Pilates has gotten lots of attention from celebrities as a great way to be fit. The core-focused workouts are low-impact and effective in giving you a lean, toned physique.
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But how much is this trendy exercise just a lot of hype? While trendy exercise classes often garner a lot of attention, especially when sculpted stars are touting the benefits, the effectiveness of any workout regimen ultimately depends on various factors including individual goals, consistency, and proper form. Pilates classes that focus on the glutes and core can indeed provide significant benefits such as improved strength, stability, and muscle tone in targeted areas.
The Paseo Club is a social club in the Santa Clarita Valley that offers over 60 fitness classes each week, including cycling, HIIT, yoga, and Pilates. Our reformer classes are one of our most popular options. With just eight students per class, members receive personalized attention and professional guidance.
But not everyone is sold on Pilates — and it may not be the best fit for all individuals. Therefore, in this article, we will do a deep dive into the pros and cons of Pilates so you can decide for yourself.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a form of exercise and body conditioning developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century. It was originally called Controllogy but was renamed Pilates after Joseph Pilates’ death.
He first developed different methods of exercise during World War l when he worked with injured soldiers. When he opened a studio above the New York Ballet Company, he used his method to help dancers recover from injuries.
While dancers are especially vulnerable to repetitive motion injuries, they happen to all of us occasionally. It soon became clear to Joseph that Pilates could benefit a much wider range of people, including those who weren’t injured at all.
Oftentimes well-conditioned athletes are humbled when they attempt a Pilates class thinking that it is going to be too easy when in fact it is deceivingly challenging. It works the muscle groups you don't tend to work in the gym or other classes.
Some principles that guide the Pilates method include concentration on each movement, use of the abdominal and lower back muscles, flowing, precise movement patterns, and controlled breathing. Depending on the exercise, Pilates sessions are often performed on specially designed apparatuses, including a bed-like structure called a reformer. Some Pilates are done on the floor on a yoga mat.
Pilates is a form of strength training. Pilates focuses on improving muscle tone, building strength from the inside out, and creating more stability and endurance. Pilates isn’t going to bulk you up. If anything, it is designed to cultivate a longer, leaner look.
What is the premise of Pilates?
The premise of Pilates is to improve core strength, balance, and coordination while using controlled and focused breathing.
What are the pros of Pilates?
Pilates is performed by athletes, dancers, members of the military, and “regular” teens and adults, far and wide. There are five primary benefits to Pilates.
1. Core strength
If Pilates is known for one thing, it is core strength. All movements in Pilates originate from the core. Activating the core engages deeper abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor to contract and release — a true sign of strength. These muscles protect and stabilize the back and entire trunk of the body.
2. Pain relief
Many people suffer from pain due to injury, aging, or a weak core, which can create back pain. The slow, controlled movements of Pilates strengthen and mobilize the body safely. This improves flexibility and strengthens the core, thus creating pain relief.
3. Posture
Pilates emphasis on the core helps participants develop optimal alignment of their spine and hips. With more strength and flexibility, people tend to sit straighter, engage their abdomen, and have more scapular mobility to lay their shoulder blades flat against their back.
4. Balance and coordination
One of the greatest risks to elders is falling. Even people in their youth and middle years can benefit from increasing their balance and coordination. This helps in daily functional fitness activities like carrying your toddler or sacks of groceries and in your favorite athletic endeavors such as running and tennis.
5. Low Impact
If your ankles hurt when you run, your shoulder when you play tennis, or your knees with every box jump, then Pilates will likely be a welcome relief. Pilates not only doesn’t aggravate joints, it strengthens and heals them.
6. Mind-body health
In our modern era, we are all overstretched and over-exhausted. Carving out time to slow down, breathe, and focus not on our to-do list but on the subtle movements of our body is proven to improve our mental health and reduce anxiety. Pilates improves overall well-being and is an effective antidote to stress.
What are the cons of Pilates?
Although Pilates is beneficial in several ways, it is not a panacea. There are drawbacks to Pilates — especially if you are looking for a high-intensity workout or need to watch your spending.
1. Not a calorie burner
You don’t burn as many calories doing Pilates as you do with HIIT training; however, some classes use the jump board which does increase the calorie burn of a Pilates reformer session. For people who focus on burning fat and building muscle, Pilates is not for you.
2. Female dominated
Men may feel uncomfortable in Pilates classes because women mostly take Pilates classes. Pilates is very beneficial for men, but in a class of eight, there may only be one male in class.
3. Costs extra
Pilates reformer classes are not free. The small class size and extra equipment mean you need to pay extra whether you attend class at a Pilates studio or a gym. If you already pay for a gym membership, this additional fee can be tough to budget for.
4. Need equipment
Many Pilates classes require different equipment, such as a reformer, chair, barrel, magic circle, balls, weighted bars, gondola poles, bands, and dumbbells. This makes it almost impossible to do Pilates at home.
5. May need private lessons
Group classes are not always appropriate for everyone. If you have significant limitations or injury, you may not be able to join a group class. Private lessons may be necessary to learn Pilates.
6. Need an instructor
Pilates movements are specific and exacting. Having an instructor to aid you in proper form and movements helps you to get the most out of your workout. Trying to recreate Pilates at home or on your own in a gym is difficult to replicate with the absence of equipment and assistance.
Final thoughts on Pilates
Pilates is a form of exercise that has been utilized for 100 years. Over time, it has become a go-to method of movement for dancers, athletes, and laypeople. It helps strengthen the body, calm the mind, and enhance mobility, coordination, and flexibility.
Pilates does have shortcomings. It isn’t the best for losing weight, saving money, or learning on your own. But for many people, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
The Paseo Club has several Pilates classes available every week for beginners through advanced levels. If you want to try Pilates out for the first time, come to our FREE intro class on Sundays at 11 am.
If you’ve been looking for a new workout routine that can give you a good balance of flexibility, strength, muscle tone and help for a few aches and pains, Pilates may be the answer. It might look a bit intimidating at first, but it’s much easier to get into — and, depending on what you do, less expensive — than you might assume.
While Pilates has been around for nearly 100 years, it continues gaining traction, picking up new devotees all the time. Part of the reason it’s become such a popular mode of exercise is that it’s customizable to fit you and your health goals, regardless of your age, sex, health status and fitness level.
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According to lead yoga therapist Judi Bar, practicing Pilates has many potential health benefits, including increased flexibility, muscle tone and strength. We talked to Bar about these benefits and other aspects of Pilates that make it a worthwhile endeavor.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a form of exercise and body conditioning developed by Joseph Pilates in the early 20th century, mostly as a method of injury recovery for dancers. Bar, who has a distinguished background as a dancer herself, is no stranger to the wear and tear these athletes endure.
“Fine-tuned as dancers are, when we’re at our peak, dancing at least six days a week, several hours a day, it’s grueling, and the repetitive motion puts stress on the same muscle groups again and again,” she says
While dancers are especially vulnerable to repetitive motion injuries, they happen to all of us occasionally. That’s why, over time, it became clear that Pilates could benefit a much wider range of people — including people who aren’t injured at all.
“As human beings, we are creatures of habit,” Bar notes. “We walk a certain way, we take the stairs a certain way, we stand a certain way and we sit at our desk a certain way. So, our muscles get imbalanced because of overuse. What Pilates does is help to counteract that.”
Some of the principles that guide the Pilates method include concentration on each movement, use of the abdomen and low back muscles, flowing, precise movement patterns and controlled breathing. Depending on the exercise, Pilates routines can be performed on specially designed apparatuses, including a bed-like structure called a reformer, or more simply on a mat or blanket.
Pilates is a form of strength training, but it doesn’t look like some of the other strength training exercises you might be familiar with. Pilates focuses more on improving muscle tone than building muscles, but the result is similar: greater stability and endurance. Pilates isn’t going to bulk you up — if anything, it’s designed to cultivate a longer, leaner look. Still, it can lay a strong physical foundation for muscle-building activities — and may even reduce your likelihood of injury. More on that later.
Benefits of Pilates
If you dig into the research on the health benefits of Pilates, you might find it more confusing than helpful. On the one hand, there’s considerable research into its health benefits for a wide range of people and health conditions. On the other hand, most studies only have a small number of participants — and only monitor those participants for a short period of time.
While the science may not be especially persuasive, 100 years’ worth of anecdotal evidence (from people’s personal accounts vs. research) is nothing to sneeze at. Like yoga, tai chi, qigong and other intentional movement exercises, the potential benefits and generally low risk make it worth trying. And like all exercise, what’s most important is whether or not you enjoy it and how it makes you feel.
Pain Relief
According to Bar, the benefits of Pilates are both therapeutic and preventive. The practice may help you recover from an existing injury or manage a chronic musculoskeletal issue. It may also help you establish a healthy baseline, so that when those injuries or issues arise, you’re able to bounce back faster.
Pilates is known especially for improving lower back pain, as seen in both this and this study. Bar explains, saying, “Pilates helps lower back pain because, besides tight muscles, lower back pain also comes from misalignment and lack of core strength.”
Proper alignment also makes your gait sturdier and straighter, which can make it easier to exercise and helps prevent falls.
Core strength
One of the reasons Pilates is such a good workout is that it specifically focuses on building core strength. While most people consider their abdomen to be the core of their body, Bar points out that it extends well beyond that. It might be better to think in terms of your trunk.
“Everything’s attached,” Bar says. “With the core, besides the stomach area, you’re also talking about your sides, your mid to lower back, your buttocks and your hips.”
As you’ve no doubt heard before: What happens in your core affects the rest of your body.
Posture
Having a strong, aligned core makes it easier to have good posture — a seemingly small change that can positively impact many areas of your life.
“Relaxing and strengthening your muscles leads to big help for your body,” Bar explains. Take sitting down, for example. “When you’re slumped against the back of a chair, you’re shrunk down, putting pressure on your lower back,” she says. “Hunching also impacts both your breathing and digestion.”
Flexibility
There’s quite a bit of stretching in Pilates — which translates to improved flexibility. In addition to expanding the range of activities you can do, flexibility may protect you from injury, help your muscles relax and help you retain both mobility and range of motion as you get older.
Balance and coordination
Once again, our core is exactly what it sounds like: Our center. When we’re weak or out of alignment, it makes it harder to find our center of gravity, which can make us more prone to injury, especially in moments when we’re trying to perform multiple movements at once (coordination). By strengthening your core, Pilates may make it easier to find your balance — and maintain it.
As your balance and coordination improve, so does your proprioception (spatial awareness). The result is more effective, balanced movement and a reduced risk of falls or other accidents.
Body awareness
Like meditation and yoga, focusing on your body and breathing is central to Pilates. That awareness will help you better understand your body, for instance: Which muscles are strongest and how they compensate for weaker muscles elsewhere, where you store tension and what makes you feel your best. That education can help you better understand the signals your body sends you every day.
Breath control
Like yoga and many other mindfulness practices, Pilates is as much about intentional breathing as it is about the body. Being aware of and controlling your breath doesn’t just allow you to deepen a stretch or perform at a higher level — research shows it can also reduce stress. If you allow the breath coaching you get in a Pilates class to spill over into your daily life, you may find yourself better able to handle difficult situations and emotions.
Mental health and well-being
The benefits of exercise for your mental health and well-being are, at this point, firmly established.
While not a high-intensity workout, Pilates gets your heart pumping, and combines strength and resistance training with deep stretching. Think of Pilates as complementing — not replacing — any mental health support you’re already receiving.
How to get started
Thinking of taking the Pilates plunge? Here are a few tips to help you get started:
- Speak to your doctor. It’s always a good idea to talk with a healthcare provider before starting a new workout routine. Pilates is a great choice for people with a wide array of chronic medical conditions, but — depending on your situation — you may need to adjust your practice slightly. It’s especially important to talk to a doctor if you’re injured or recovering from surgery. Pilates can be a healing practice, but starting too early could make things worse.
- Make sure you have a qualified instructor. According to Bar, you need a good Pilates instructor — even if you’re doing mat exercises at home via live video instruction or pre-recorded video. There’s no license required to teach Pilates, but you can check to see if an instructor is a member of any professional organizations or governing bodies in your area. Reading reviews and getting recommendations from friends is a good idea. It’s especially important to find an instructor with advanced training if you’re doing Pilates to address a specific health concern. One mark of a good instructor: patience. “Whether you’re doing Pilates one-on-one or in a group setting, the exercises have to be at your level — and you have to build up the difficulty slowly,” Bar states. “You can’t just jump in, and your instructor needs to recognize that.”
- Start slow. Even if you’re a fitness buff, it’s important to start your Pilates practice slow and easy, working way up to higher difficulty levels. You’re training your body to move differently, so you can expect to be sore. If you try to progress too quickly, you could injure yourself.
- Don’t assume using a mat is “easier” than using a reformer. There are benefits and drawbacks to both kinds of Pilates — and neither is easy. In fact, a lot of studio classes use both techniques. When you use a mat, Bar explains, “You’re working your body against gravity. Freeform Pilates can actually be harder on the back than using a reformer.” Bar also notes that although reformers can be purchased for home use, it’s important to work with an instructor to learn the correct alignment. They’ll watch you perform the exercises to make sure each movement is done efficiently and safely.
- Do what’s right for you. There’s a common misconception that you can only do Pilates if you have a lot of money and are already athletic. The cost can be expensive, but with some research, you can frequently find good deals. For example, buying sessions or class bundles often makes classes more affordable. As you decide how you want your Pilates practice to look — studio vs. home, solo vs. group, mat vs. reformer, etc. — take your fitness level, finances and personal comfort into consideration. And don’t be afraid to change things up if you need to.
Keep exercising
You may find that — after getting used to it — Pilates is your new favorite workout. That’s great … as long as you’re supplementing your Pilates workouts with other kinds of exercise.
“It’s not necessarily a stand-alone exercise,” Barr explains. “Because you’re working your muscle groups, you’ll get your heart rate up. But Pilates is not as heavy a cardiovascular workout. There’s some deep stretching and some resistance, yes, but Pilates should still be part of a well-balanced exercise program.”
In other words, doing Pilates three to five times a week is great, but make sure you’re also dedicating time to strength-building activities for your shoulders and arms (like resistance training) and aerobic exercise (like cycling) every week.
Takeaway
The nearly century-old practice of Pilates provides a low-impact, full-body workout that could be a great addition to a well-balanced exercise program. While the research on the health benefits of Pilates isn’t definitive, it suggests Pilates can positively impact your physical and mental health. While it can seem intimidating from the outside, finding a good instructor — and talking to your doctor — will help you find the safest and most effective entry point for you.
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