The pelvic curl is a Pilates exercise done lying on your back with your knees bent. You breathe out, tip your tailbone up and peel your spine off the mat bit by bit until you are in a bridge, then roll back down the same way. That rolling is what sets it apart from a glute bridge, where the back stays flat and lifts in one piece.

How to do the pelvic curl

Lie face up on a mat with your knees bent and your feet down hip width apart, knees and feet pointing straight ahead. Rest your arms at your sides.
Breathe in to get ready, without moving.
As you breathe out, draw your stomach in and tip your tailbone up so your lower back flattens. Keep going, lifting your hips and then your back off the mat one section at a time.
Stop when your body slopes in a straight line from your shoulders up to your knees, with your weight across your shoulder blades rather than your neck. Breathe in and stay still.
Breathe out and roll down from the top of your back, placing each part of your spine on the mat in turn so your tailbone lands last.
Keep your knees parallel all the way up and down. Do not let them fall open.

What you should feel

Work in the buttocks, the back of the thighs and the lower stomach, with a gentle sense of the spine lengthening as it rolls. Your lower back should feel comfortable.

Common mistakes

Lifting the whole back at once like a plank. Start with the small tailbone tip and peel up gradually.
Going too high at the top, so the lower back arches and the ribs flare.
Letting the knees drift apart.
Dropping down in one go instead of rolling down piece by piece.

How often

A usual range is 5 to 10 slow curls, repeated for 2 to 3 sets. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

Your back hurts rather than your buttocks working, even with a smaller curl.
Tingling or numbness in a leg, or pain passing from your back into it.
The back of your thighs cramps. Lower down, rest, and move your feet slightly nearer your hips before the next one.

From the clinic

Every pelvic curl begins with a small tilt of the pelvis. If you cannot feel that tilt yet, practice the pelvic tilt on its own for a while. Rolling up one bone at a time takes practice, and a stiff area in the middle of the back may lift as a block at first. That is fine as long as the movement stays smooth and you go only as high as you can control. The glute bridge works much the same muscles with a flat back.

Had surgery on your hip, knee or back? Your surgeon's protocol sets when curls and bridges can begin. If you have osteoporosis or have had a spinal fracture, skip the rolling. Lift and lower with your back kept flat, as in the glute bridge, unless your physio has shown you otherwise.

If you are pregnant, check with your midwife or physio first. From about 16 weeks the NHS advises against lying flat on your back for long periods because it can make you feel faint.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-26.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Pelvic curl