Can Pilates Help With Weight Loss? - A Tribe Called Pilates (2024)

FAQs

Can Pilates Help With Weight Loss? - A Tribe Called Pilates? ›

If you've been wondering, “Can you lose weight with Pilates reformer?” (or any other Pilates exercise, for that matter), now you have the answer. Pilates can help you lose weight by conditioning and working your muscles. It helps you burn calories, which is associated with weight loss.

How does Pilates aid weight loss? Unlike many high intensity workouts, Pilates does not burn a significant amount of calories, but studies have found that it can reduce body weight. A 2021 study found Pilates to effectively reduce body weight and body fat percentage in participants with overweight or obesity.

After eight weeks, the group who had done regular pilates exercises had a noticeable change in body composition, such as reduced hip circumference and a reduction in fat percentage and overall weight.

While you'll certainly burn calories, losing belly fat from Pilates is a myth. You can't spot reduce fat anywhere on your body, regardless of the exercise.

“In 10 sessions you will feel a difference, in 20 sessions you will see a difference, in 30 sessions you will have a whole new body,” - Joseph Pilates. But, let us gently remind you that results aren't a one-size fits all approach – everyone is different.

You can also try more advanced Pilates classes like Pilates reformer classes and combination classes like Piloxing (Pilates and boxing) or Yogalates (yoga and Pilates.) You'll burn more calories in these full body classes than in a traditional Pilates mat class.

Since Pilates isn't aerobic, plan on doing this workout a few days a week along with cardio. It's demanding, but not the kind of workout that always works up a sweat. It's all about concentration and breathing. But you'll feel it in your muscles during each exercise.

Pilates offers a low-impact alternative that can help to keep your body and mind engaged and challenged. By incorporating Pilates into your exercise routine, you will be working different muscle groups and practicing movements you won't be doing as you walk.

You may not lose weight with pilates if you're NOT in a calorie deficit over time. To lose weight, you must eat fewer calories than your body needs. This is a calorie deficit. To gain weight, you must eat more calories than your body needs.

“In my 10-plus years of teaching, I've learned that students who have a strong Pilates practice see results quicker, as they're able to perform their other workouts more effectively,” says Brennan. She recommends doing Pilates two to four times per week for the best results.

Is Pilates and walking enough? ›

If done right, you can achieve amazing results with just pilates and some walking. Of course, your goals also depend. But for relatively any person who doesn't want to look like a big strong person, pilates and walking is the way to go. Most fashion models that you follow on socials do way more pilates and walking."

If your goal is to lose weight, I suggest doing low impact pilates 4 times a week, and only 1 or 2 times cardio pilates, hiit or pilates with weights.

Is 20 minutes of Pilates a day enough? If you're following the right workouts, absolutely! 20-minutes a day is plenty to get you in Pilates shape. And if the alternative is not doing Pilates at all, then it's even better (you gotta work with what you've got).

Ways Pilates can Change your Body & Improve Overall Well-being: Builds muscle: Most Pilates exercises focus on building up the deepest layer of muscle, which can develop and hone long, lean muscles that will help create a stronger inner and outer frame. This has a dramatic impact on your overall body composition.

How Many Minutes of Pilates a Day to Lose Weight? To lose weight, you must practice Pilates for at least 50 minutes daily (3 times a week).

Is 20 minutes of Pilates a day enough to get results? The short answer is… absolutely! Keep reading to learn how to incorporate 20-minute Pilates challenges into your routine for a consistent and beneficial Pilates practice.

"A consistent Pilates practice improves posture as well as flexibility and mobility because a strong core improves balance while flattening the midsection and sculpting the entire body and strengthening the mind."

While individual experiences will vary, many people begin to notice physical improvements within a few weeks of consistent Pilates practice (usually the initial results within about 3 weeks) This is because even in the first few weeks, your ability to activate the correct muscles and be aware of your posture begins to ...