28-day bed Pilates challenge: a free plan and printable calendar

This free 28-day bed Pilates challenge needs no app, subscription or equipment, just a firm bed and about 10–20 minutes a day. Many versions online sit behind an app sign-up, but you don't need one. The moves are standard mat Pilates moves adapted to a bed, as Pilates teacher Lesley Logan shows on OnlinePilatesClasses.com.

This post is the 28-day plan: a week-by-week schedule, a day-by-day calendar you can print, how to progress, and what 28 days can realistically change. For step-by-step instructions on each move, see our bed Pilates guide.

Is there a free 28-day bed Pilates challenge?

Not from a well-known instructor, as far as our research found. Search results for the term are mostly 28-day wall Pilates programs, Pinterest boards of downloadable calendars and TikTok discovery pages.

The 28-day format itself comes from the wall Pilates trend. Garage Gym Reviews describes that challenge as following one program's workout every day for 28 days, each 10–30 minutes long. Our 28-day wall Pilates challenge covers it.

Several fitness apps advertise bed Pilates challenges:

• BetterMe (an app company) publishes a free written 7-day bed Pilates challenge: 10–15-minute sessions of 3–4 beginner moves a day, reviewed by Carter Lee, CPT. It steers readers to its app quiz. BetterMe's separate article on the general 28-day Pilates challenge (not bed-based) describes daily 15–30-minute workouts, points to a 28-day challenge inside its app and advises scheduling rest days if you design your own. It has no 28-day bed plan.
• Lasta (an app) says on its bed Pilates page that you can create a bed Pilates challenge program inside its premium tier. It shows no fixed 28-day plan.

So the plan below fills the gap. It's built from named instructor and physician sources, and it's free.

Before day 1: set up your bed

• Firm surface. Logan: "The firmer the bed, the better." BetterMe also warns that a mattress that's too soft "can interfere with your form and balance." If your bed sinks a lot, do the same moves on a mat.
• Pillows. Logan suggests propping your head and chest with pillows so your neck doesn't strain.
• Slow reps. "You want to move slower," Logan says. She adds that Pilates exercises are "10 reps max or less. Ideally 3-5 when you really get them into your body."
• Stop if it hurts. Dakkak, for Cleveland Clinic: "If something feels painful or unnatural in a certain range of motion, stop what you're doing." Logan's rule: "When in doubt, you always should leave it out."

The 28-day bed Pilates plan

The viral 28-day format is daily. Cleveland Clinic suggests Pilates three to five times a week, and its lead yoga therapist Judi Bar says "It's not necessarily a stand-alone exercise." Our plan sits between the two: 5 bed Pilates days and 2 gentle stretch days each week (the 4th and 7th day of each week). That keeps a daily habit going without asking for hard work every day.

Logan caps Pilates moves at 10 reps and calls 3–5 ideal once you know a move well. We start at 3–5 and build toward her 10-rep max. Cleveland Clinic's bed exercises go to 10–15 if you want more in week 4 (our editorial choice). Dakkak's advice on progression: "You'll want to start off with pretty basic exercises. You can add resistance or try more advanced positions as you gain strength."

This schedule is our editorial example, not an expert-designed program. Slow it down or repeat a week whenever you need to. Want a 30-day version? Add two gentle days at the end.

Week 1: learn the basics (days 1–7)

Five moves, 3–5 slow reps each, about 10 minutes (our estimate):

1. Pelvic curl (bridge)
2. Heel slides
3. Leg march (toe taps)
4. Lying knee twist
5. Seated forward stretch

The pelvic curl comes from Logan's list and Cleveland Clinic's bridge. Heel slides and the leg march are from Cleveland Clinic. The knee twist and forward stretch are Logan's bed versions of the spine twist and Tendon Stretch.

Week 2: add core and hips (days 8–14)

Keep the week 1 moves at 5 reps and add three:

6. Single leg stretch (Logan)
7. Single leg circles (Logan)
8. Side-lying hip circles (Betiku, who suggests 2 sets of 8 per side; start with 1 set)

Week 3: the full routine (days 15–21)

Add the last two moves and build toward 8–10 reps:

9. Seated spine twist (Logan)
10. Optional core challenge: double leg stretch (Logan), the Hundred (Betiku) or a reverse crunch (Dakkak). Pick one.

Week 4: progress (days 22–28)

Pick one or two ways to make it harder:

• More reps: about 10 per move, or up to Cleveland Clinic's 10–15 for the bridge, heel slides and leg march.
• Two rounds of the full routine.
• Add resistance: a loop band above the knees for bridges, in line with Dakkak's "add resistance" advice. See our best resistance bands for Pilates. A soft mini ball squeezed between the knees in the bridge is another option (our suggestion, not from the sources); see our best Pilates balls.
• Two sessions on a mat (days 23 and 26 on the calendar). Betiku says the routine can be done in bed, though a mat works as well or better (via Eat This, Not That!).

Tap the diagram to enlarge

If you go the band route, a light set of loop bands is enough:

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Gentle days: days 4, 7, 11, 14, 18, 21, 25 and 28

Do the lying knee twist, heel slides and seated forward stretch slowly, with long exhales (our selection). The Sleep Foundation says "slow, low-intensity stretches are generally preferred before bed." Or rest completely. Logan's take: "any amount of minutes of Pilates is better than no minutes of Pilates."

Day by day: days 1–28

Session times are our estimates.

• Days 1–3, 5–6: moves 1–5, 3–5 reps (about 10 minutes)
• Days 4, 7: gentle: lying knee twist, heel slides, seated forward stretch, or rest
• Days 8–10, 12–13: moves 1–8, 5 reps (about 12–15 minutes)
• Days 11, 14: gentle
• Days 15–17, 19–20: all 10 moves, building from 5 toward 8–10 reps (about 15–20 minutes)
• Days 18, 21: gentle
• Days 22, 24, 27: all 10 moves at about 10 reps, or 2 rounds; optional loop band in the bridge (about 20 minutes)
• Days 23, 26: the same routine on a mat on the floor, or in bed
• Days 25, 28: gentle

The moves at a glance

Tap the diagram to enlarge

Reps are our plan: we start at 3–5 and build toward Logan's 10-rep max, with Cleveland Clinic's 10–15 as an optional week 4 stretch goal. Easier options are from our bed Pilates guide, which has full how-tos and the sources for each move.

Free printable 28-day bed Pilates calendar

Tap the diagram to enlarge

Download the printable 28-day bed Pilates calendar (PDF). It's the calendar above on one US Letter page, with a circle to tick each day. Want the moves on paper too? Download the move chart (PDF), with the calendar and all 10 moves on one page.

Firm surface, slow reps, stop if it hurts. Pregnant or have osteoporosis? Ask your clinician first.

Morning or night?

Night: stick to the gentle moves. A 2019 review of 23 studies (Stutz et al., Sports Medicine) found no support for the idea that evening exercise harms sleep, though sleep might be affected after vigorous exercise ending within an hour of bedtime. The Sleep Foundation prefers slow, low-intensity stretches before bed.

Morning: do the full routine for that week, including the core challenge.

What 28 days of bed Pilates can (and can't) do

No study has tested bed Pilates or a 28-day bed challenge. What the evidence on related exercise suggests:

• Strength takes longer than 28 days. Heather A. Milton, an exercise physiologist at NYU Langone's Sports Performance Center, told TODAY (about wall Pilates): "Strength gains take 4-6 weeks for the nervous system to improve the efficiency of activating muscle, and more like 12 weeks to actually see changes in the muscle size itself." TODAY notes this assumes working muscles at about 60% of maximum or more. Bed Pilates is gentler than wall Pilates, so it may not reach that level (our inference).
• Even an app company is cautious. BetterMe, which sells bed workouts, says "Bed Pilates will do little in the way of flattening your stomach on its own." It says bed Pilates alone "will unlikely be enough" for drastic weight loss and recommends adding cardio and strength training.
• Sleep evidence is about Pilates in general. A 2020 meta-analysis (Chen et al., Frontiers in Neurology; 6 trials, 477 participants) found that "Overall, Pilates improved sleep quality but had no significant effect on the use of sleeping medication." It found no significant benefit for healthy adults over 40 or postmenopausal women, and the authors called for larger trials.
• It doesn't cover your weekly activity. HHS guidelines call for "at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity" a week and muscle-strengthening work "at least 2 days each week." HHS also says "any amount of physical activity has some health benefits." A bed routine is a good start, not the whole picture.

Dakkak sums up the mindset: "Any movement is good movement if it's pain-free, keeps you motivated and helps you continually improve."

Who should modify or skip

• Pregnancy: ACOG advises avoiding lying flat on your back as much as possible during exercise. Most moves in this plan are done on your back, so talk to your ob-gyn first. Side-lying and seated moves avoid lying flat.
• Osteoporosis or low bone density: the Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation advises against sit-ups and crunches, bending forward from the waist and extreme twisting. That flags the single leg stretch, the core challenge and the seated forward stretch. Keep twists small, and ask a physical therapist.
• After surgery, an injury or with limited mobility: Cleveland Clinic suggests leaning on your care team or a physical therapist if you're recovering from an injury or surgery, and advises talking with a doctor before starting. With limited mobility, start with the gentlest moves and ask your clinician (our suggestion).
• Neck strain: prop your head with pillows or skip the head-lift moves, per Logan.

After day 28

Twenty-eight days is a start, not a finish line. In Dr. Pippa Lally's habit study, forming a daily habit took 66 days on average, "However, the range was 18 to 254 days," according to the University of Surrey. She also notes that people who make a clear plan of when and where they'll act are more likely to do it, so tie your session to a fixed moment, such as right after your alarm.

From there, keep Pilates going three to five times a week, as Cleveland Clinic suggests, and add cardio and other strength work. When the bed routine feels easy, or your mattress keeps sinking, move to the floor with our Pilates exercises at home for beginners. A basic mat is enough:

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If you want more cushion for sensitive knees or spine, see the thicker picks in our best Pilates mats guide.

Getting down to the floor is hard? Try chair Pilates or standing Pilates exercises. Want another 4-week plan? Try the 28-day wall Pilates challenge. More routines are in our Pilates workouts section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a free 28-day bed Pilates challenge?

Not from a well-known instructor, as far as our research found. Most results are app programs, Pinterest boards or shorter plans such as BetterMe's free 7-day bed challenge. You can follow a free plan built from standard bed-friendly Pilates moves from Pilates teacher Lesley Logan and Cleveland Clinic, like the calendar in this post.

Can you see results from 28 days of bed Pilates?

Expect a habit and better body awareness, not a new body. NYU Langone exercise physiologist Heather Milton told TODAY that early strength gains take 4–6 weeks and changes in muscle size about 12 weeks. Even BetterMe, which sells bed workouts, says bed Pilates alone will do little to flatten your stomach.

Should you do bed Pilates every day?

The viral 28-day format is daily, per Garage Gym Reviews. Cleveland Clinic suggests Pilates 3–5 times a week alongside cardio and strength work. Mixing regular days with gentle stretch days, as our plan does, is a reasonable middle ground.

Does bed Pilates work on a soft mattress?

A firmer bed works better. Logan says "the firmer the bed, the better," and BetterMe warns a too-soft mattress can interfere with form and balance. If your bed sinks, do the same moves on a mat; physical therapist Femi Betiku says a mat works as well, if not better.

Is there a free printable 28-day bed Pilates calendar?

Yes. This post includes a free one-page US Letter PDF calendar with a circle to tick each day, plus a move chart with all 10 moves. No app or sign-up is needed.

Is bed Pilates before sleep a good idea?

Gentle versions, yes. A review of 23 studies found evening exercise doesn't generally harm sleep, though vigorous exercise ending within an hour of bedtime might. The Sleep Foundation prefers slow, low-intensity stretches before bed.

Sources

• OnlinePilatesClasses.com (Lesley Logan): 5 benefits of bed Pilates: how to do Pilates in bed?
• Cleveland Clinic (Michael Dakkak, DO): 8 bed exercises to add to your routine
• Eat This, Not That! (Femi Betiku, PT, DPT): The 8-minute bed routine that restores core strength faster than planks after 60
• BetterMe (brand; reviewed by Carter Lee, CPT): 7-day bed Pilates challenge for beginners
• BetterMe (brand; Carter Lee, CPT): Bed Pilates for beginners
• BetterMe (brand; Eva De Angelis, reviewed by Carter Lee, CPT): Is the 28 day Pilates challenge worth it?
• Lasta (brand): Bed Pilates feature page
• Cleveland Clinic (Judi Bar): Pilates 101
• TODAY (Heather A. Milton): Wall Pilates exercises
• Garage Gym Reviews (Ravi Davda, CPT): An expert guide to the 28-day wall Pilates challenge
• HHS ODPHP: Top 10 things to know about the Physical Activity Guidelines
• University of Surrey: Does it really take 66 days to form a habit? (Dr Pippa Lally)
• Chen et al., Front Neurol (2020): Effect of Pilates on sleep quality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
• Stutz, Eiholzer & Spengler, Sports Med (2019): Effects of evening exercise on sleep in healthy participants
• Sleep Foundation (reviewed by Abhinav Singh, MD): Stretching before bed
• ACOG: Exercise during pregnancy
• Bone Health & Osteoporosis Foundation: Protecting your spine