Pelvic Tilts Are the Sneaky Ab Strengthener You Shouldn’t Skip

When you think about strengthening the ab muscles, the first thing that may come to mind is crunches or planks. And that’s fair; while not exactly fun, both exercises are an excellent way to strengthen your core muscles.  

One workout move that often gets overlooked, however, is the pelvic tilt. Pelvic tilt exercises can go a long way in strengthening your ab muscles, lower back, and pelvic floor. But what is a pelvic tilt exercise, exactly, and how do you do them? Here’s everything you need to know—including the top pelvic tilt-related mistakes to avoid. 

What Is a Pelvic Tilt Exercise?

Typically done supine (lying down on your back), a pelvic tilt exercise is somewhat self-explanatory: It’s an exercise in which you tilt your pelvis back and forth. “Pelvic tilts are a supine preparatory exercise, tilting the pelvis posterior and anterior. Think mini Cat-Cow movements done just with the pelvis,” explains Peloton instructor Anna Greenberg.  

Greenberg adds that pelvic tilt exercises help mobilize the pelvis and help people perform Pilates or other core and strengthening exercises, and are beneficial in setting up any core workout. “I do pelvic tilts all the time in my own practice and teach them regularly in my classes,” she says. “They will show up in many of the Pilates classes on our platform and in many of my yoga and Pilates classes. They’ll even [show up in] some of my Power classes.”

You may also see pelvic tilts incorporated into other yoga and Pilates classes, and some strength-training classes as well.

The Benefits of Pelvic Tilts

According to Anna, the top benefit of pelvic tilt exercises is that they help maintain proper pelvic positioning, which in turn allows you to access and activate the deep core muscles that create stability, strength, and power in everything you do—exercise-related or otherwise. “Maintaining proper pelvic position is also key to staying safe and injury-free,” she says. “Without proper alignment, vulnerable areas like the lower back often suffer from stress and compression.”

Kelly Bogowith, a physical therapist at OSF HealthCare in Alton, Illinois, adds that proper pelvic alignment is also crucial to back health. “The pelvis is part of the core,” she says. “If you can’t control your pelvis position, you can’t control your spinal position. Proper spinal alignment is important for lower back pain.”

Pelvic tilts can also help with specific issues, such as too much or too little spinal curvature. “Your spine attaches to your sacrum, which attaches to the ilium bones on either side, and your hip joints attach from there,” Bogowith explains. “So if a person stands with an anterior (forward) pelvic tilt when looking at the person from the side, the person will likely be standing with too much low back curvature. The hips will both be flexed as well.” Pelvic tilts can help neutralize that curvature. 

Anna adds that in addition to strengthening the core and improving back pain, pelvic tilts can help improve posture and make movement in everyday life significantly easier. 

Muscles Worked by Pelvic Tilts

Simple as they are, pelvic tilts work a handful of muscle groups that are key for everyday movement. According to Susan Winograd, physical therapist and founder of Pelvicore Rehab, pelvic tilts “work the abdominals, which are key for core control and function, the glutes, which are large and important for pelvic floor stability, the pelvic floor muscles, which are vital for supporting pelvic organs and maintaining continence, and lower back muscles, which are crucial for spinal support.” 

Long story short: For such a simple exercise, pelvic tilts work a lot of muscles.

How to Do a Pelvic Tilt Exercise

We know that regularly engaging in pelvic tilt exercises can be beneficial for strengthening various muscles and preventing pain. But how do you actually do a pelvic tilt exercise? Winograd offers this step-by-step guide to a pelvic tilt.

Pelvic Tilt Modifications

If pelvic tilts done lying on your back are painful or uncomfortable, there are plenty of ways to modify them. “You can do pelvic tilts on hands and knees or even standing,” Anna says. 

“The amazing value of pelvic tilts is that there are many ways to perform them depending on your goal, comfort, and fitness level. Try different versions and positions until you find one that works for you,” adds Winograd.

The modifications Winograd suggests include pelvic tilts with knee support and pelvic tilts with wall support. “The knee support modification can be great for those with lower back discomfort,” she says. “To do this, place a pillow under the knees during supine pelvic tilts. This reduces the strain on the back and makes the movement more comfortable.”

For the variation with wall support, “Stand with your back against a wall to perform standing pelvic tilts. This ensures proper alignment and minimizes the risk of overarching or straining the lower back,” Winograd says.

Pelvic Tilt Exercise Variations

In addition to modifications, you can try other pelvic tilt exercise variations. These are the ones Winograd suggests:

Bridge with Pelvic Tilt

Adding a bridge to the pelvic tilt intensifies the exercise by engaging your glutes and hamstrings,” Winograd explains. “It’s a great way to strengthen your posterior chain while maintaining core stability.”

Cat-Cow with Pelvic Tilt

Combining a pelvic tilt with the traditional Cat-Cow yoga pose provides a dynamic range of motion for your spine and pelvis, making it excellent for flexibility and core engagement, Winograd says.

Pelvic Tilt with Leg Lift

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Doing Pelvic Tilts

As with most exercises, it’s easy to make mistakes while doing pelvic tilts, which can lead to potential injury. “There’s no need to over-grip the glutes or over-tense the more superficial abdominal muscles,” Anna says. “This exercise is subtle and quiet but has a big impact,” she says. “While the glutes do assist in the movement, over-clenching them can shift focus away from the core and pelvic floor muscles,” Winograd says. “Keep the engagement balanced.”

Winograd adds that overarching the back is one of the most common mistakes people make. “Keep the motion small and controlled to avoid injury,” she says. While you may tend to hold your breath during an exercise, you'll want to avoid that with this move. “It’s easy to hold your breath during core exercises, but steady breathing helps engage the right muscles and prevents tension from building up,” Winograd says. 

Takeaway

Pelvic tilts are a core exercise many of us aren’t doing, and that’s a mistake, according to the experts. In addition to strengthening the oft-neglected deeper abdominal muscles, pelvic tilts support the lower back and pelvic floor, creating a more stable environment for the body. And if supine pelvic tilts aren’t your thing, you’re in luck, because there are plenty of ways to modify. Happy tilting!