Pippa Middleton’s Pilates and Circuit Training Workouts!

On Friday 29th April 2011, for moment the eyes of the nation, no, the world, were on one woman, and one woman only. That woman was not Kate Middleton.

That woman was Pippa Middleton, the younger sister of Prince William’s bride and Kate’s bridesmaid. And the world was united for a moment marvelling at the perfection that is her behind. And one phrase was on the lips of women all around the World – “how do I get a butt like Pippa!?!”. Well, here’s how.

Pippa has decided to reveal her secret – she does Pilates every week. Pilates is essentially a series of bodyweight and balancing exercises that can be done at home. So, which ones make a pert behind?

Pippa actually attends a weekly Pilates class in London which uses state of the art Pilates apparatus for core conditioning and toning. Pippa left a testimonial on the Pilate school’s website to explain how Pilates improves her life. She wrote that for her Pilates is a great way to escape the stresses of London and that she always feels refreshed after a session.

She also says that she has seen a huge improvement in her core strength and also her posture has improved. The Pilates that Pippa does covers breathing techniques, muscle toning, flexibility and relaxation.

Pilates is a great way to tone the body but it does not provide cardiovascular fitness so Pippa also does various cardio sessions including swimming and running and she also enjoys playing tennis and going skiing. Like her sister, Pippa is a very sporty person. In fact she had a sports scholarship at Marlborough College.

Pippa Inspired Core and Butt Workout

If you want to shape and tone your behind then this workout is for you. Perform this at least 3 times per week. Also do some cardio exercises on other days, even if just walking or a light jog.

• Warm up with 1 minute of skipping, 1 minute jumping jacks, 1 minute jogging on the spot
• 25 bodyweight squats – try to go low and slow and avoid letting your knees extend past your toes
• 10 deep lunges on each side
• 20 mountain climbers – down into a push up position then bring one knee up to your chest (tucked under your body) at a time. Alternate legs, 10 on each side, 20 in total
• 20 leg raises – lay on the floor on your back and lift your feet up until vertical
• 20 back extensions – roll on to your tummy and then with your hands by your ear raise your torso up off the floor
• 20 bicycle crunches – onto your back again and perform twisting crunches while also bring your knees up to your chest, one at a time. You twist so that your elbow goes to meet the opposite knee in the crunch position
• 10 push ups – either full push up or on your knees
• Hold the plank for 30 seconds – on your forearms, keep your body totally straight

Now repeat this circuit again starting with the squats. Try to complete this 3 times. Do not worry if you cannot – just keep working at it. This routine will tighten and tone your whole body and especially works your glutes and thighs. You should repeat this workout several times each week. You can adjust it to suit your needs also – if you need to do more leg raises of fewer squats then make small changes – but always push yourself to do more each time. You only ever get fitter and stronger by doing more.

5 Minute Pilates Abs, Obliques and Core Strengthening

Here is a video of a Pilates workout. The exercises here include table top, with plenty of leg raises and crunches. The great thing about Pilates’ exercises is that they can be done gently or intensively, depending on your fitness level.

They were originally done on a firm bed, as Pilates was developed as a form of physical rehabilitation in hospitals. Ideally you should perform these exercises on a yoga mat on the floor.

Photo by Chicago Fabulous, Flickr