Whilst we all know genetics contribute to how strong your abs are, Michelle Monaghan didn’t just sit back and take what she was given. As she prepared for her role in The White Lotus, the 50-year-old (then 48), took stock of her fitness and began training with Jacqui Kingswell, founder of The Pilates Class. But her impressive core wasn’t built around endless crunches or ab workouts – in fact, the pair never trained abs in isolation.
Jacqui says they only ever used full-body workouts, explaining that The Pilates Class method involves engaging and training your core consistently, with every move.
‘She’s always really holding those [core] muscles, and if she’s moving in a twisting direction, she’s squeezing her abs, and then still getting an ab workout throughout the entire session,’ Jacqui told Today. ‘So it really is, like, all core. But then, of course, we work on her posture, so then when she’s on set, she looks really strong and open and fit. And we did a lot of toned arm sequences, booty work, strong glutes.’
There’s one crucial cue to repeat in your mind throughout every session: ‘Draw your belly button back towards your spine, and then your ribs down to your hips.’
‘Once you get those full cues locked in, it changes your life,’ Jacqui says. The goal is to activate every layer in your abdominals: your rectus abdominis (the six-pack), your transverse abdominis (the deepest layer and the most important for posture and all-round core strength), and your obliques.
Listening to cues has truly been transformative for Michelle and her core strength, Jacqui says: ‘She’s so disciplined, and her attention to detail… she just takes on every cue and every detail that I throw at her. And she’s very focused, she’s very present. She’s such a hard worker, and she loves Pilates.’ And activating her core isn’t just for when she’s on the mat: Jacqui would encourage Michelle to keep the same cue (belly button back to spine, ribs down to hips) in mind when she’s boiling water for tea, running through her lines, cooking dinner, or playing with her kids.
@michellemonaghan//Instagram
Beyond listening to cues and aiming to activate your core pretty much 24/7, consistency has also been fundamental to Michelle’s results – and it’s something Jacqui urges for all her clients. ‘Find a workout you love, because consistency is key, and that’s what Michelle does,’ Jacqui explains. ‘She’s really consistent with her workouts. She’s not just jumping on and like training for six weeks and then not working out at all, like she genuinely loves to feel good, to work out. And so she’s consistently finding a routine that makes her feel good.’
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Below, find four of Jacqui’s go-to exercises designed to target every portion of your core – try them on their own, then add them into your next full-body workout.
Technique tip: Perform every move slowly and with as much control as possible. Think about engaging your core before you move and resist the urge to use momentum – each rep should feel deliberate, and this will help keep your abs engaged throughout.
4 core exercises from Michelle Monaghan’s Pilates coachStraight leg reach and leg lower
Bicycles 
Double leg lower
Crossbody mountain climbers
As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.