Pilates At Your Desk: A Quick Pilates Routine You Can Do at Work

Spending long hours at your desk can leave you feeling stiff, sore, and drained. But the good news? You don’t need a full workout to reset your body! Pilates at your desk offers quick, effective movements to relieve tension, improve posture, and boost your energy — all without leaving your chair.

I’ve put together a short, easy video to show you just how simple it is to roll your chair back and do a few targeted moves to help you feel refreshed and recharged in minutes. 

Looking for a quick Pilates routine? This one takes less than ten minutes!

Start with a simple arm stretch

I show exactly how to raise your arms and gently stretch away any stiffness in your shoulders and neck, without cracking your spine or causing more soreness. You’ll be amazed at how the simple act of learning how to stretch properly can make a huge difference in how you feel!

Next, it’s time for a simple twist and stretch.

The chair comes into play here – you can actually use it to create resistance while you hold the position. I include instructions on how to breathe into the area of your body that feels the stretch to reduce tightness around the rib cage and gently twist the spine.

Side bends

If you have a tendency to lean into your desk and rest more weight on one elbow or arm than the other, your back may cramp up when you straighten. My easy modification for the side bend stretches your cramped muscles and loosens up your shoulders (Hint: Just doing exercises like these can help improve your posture and prevent future cramping. It’s win-win!)

The Figure 4 Stretch

This stretch lengthens the muscles on the outside of the hip, all the way down into the outer thigh. If your hips tend to lock up after a few hours in the chair, this stretch can release the pressure and make your lower back feel like new.

Finally, a Simple Core Exercise

Full disclaimer: This one either requires a complete lack of self-consciousness or an empty office. This core strength exercise involves bending over and planting your forearms on the seat of your office chair for a kind of modified pushup! (Although, taking care of your body is always a good idea, even if it means getting a few curious looks from coworkers!) Working from home? Aren’t you lucky!

Each exercise has a few different variations so you can choose the one you feel most comfortable with. When you feel the slight tightness at the furthest end of each stretch or bend, hold and breathe into the tightest portion of your body.

Pilates at your desk isn’t just about fitness; it’s about making movement part of your daily routine, no matter where you are. This video is only six and a half minutes long, and you can easily do a quick Pilates routine in under ten minutes without ever leaving your desk!

The great thing about Pilates at your desk is that each move works on its own – so any time you feel a body part cramping, you can simply take a few seconds to do a stretch, bend, or twist to loosen that specific muscle or joint. You’ll instantly experience relief and be able to return to work feeling better and more focused.

Want more Pilates guidance? Join our student/practitioner membership to access a comprehensive exercise library, plug-and-play sequences, five years’ worth of Q&A recordings, and expert answers to all your Pilates questions.

Cheers,