Trying the original Classical Pilates sequence: my thoughts and more

   After wrapping up Pilates by Izzy 2026 challenge, I wanted a gentler approach for the month of February. Most of my favorites instructors on YouTube are more inclined towards contemporary Pilates, so I wanted to try something different for a change. After browsing many videos, I decided to simply go with following the original thirty four exercise sequence taught by Joseph Pilates in his Return to Life Through Contrology book. Being the foundation for the entire practice, these exercises and their variations are the core of Pilates itself, meant to strengthen the entire body and create an ideal mind muscle connection. I've been doing Pilates at home for a while, testing my acquired strength with this sequence felt like a nice checkpoint to assess my level and what could come next.

 

Photo by Irina L from Pixabay

 

   For guidance, I chose a video by Lesley Logan, a classical Pilates instructor in which she guides viewers through the entire 34 exercises. I was familiar with some of the exercises listed, but required cues for the majority of the sequence. A 30 minute workout didn't seem that challenging, prompting me to dive in without giving it much thought. This sequence requires no equipment aside from a fitness mat, making it a versatile way to workout pretty much anywhere.

 

  The fully guided video I followed by Lesley Logan

 

  The first exercise of the sequence is the hundred, a movement I've had encountered occasionally in videos by Flow with Mira and PilatesBodyRaven. A notable difference from those classes is that Lesley instructs to keep the toes at eye level, making it more challenging that the upright leg version I had learned before. After a few reps, a roll up came next. I forgot to flex my feet and struggled to do the movement more than usual, perhaps due improper core engagement. Normally I don't struggle with roll ups, but perhaps I was confused by the sudden change of movement. Lesley used her mat's feet straps to aid the movement, a small yet mighty piece of equipment that might've helped me too.

 

   After my terrible roll up came one of my most feared exercises: the Pilates roll over. Though I've seen it before, I've never been able to perform this exercise correctly, and this instance was sadly the same. I simply can't keep my hips from falling over, maybe due to both low core strength and poor spinal mobility.

 

   Already feeling defeated, single leg circles were next. Much easier than the previous three exercises, I managed to take a breath and collect my thoughts. Followed by rolling like a ball, an exercise I was more familiar with, I felt a little relieved when I managed to get three nice reps.

 

   Two leg pull variations came consecutively, a nice quick stretch of the lower body with some core engagement, followed by a forward stretch to prep for the open leg rocker. The open leg rocker can be a tricky movement, my legs weren't as straight as Lesley's but I used the same technique of keeping the spine round of like rolling like a ball. Corkscrew, another movement requiring taking the legs overhead came next, and I simply couldn't maintain my hips lifted again.

 

   Having no time to think, the Pilates saw came immediately after, making me realize how tight my hamstrings felt. An exercise I had never tried before, the swan, was next. A cross between a Superman and a push up, it was a nice way to decompress my back a little bit. Coming after the swan, a single and double leg kick in prone position were other exercise I've done before, managed to do them without much struggle.

 

    Neck pull, which is basically a roll up with an additional neck stretch was the next exercise in the sequence. This attempt at a roll up went far better than the one at the beginning of the class, remembering to flex my feet to activate the muscle certainly helped. Two exercises requiring lifting the hips came next: high scissor and high bicycle followed the neck pull, and just as before, I couldn't keep my legs in the air. I did much better with the simple shoulder bridges and spine twists, moves I had performed many times before but without this level of concentration. Even these simple moves felt harder than usual when focusing on keeping perfect form and engaging every muscle.

 

   Next on the sequence came the dreaded jackknives, an exercise I had seen in PilatesBodyRaven's videos that came off as impossible for me. My hips kept hitting the mat time after time, so I decided just to wait for the next exercise. It was time for some side leg kicks, and I was just excited for this exercise I could actually perform. Preparations for full teaser and the teaser felt easy compared to the overhead exercises, my form was definitely better than in past attempts. The hip circles, a new movement for me, didn't feel as easy with my tired core, but at least I did the required three reps correctly.

 

   The very familiar swimming exercise came next, yet it felt surprisingly difficult. I was already tired and frustrated at this point, so I just wanted to finish everything off quickly. Leg pull and its variations followed the swimming, nothing too crazy for those used to bodyweight mat exercises. After the leg pulls, kneeling side kicks came next to target the side glutes, then finished off with some side bends.

 

  Boomerang and seals were next, and while I could do the rolling part of both exercises, I wasn't able of keeping my hips high for performing the rest of the movement. The Pilates crab came after, nothing too unfamiliar though the rocking in prone position felt a little bit awkward.

 

   The final two exercises: control balance and push ups were finally here to wrap up the sequence. Being another overhead exercise, I couldn't do the control balance at all so I just stretched my legs a for a while. My pushups could've been better, but I was already very frustrated and tired at this point. My first experience with the classical Pilates sequence was finally over, with my performance being far of what I expected.

   Thoughts:

   In all honesty, I felt pretty disappointed at myself for not being able to complete all the exercises in the sequence. I've been focusing on improving my core strength for almost a year by incorporating Pilates to my routine, yet I haven't seen too much of an improvement in certain aspects. In comparison with the contemporary Pilates classes I've tried, planks were pretty much missing from the entire sequence, along with basically no exercises in the four point kneel position. 

  The sequence changes position more than your usual modern Pilates class, with quick transitions and few reps instead of focusing on "burning out" certain muscles groups. And while there were no pulses, being far more aware of every muscles in preparation for the next exercise certainly enhanced my mind muscle connection. Simple exercises I wouldn't give much thought about felt far more challenging as usual, perhaps due to knowing I had to prepare for a drastically different exercise immediately after. 

   And while I feel frustrated, I know some of the exercises I struggled with are labelled as intermediate or even advanced, therefore maybe I just need even more practice. These exercises do not show up in most videos by my favorite Pilates instructors, so perhaps I just need to follow more classical inspired classes to get further guidance about the preparation for these movements. Personally, I wouldn't want to do this sequence again in the near future until I can improve whatever hinders me from performing overhead exercises.

   While there were many differences from my usual routines, I really got to test how much of a full body exercise is the classical sequence, requiring strength from pretty much every muscle group. 

   What's next?:

   I've been doing a challenge by Jacinta of Posture Tonic, a contemporary Pilates instructor to try another approach to the practice. After finishing this challenge, I might incorporate more classical inspired classes to my routine to train and observe my improvement with the foundational exercises.