Whilst Pilates isn’t so good at building muscle bulk or power, what it is great at is utilising your postural muscles. These are deep muscles that tend to be closer to the skeleton that hold us up against gravity and provide stability around the joints whilst we are moving.
Pilates may provide noticeable changes in your body within a few weeks or months of consistent practice. However, the speed of change will vary, depending on factors such as your current fitness level, frequency and intensity of Pilates sessions, daily caloric intake and overall lifestyle habits. Consistency is key to seeing results from any exercise program.
Use your own body weight as resistance in mat Pilates, which focuses on basic movements and core control.
Unlike traditional workouts that mainly target superficial muscles, Pilates works on stabilizing muscles like the transverse abdominis, multifidus, and pelvic floor muscles.
After graduating from The Citadel, I began working with middle and high school football teams to develop functional strength and conditioning programs. Soon after, I began coaching amateur and professional MMA athletes.
During each Pilates session, our credentialed instructors guide you through a flowing sequence of controlled, deliberate movements coupled with deep breathing. The exercises focus on strengthening your core muscles while improving stability, mobility, and flexibility across your entire body.
One of the biggest advantages of Pilates is that it strengthens muscles without putting stress on the joints, making it a fantastic option for all fitness levels.
With this in family fitness of norton shores mind, we’ve taken a deep dive into the benefits of Pilates according to top instructors and taken a look at their favourite workouts that (among other wonderful things) can help boost tone.
Tone refers to the amount of tension in a muscle at rest. Resting muscle tone is a spectrum and very high or very low muscle tone could be problematic as in the medical world it could indicate a problem with the brain and nervous system. This is quite different to the concept of tone when we are thinking about exercise and aesthetics.
If you are doing Pilates with equipment, such as the Reformer or Trapeze Table, you may often be working the muscles in a way that they are lengthening under tension.
Pilates emphasizes precision over momentum, which forces muscles to stay engaged longer. This time under tension helps develop muscle endurance and definition. Movements such as leg circles and roll-ups require sustained control, leading to greater muscle activation.
However, you should not rely on this method of exercise if you are keen to lose weight. There are some classes that combine cardiovascular exercise and Pilates and these may be more appropriate.
Pilates is renowned for enhancing athletic performance, expediting injury recovery, and helping adults maintain their best selves through middle age and beyond. Here are three targeted benefits our clients experience from consistent Pilates training:
The Reformer uses springs to add resistance to exercise, and can be used for a range of strength and postural exercises. For most people, the springs alone won’t be enough to challenge their muscles in a way that builds tone and should be complemented by weights or other resistance training.