As a fitness editor, I love a workout trend. I’m always the first to try a new fad, whether it’s the 12-3-30 treadmill workout, or dancing through Jane Fonda’s fitness in my living room.
Next on my list — the 7-minute ‘tiny waist’ workout from Nikola’s Pilates that has racked up 5.5 million views on YouTube. Is it worth the hype? Read on to find out.
As a reminder, if you’re new to exercise or you’re returning to exercise following an injury or pregnancy, it’s always a good idea to consult a personal trainer, rather than following online workouts. Moving with good form is essential to avoid picking up injuries, so be sure to seek professional help if needed.
What is the workout?
The workout promises to give you a ‘flat stomach and snatched waist’ in 7 minutes, following some classic Pilates exercises. You follow along with Nikola in real-time, and there’s a short break in the middle to re-set.
Some of the exercises featured in this workout include:
- Hundreds: A staple of most Pilates workouts, hundreds target the deep core muscles. Here’s how to do the hundreds and the benefits.
- Butterfly kicks: This exercise targets the lower abs — here’s the benefits and what happened when I did 100 a day for a week.
- Pilates leg extensions: This is another one that targets your deep abdominal muscles. Leaning back on your elbows, brace your core and extend one leg out, then the other, bicycling the legs in and out. You should feel this deep in your abs.
There are no instructions in the video (more on this below), so you can listen to your own music as you’re not missing much. You’re not doing any of the exercises for more than 45 seconds, and there are no repeats.
I tried Nikola’s Pilates 7-minute tiny waist and abs workout — here’s my verdict
Here’s what happened when I unrolled my yoga mat and gave this workout a go.
This isn’t suitable for beginners
I’m not a Pilates instructor, but I have been practicing Pilates for over a decade, and did an intensive course in Thailand honing my technique. This workout isn’t one I’d recommend if you’re new to Pilates, as Nikola offers zero instruction and moves from one exercise to the next pretty quickly.
There are also no modifications offered — I am a year postpartum, so am still being mindful as I rebuild more core and pelvic floor, and found certain poses put too much stress on my lower back.
Luckily, I was able to modify the workout myself — opting for double-leg toe taps rather than double-leg lowers, for example, but if you’re new to Pilates, this isn’t the workout for you.
It won’t give you a flat stomach or a snatched waist
Another pet peeve as a fitness editor is the idea that workouts like this can give you the flat stomach of your dreams. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — you can’t spot reduce fat.
The idea that you can target fat loss to certain areas of the body is a misleading myth, so no matter how many times you do this workout, it won’t give you the results the headline promises.
If visible abs are your goal, you’ll want to focus on lowering your overall body fat percentage. Here’s more on how to calculate your body fat percentage, and why it matters.
That said, there are benefits to strengthening the muscles in your midsection, which are responsible for stabilizing your torso during exercise, preventing injury, and reducing lower back pain.
It wasn’t particularly inspiring
Here on the Tom’s Guide fitness desk, we test a lot of workouts, and this isn’t one I’d ever repeat again. Perhaps it was the lack of instruction or decent music, but three minutes in I was bored, and hovering my mouse over the video to see how long was left.
If you are looking for a quick abs workout there are far more interesting ones out there — this 7-minute Pilates workout, for example, which is far more informative if you’re new to Pilates.
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