These 10 Pilates Exercises Every Retires Runner Needs to Dominate Their Next Race (According to the Trainers)
Runners, feeling the aches and pains of aging? You’re not alone. Even after hanging up your competitive shoes, your body craves movement—but not the punishing kind. The solution? Pilates.
Trainers swear by these 10 exercises that transform retired runners from sidelined to dominant. While your competitors struggle with recovery and injuries, you’ll build core strength that stabilizes every stride.
Former Olympic coach Maria Diaz says, “My 60+ athletes who do these moves consistently outperform runners half their age.” Ready to shock everyone at your next race with a performance they won’t believe came from a ‘retired’ runner?
1. The Hundred
Sets: 1 Reps: 100
- Lie down on your back and bring your knees up, bending them at a 90° angle so your shins are parallel to the floor. Your arms should rest next to you.
- Lift your head and shoulders off the mat and look towards your belly button. You can keep your legs at 90° or extend them out at a 45° angle for a challenge. Your lower back should stay pressed into the mat.
- Raise your arms and pump them up and down vigorously. Inhale for five counts and exhale for five counts. Start with 20 pumps and work your way up to 100 as you get stronger.
- Finish by bringing your knees into your chest and lowering your head and shoulders.
Trainer tips: This targets your abdominal wall, along with muscles in your upper back, arms and shoulders.
It’s particularly great for waking up your core muscles and arms, which play an important role in forward propulsion while running.
2. Bird Dog
Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10
- Start on hands and knees. Engage your core and maintain a neutral spine.
- Extend your right arm in front and the left leg behind your body.
- Return to start position then switch arm and leg.
Trainer tips: This targets your rectus abdominis (six-pack muscles), erector spinae (located along your spine) and glutes.
This will help stabilize your lower back during running and it’s also a good way to practice moving your body’s extremities away from its center, which is the main movement pattern of running.
3. Plank
Sets: 1 Time: 10-60 seconds
- Start on your hands and knees then lower your forearms to the ground, keeping your shoulders stacked above elbows.
- Extend one leg back at a time. Maintain a neutral spine and don’t allow hips to sag.
- Hold for 10-60 seconds, depending on your ability, then finish by lowering your knees and pushing back into a child’s pose.
Trainer tips: Planks primarily target muscles in your core. Having a strong set of muscles here can help improve your running posture.
4. Bridge
Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10
- Lie down on your back with knees bent and feet planted on the floor.
- Engage your core then lift the hips and lower again with control.
- For a greater challenge, perform a hip thrust. Place your shoulder blades on a bench then lift the hips up and down.
Trainer tips: This will fire up the gluteus muscles in your backside, which are responsible for providing power when you run.
5. Scissors
Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 each leg
- Lie down on your back and bring your knees to your chest. Lift your head and shoulders off the mat, keeping your neck long.
- Extend legs to a 45° angle and hold one of your calves. If you can’t reach, hold behind your thigh.
- Pull the leg twice towards the chest and then switch legs.
Trainer tips: A great move for activating the abs and stretching the hamstrings.
6. Lower Body Stretch
Sets: 2 Time: 15 secs
- Lie on your back with a towel or yoga strap nearby.
- Bend your left leg and place your foot on the mat.
- Bend your right leg and loop the strap or towel around the sole of your foot.
- Extend the right leg up to feel a stretch in the hamstring. Hold for 15 seconds.
- Press the left hip down and move your right foot out to the side, keeping your leg straight and maintaining tension in the strap. You should feel a stretch in your inner thigh. Hold for 15 seconds.
- Bring the right leg up and cross it over the body, keeping the right hip down on the mat. You should feel a stretch in the outside of your rear thigh. Hold for 15 seconds.
7. Pelvic Clock Drill
Sets: 1 Reps: 3-5 in each direction
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
- Imagine your pelvis is the face of a clock, with 12 o’clock toward your head and 6 o’clock toward your feet.
- Gently tilt your pelvis to move through each number on the clock, spending a few seconds at each position.
- Begin with small movements, focusing on the 12-6 o’clock line (anterior/posterior tilts), then the 3-9 o’clock line (side-to-side).
- Progress to flowing through the entire clock face in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions.
Trainer tips: Teaches subtle pelvic control to maintain form on inclines/declines.
This precision movement builds awareness of your pelvic position, helping you maintain optimal posture when running uphill or downhill, which reduces strain on your lower back.
8. Rotational Bird Dog
Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10 each side
- Begin in the traditional bird dog position, on hands and knees with a neutral spine.
- Extend your right arm forward and left leg backward, maintaining balance.
- Keeping your leg extended, rotate your torso to bring your right elbow toward your left knee without compromising your balance.
- Return to the extended position, then repeat for the desired number of repetitions before switching sides.
Trainer tips: Adds a torso twist to traditional Bird Dog, prepping obliques for uneven terrain.
This variation challenges your rotational stability, which is crucial for trail runners navigating varied surfaces.
The controlled rotation mimics the counterbalancing movements needed when running on cambered or uneven trails.
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9. Mindful Foot Articulation in Bridges
Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10
- Set up in the bridge position, lying on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
- As you lift your hips, press firmly through your heels, feeling the activation in your hamstrings and glutes.
- At the top of the movement, slowly shift your weight to the balls of your feet, lifting your heels slightly.
- Alternate between pressing through heels and balls of feet for several repetitions while maintaining the bridge position.
- Lower with control back to starting position.
Trainer tips: Press through heels/toes during bridges to build foot resilience against sprains.
This focused foot articulation strengthens the intrinsic muscles of your feet and ankles, creating greater stability on uneven surfaces and reducing your risk of ankle sprains during runs.
10. Prehab “Breath-Pulse” Technique in The Hundred
Sets: 1 Reps: 100 pulses (or build gradually)
- Set up in The Hundred position with your head and shoulders lifted, legs extended or tabletop.
- Instead of the standard breathing pattern, deliberately synchronize your breath with your arm pulses.
- Inhale deeply for 5 pulses, expanding your ribcage laterally.
- Exhale forcefully for 5 pulses, drawing your navel deeply toward your spine.
- Focus on maintaining this rhythm while increasing your awareness of how your diaphragm, intercostals, and abdominals work together.
Trainer tips: Syncs breath with pulsing arm movements to train core-lung coordination mid-run.
This specialized breathing technique helps prevent side stitches by training the coordination between your core muscles and breathing patterns under controlled stress.
Regular practice improves breath efficiency and reduces diaphragm cramping during longer runs.
Final Thoughts
Incorporating these six Pilates moves into your training routine just 2-3 times per week can significantly improve your running mechanics and help prevent common injuries.
The focus on core strength, flexibility, and proper alignment translates directly to better running form, especially during longer distances when fatigue sets in.
Start with shorter holds and fewer repetitions, gradually building up as your strength improves. Remember that consistency is key—even 10-15 minutes of these exercises can make a noticeable difference in your running performance and recovery.
