Yoga or Pilates: Which Is More Effective for Belly Fat Loss? (2024)
Let's be honest: Not unlike vanilla or chocolate ice cream, everyone has their favorite go-to workout routine. It made us curious as to what is more effective when it comes to losing belly fat: yoga or Pilates? We happen to love all of the above—including both flavors of ice cream!—but one exercise reigns supreme for getting your midsection into shape.
While all exercise is beneficial, we chatted with Daisean Brewster, CPT, Blink Fitness, who reveals which exercise is more productive if you're looking to shed excess pounds and belly fat. Keep reading to learn more, and when you're finished, don't miss out on 10 Best Low-Impact Exercises To Melt Belly Fat.
Yoga or Pilates: Which is more effective for belly fat loss?
Whether you are team yoga or team Pilates, both exercises are productive in their own right. These popular forms of physical activity provide many benefits for your overall health and well-being. Brewster explains, "While both practices focus on improving strength, flexibility, and balance, there are some key differences when it comes to burning body fat or losing belly fat."
One key difference between Pilates and yoga is the level of intensity. "Yoga typically involves holding poses for longer periods of time, focusing on deep breathing and mindfulness," explains Brewster. "While yoga can help improve muscle tone and flexibility, it may not be as effective for burning body fat compared to more intense forms of exercise like high-intensity interval training (HIIT)."
As far as Pilates is concerned, this type of workout can include equipment such as reformer machines or resistance bands to add resistance to each movement. This will bump up the calorie burn and help you sculpt lean muscle. "Pilates focuses on strengthening the core muscles, which can help improve posture and reduce belly fat over time," Brewster adds.
Needless to say, if you were to choose between the two, Pilates is the winner when it comes to losing and burning body and belly fat. However, Brewster says incorporating both workouts into your fitness regimen can be incredibly beneficial in achieving your weight-loss goals.
"Yoga can help improve flexibility and relieve stress, while Pilates can target specific muscle groups and increase overall strength," Brewster tells us. "In conclusion, while both yoga and Pilates offer unique benefits, if your goal is to specifically target belly fat or burn body fat, Pilates may be more effective due to its focus on muscle toning and strengthening."
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Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and delivering compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics to readers.Read more about Alexa
"In conclusion, while both yoga and Pilates offer unique benefits, if your goal is to specifically target belly fat or burn body fat, Pilates may be more effective due to its focus on muscle toning and strengthening."
Pilates: Bye-bye, crunches—Pilates tends to be better at strengthening the abdominal muscles, and up to 310 percent more effective at tightening the hard-to-target obliques.
Both Pilates and yoga are exercises designed to build strength and improve flexibility. Yoga and Pilates are both good for weight loss — but yoga, especially vinyasa yoga, burns more calories per hour. Deciding between Pilates and yoga comes down to personal preference and whichever gets you most excited to workout.
“Between the two, if you're looking to strengthen your core, improve your posture, and your overall fitness level and strength, go for Pilates,” Brandenberg recommends. “If you're looking to increase your flexibility, find more peace of mind and that mind-body connection, I would go with yoga.”
Yes, yoga can help reduce belly fat by improving metabolism, reducing stress (which is often linked to weight gain), and enhancing overall muscle tone, including the abdominal muscles. Practices that focus on core strength are particularly effective.
Most Pilates exercises work to tighten your core muscles — the abdominal muscles, back muscles, and the muscles around your pelvis. Not only do Pilates help to flatten your stomach, but stronger core muscles enable you to do more physical activities.
Does Pilates help reduce belly fat? 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. Think of your stored fat like a swimming pool.
Pilates is certainly a more intense workout that burns calories faster and produces physical results quicker, so you could make the argument that Pilates is the harder of the two. But again, everything comes down to what you wish to get out of the class and the methods your instructor takes to get you there.
If you want to increase your strength and flexibility, Pilates might be the better choice. If you want to improve your overall wellness, you might choose yoga. Still, much depends upon the particular classes available to you and the skills and qualifications of the instructors.
The benefits for both are huge and the evidence for both is strong. As a general rule, yoga focuses a bit more on stretching, and Pilates a bit more on strength. However, they will each lead to improvements in both components and it really depends on your teacher, your personal preferences and your goals.
When comparing the two types of exercise, both Pilates and yoga will increase the body's tone, or resting muscle strength. Pilates has the ability to use both body weight and additional external resistance options like a Pilates Reformer to achieve this, while Yoga will typically use body weight to challenge us.
You will likely develop a lean and toned physique if you practice Pilates consistently. This is because Pilates builds muscle and strengthens your body. Pilates exercises incorporate controlled movements that target specific muscle groups. These movements help activate your muscles and make them work harder.
Combining yoga and Pilates is a natural fit because “both yoga and Pilates require us to focus on the breath, precise movements, proper alignment and our core muscles as we flow through the workout,” she says. The mind-body benefits of fusion workouts include: Better balance. Deeper relaxation.
Bottom line. Yoga edges out Pilates in terms of overall calorie burn. However, metabolic responses to exercise and factors like stress, sleep, and exercise intensity will affect how many calories you burn during and after a workout.
Studies show yoga helps fight stubborn fat stores and aids weight loss. The movements themselves strengthen and tone the muscles of your core, arms, and legs — the star ingredients for belly fat reduction. Additional research shows that yoga helps bring down levels of stress hormones and boost insulin sensitivity.
The time it takes to notice weight loss from yoga varies from person to person. However, if you practise yoga consistently for at least 3-4 months, you will start seeing noticeable results. Yoga poses like the Boat Pose, Plank Pose, and Warrior Pose are great for weight loss and can help you achieve your goals.
If you want to increase your strength and flexibility, Pilates might be the better choice. If you want to improve your overall wellness, you might choose yoga. Still, much depends upon the particular classes available to you and the skills and qualifications of the instructors.
There is basically no difference, as advanced levels of both workouts burn approximately equal amounts of calories. However, Pilates is considered to be a little bit more fast-paced than yoga. So you can choose it to start losing weight and then slowly increase the physical load, when your fitness level gets higher.
The more times you practice will only heighten your benefits listed. Practicing regularly 3-6 times per week is recommended for you to see optimal results, however you need to do what fits in with your lifestyle and desired outcome from your practice. If you're just starting do what fits in with your schedule first.
Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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