes it ideal for seniors and others with arthritis or other joint issues. 

Improves Flexibility

Wall Pilates promotes flexibility, lengthening your muscles and promoting a lean, supple physique. The wall will help you to deepen your stretches safely and gently. This helps seniors improve their range of motion and reduce the likelihood of falling. 

Convenience and Adaptability

You can do wall Pilates anywhere there is a wall. It requires no equipment (though you may wish to lie on an exercise mat). You may wear comfortable casual shoes if your feet are tender. Many people, though, enjoy the freedom of doing Wall Pilates in bare feet.

Wall Pilates can also be easily adapted to suit the needs of the individual. Those with limited mobility can perform seated exercises or use a chair for extra support. Changes can also be made to meet the needs of people with arthritis or chronic inflammation. 

Key Pilates Terms

There are several Pilates terms that keep recurring. It pays to know their meaning.

Relaxing

The concept of Relaxing Pilates commonly involves maintaining a sense of relaxation within a specific area. Contrary to the common perception of relaxation as ‘letting go’ and allowing muscles to slacken, in the context of Pilates, relaxation involves releasing tension while preserving tone and control. The objective is to achieve a state that feels comfortable and natural.

Neutral Spine

Certain positions in Pilates necessitate maintaining a neutral spine, preserving the back’s natural curvature. It’s important not to force the back too firmly against the floor when lying down, eliminating its natural curve. 

Avoid arching the back so that the lower back lifts off the floor. Lie down, breathe naturally, and let the back relax into the floor without excessive pressure. This allows the back to assume its natural, neutral position, which may slightly differ for each individual.

The Center

The core, particularly the abdominal muscles, is the focal point of Pilates exercises. It plays a pivotal role in supporting the spine. 

Correct alignment of this area is vital. When engaging the lower abdominals, it’s crucial to be mindful of the body’s natural tendency. 

While breathing in, the stomach may pull into the spine, and as you breathe out, it may bulge. The goal is to reverse this unconscious tendency—relaxing the stomach on inhalation and pulling the navel to the spine on exhalation, engaging the lower abdominal muscles.

One Vertebra at a Time

The principle of moving one vertebra at a time is emphasized in Pilates exercises involving rolling the body up and down the mat. The idea is to lift and lower each vertebra gradually. This requires concentration and practice to perform correctly.

Straight Arms and Legs

Maintaining relaxed, unlocked arms and legs is a recurring theme in Pilates. This is particularly crucial during stretches to prevent overextension and joint locking.

The Feet

Emphasizing relaxed feet during exercises is essential. Tensing the feet excessively can lead to cramping. When flexing the feet, do so gently without straining and avoid creating a sensation of tightness.

Wrap-Up

Wall Pilates is an accessible, gentle form of exercise for seniors and people with mobility challenges. In this article, I’ve provided an eight-exercise sequence that is ideal for beginners. 

I recommend doing this workout three times per week on alternate days. Start with a single circuit and set the goal of adding another round every week for three weeks, for a maximum of four rounds. 

Good luck!

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