What is Pilates?
You may wonder what sort of exercise Pilates is, as it may not be immediately obvious. Many people think that Pilates is about stretching and may not know the difference between Pilates and Yoga.
You probably don’t think of Pilates as resistance training as for a long time, Pilates was probably more well known as an exercise performed lying down in a class on mats and perhaps didn’t appear to use a great deal of exertion.
The creator of Pilates – Joseph Pilates – actually designed lots of exercise equipment based on his extensive project of rehabilitating himself from childhood during the early 20th Century. This equipment is very similar to the equipment that you see today in Pilates studios. Mat based exercises were a small part of the system of exercise that Joseph Pilates used.
The Pilates exercises are a system of exercises exercising different parts of the body. The main principles are: alignment, centring, breathing, concentration, relaxation, coordination, balance, flowing movements and stamina.
As Pilates has become more popular there has been an explosion of classes using one piece of equipment in particular – the Reformer. This has introduced a whole new wave of people to the concept of Pilates equipment. Both matwork and equipment Pilates offer a whole array of opportunities to work with resistance and we are going to explore them here in this article.
What is resistance exercise?
To know if Pilates is resistance training it is important to know what we mean by resistance exercise. Generally speaking, resistance exercise involves working your body against a resistive force which can be body weight, or it can be a weight or a resistance band. It can even be gravity. The Pilates equipment utilises springs which as you can see, is a method of resistance.
What is strength exercise?
Resistance exercise is not exactly the same as strength training.
Strength training involves using resistance but there is a specific goal of training the muscles to be able to produce more force and power. In order to produce more force, you need to work with what is called the principle of progressive overload. This requires working against more resistance than you do in everyday movements, and continuing to work with progressively greater load over time as you adapt to each new level.
How much resistance you need depends on whether you only want to get stronger, or whether you want to build muscle bulk or whether you want to build endurance in your muscles, so it’s helpful to consult with a professional when considering these aims.
When you aim to increase your strength, you should be doing enough repetitions that your muscles fatigue. A good guide is to work at a weight so that you feel the last 2 reps are really tough. For example, if you were to do press ups, you should continue doing the exercise and your last 2 repetitions are a struggle to physically push yourself up from the floor.
How often should I do strength training?
The generally accepted recommendation for working on strength is 2 – 3 sessions per week, working on all the major muscle groups. This is recommended throughout the world by public health authorities as the best way to improve general health. However, if you’re keen, you can work 4 – 5 times a week safely.
It is important to have rest days as recovery is important for the muscles to develop. Strength training at heavier loads causes tiny microtrauma to the muscle. Don’t worry, this is all part of the process of how muscles become stronger! However, recovery time needs to be built into the programme and this is really when the process of adaptation in the muscles occurs so you won’t get stronger without some rest!
How much strength training should I do?
During a strength training session, the recommended format is to repeat a resistance exercise in 3 – 5 sets of repetitions. The number of repetitions depends on whether you want to work on strength, endurance or building muscle bulk.
If all this sounds like a lot, then don’t despair, there is some research that suggests that there are still gains to be made from one session a week and lower loads than previously advised.
The reality is that some strength training is better than none and should still benefit you. It is important to do an amount that you can stick to with consistency, and enjoy, over a long period of time.
How long should I strength train for?
It is generally accepted that during the first 6 – 8 weeks of a resistance training programme the improvements that you make are due to improved connection between your brain and your body.
To be able to change the actual muscles so that they become better able to generate force, you need to be training for a minimum of 3 months. To see significant improvement, you need to be in this for the long haul!
If you are strength training after a significant injury or surgery research shows that gains are being made for up to a year or sometimes two after the surgery.
Is Pilates resistance training?
Some exercises in Pilates are definitely resistance training as they involve lifting your body weight, for example the Pilates mat exercise leg pull. Other exercises that involve lifting arms or legs or curling the spine won’t count as resistance because you are moving the limb without added weight and this is similar to everyday demands. However, if we add weights, a resistance band, or a spring, then we have changed that movement into a resistance exercise.
Related Reading: Pilates Resistance bands movements
If you are recovering from injury or illness or you are just not used to exercising, just the repetitive movement of moving your arms and legs might be enough to challenge you. If you are very fit and used to exercising then you may need a significant level of resistance added to your Pilates routine to make it challenging.
Does Pilates help build muscle?
Pilates can be used as strength training and can help to improve muscle strength but it is important to be working with enough resistance to tire the muscles and the amount needed varies a great deal from person to person. The specific goal of building muscle bulk requires repeating a resistance exercise in 3 – 5 sets of 8 – 12 repetitions, using sufficient resistance that you are struggling to complete repetitions by the end of each set.
Should you bother doing Pilates?
Yes! Even if you prefer to work on your strength training in the gym, Pilates has other benefits that can complement your strength training routine.
In Pilates you focus a great deal on the form and quality of movement. A lot of the movements are movements that you use to execute strength training exercises. You use mirrors, and body awareness training to increase your understanding of efficient and effective movement. Quite often, an exercise that looks easy in Pilates can be really challenging when you are shown how to do it well.
If you are doing small classes or one-to-one sessions you get valuable feedback from instructors about the best way to move.You will also benefit from having exercises tailored to your abilities.
Finally, the myriad of ways that you can exercise in Pilates, especially using the equipment can provide much needed novelty and fun in your exercise routine!
  
Fancy getting stronger with Pilates?
Education is key:
These blogs are designed to give information to everyone, however, it is important to remember that everyone is different! If you have not seen one of our therapists and have any questions about injuries, what you have read or whether this may be useful to you, please just ask. We are more than happy to help anyone and point you in the right direction. Our biggest belief is that education is key. The more you understand about your injury, illness and movement, the more you are likely to improve.
Get in touch! You can find us at one of our Pilates studios in London and speak to us about your needs. You can find us at our studios below:
– Complete Pilates Islington
– Complete Pilates Kensington
– Complete Pilates City of London
