‘Will Pilates…?’
The Pilates and functional movement industry comes with many theories and misconceptions. We broke down the top google searches about Pilates to discuss exactly what Pilates does to your body, how you can benefit the most from Pilates and the process behind building your ‘Pilates body’.
Will Pilates help me lose weight?
Will Pilates give me abs?
Will Pilates build muscle?
Will Pilates make me bulky?
Will Pilates tone my legs?
Will Pilates tone my arms?
Will Pilates change my body?
Will Pilates give me a good body?
Here are 4 reasons why you need to incorporate Pilates into your routine.
1. Pilates may help to achieve your weight loss goals.
The regular practice of Pilates in tandem with a nutritionally balanced diet will help with weight loss. Weight loss is about balancing the energy we burn versus the number of calories we consume.
Our tip: add in a Boxing workout or a safe cardio workout to elevate your heart rate and burn extra calories.
Muscle is more metabolically active than fat. This means that increasing your muscle mass will help speed up your metabolism and burn more calories throughout the day (even when at rest).
Focusing on your breathing is essential to Pilates. This simultaneously calms the nervous system, improves your sleep quality, and prevents rising cortisol levels. Cortisol stimulates glucose production which can then turn into fat.
Pilates trains your intercostals (muscles that help you breathe). By increasing your lung capacity and flexibility through your ribcage, you are increasing the exchange of oxygen into carbon – which in turn helps to burn calories.
The Pilates mind-body connection is key to weight loss. As you start to become more aware of your body, stretching and strengthening muscles you never knew existed, your attitude lifts, motivation increases and mindset improves, naturally generating a holistic, healthy lifestyle.
2. Pilates will help to achieve abdominal strength & tone.
Effective breathing WILL build core strength.
Pilates is centred around effective breathing to engage the abdominals, with your core becoming the powerhouse for movement. Pilates strengthens your deep, intrinsic muscles, stabilising your spine, pelvis, and core. Pilates is not about creating a ‘six-pack’ but more about reducing back pain and imbalances, firing your glute muscles, and drawing your shoulders back to improve your posture – creating the most functional version of you. A strong core is a product of this.
3. Pilates will help to build muscle & tone, without causing ‘bulk’.
Pilates is geared towards toning your muscles rather than increasing your muscle mass. This is achieved by using your bodyweight for resistance and focusing on both smaller muscle groups and global muscles. A specific combination of stretching and strengthening effectively builds lean muscle mass without the ‘bulk’.
Pilates works muscles in an elongated position under tension (eccentric contraction). This type of contraction builds long, strong muscles – the muscles lengthen as they resist force. In contrast, a concentric contraction is where the muscle shortens as it overcomes added weight or force – this shortening muscle contraction is what causes the ‘bulk effect’.
Pilates works the body as an integrated whole – ensuring balanced muscle development across the entire body.
4. Pilates will transform and realign your body.
Pilates was originally designed for injury rehabilitation, with a focus on stretching and strengthening muscles through a controlled approach. This approach is a combination of strengthening muscles, stabilising weaknesses, and correcting imbalances. Pilates delivers a unique blend of strength training, balance, coordination, and postural work that creates a long, lean physique.
We can pick up a lot of bad habits in day-to-day life from sitting down for prolonged periods of time, lifting incorrectly, staring down at a screen and so on. Pilates can help to undo all these bad habits and correct our posture by strengthening the core, shoulders, and glutes, and stretching out the chest, spine, and hips. This combination allows us to feel taller, leaner, and more energised.
Pilates increases muscle tone, balances the muscles in the body, supports our posture and teaches us to move with ease. The combination of all these things contribute to feeling and looking good. You will feel the change before you see it. Reduced pain, feeling talle and a general sense of increased strength and flexibility – we call this building your ‘PILATES BODY’ – long, lean and toned.
