Move aside, plank - this quick 4-move Pilates abs workout can strengthen your core and improve your balance

We often think of sit-ups and crunches when we think of exercises to target our core muscles - but a Pilates abs workout will do an equally good job of building strength in this area, if not better.

Good core strength is essential for maintaining balance, stability, and good posture throughout our daily lives. In the gym, it helps reduce injury risk during heavier strength training exercises. While various yoga mat workouts are the go-to for building a stronger core, Pilates "teaches us to stabilise parts of the body whilst mobilising other parts, as well as harnessing the breath," says Rebecca Dadoun, a certified Pilates instructor and the founder of Pilates Prescription.

"The core can be thought of as a cylinder with the abdominal muscles, back muscles, diaphragm and pelvic floor to keep it nice and simple. Pilates allows us to access all of these muscles during a single class," she says. Here are the four exercises you need to do a Pilates abs workout in under half an hour, as revealed by Rebecca - all you need is a pick of the best thick yoga mats to get started.

Pilates abs workout

1. Toe taps

This is one of Rebecca's favourite beginner's Pilates exercises. "It teaches you a neutral pelvis, how to maintain neutral, how to add in a load with the leg, and how to work the lower abdominal muscles," she says.

How to do Pilates toe taps:

• Start by laying down on your back, knees bent and arms down by your side.
• Keep your pelvis in neutral.
• Float your legs up into tabletop position.
• Inhale to prepare and then exhale, hinging from the hip lower one foot down towards the floor without arching through your lower back.
• Inhale to return the leg to tabletop.
• Repeat on the other side. 

2. Scoop

Easing you into the workout again, a Pilates scoop is a beginner-friendly exercise that combines two great moves: the cat and the tabletop, Rebecca says. "It's challenging your core muscles and shoulder stability, and giving you spinal mobility, as well as glute strength and shoulder mobility," she explains. It's a really nice move in a full-body Pilates workout as well.

This is how to do a swimming leg in Pilates:

• Find your four-point kneeling position with your hands underneath your shoulders and knees underneath your hips.
• Inhale as you reach the opposite arm and leg away from each other.
• On your exhale round the spine into a cat/c-curve shape and draw the knee to elbow in together and inhale to lengthen out again.

3. Kneeling side leans

If you've been to a reformer Pilates class, you might recognise this exercise. "It's not quite a beginner move but it teaches you to keep your pelvis aligned during lateral flexion whilst challenging your balance," says Rebecca.

How to do it:

• Start by high kneeling and then take your left foot out to one side.
• Take both arms and interlace your hands behind your head.
• Think about being as tall as you can from the crown on the head.
• Breathe in to prepare and as you exhale think about flexing the spine away from your extended leg, keeping your pelvis facing forwards.
• Inhale to return.
• Keep grounding down through the extended leg. 

4. Bridge taps

Once you've mastered the toe taps, it's time to try a bridge tap. "This move challenges your pelvic stability and glute strength as you take the legs in and out," says Rebecca. "You're aiming to maintain pelvic stability by engaging the back of your body."

How to do it:

• Lie on your back, feet hip-width apart, knees bent and arms by your side
• Slowly peel the spine up bone by bone into a bridge.
• Breathe in as you take one heel away and tap.
• Exhale to bring the leg in.
• Repeat on the other side.

How often do you need to do Pilates to build a strong core?

Pilates is a lower-impact workout so many people find it's possible to do it a couple of times a week without too much fatigue - two to three times a week is recommended by many experts.

You can support these core exercises with other strength-focused movements, like a resistance band leg workout or learning how to do a squat correctly, as these require you to engage the core while not focusing on it specifically.

Equally, a wall Pilates workout or any lower-body Pilates exercise where you have to stabilise yourself in the movement will help. "You might think you are working your hips and glutes but by maintaining your form you are working into your stabilising muscles to stop you from rolling around," says Rebecca.

Is it possible to get abs from Pilates?

It's possible to build a strong core from Pilates workouts, which can help build your abdominal muscles - but there's no guarantee you'll see definition in your stomach area, even if you do Pilates every day.

Whether you have muscle definition around your core will depend on a couple of factors - mainly genetics and body composition - which is why many people combine Pilates with cardio exercises to burn calories.