Simple Response

No, pilates is not an effective form of strength training.

What is Pilates

Pilates is based around 50 basic exercises that put emphasis on the abdominals, breath, posture and muscular exertion. Pilates was created by Joseph pilates who created the training regime to strengthen himself and later to help train others, especially in the form of rehabilitation. There are now different types of pilates, reformer pilates is becoming very popular and requires specialised equipment. Pilates advocates claim that the activity can “increase muscle strength and endurance, as well as flexibility and to improve posture and balance”. (1)

What is Strength Training

Strength training is where an individual uses a resistance (free weights, machines or bodyweight) to increase the maximal contractile ability of their muscle mass. Another way of saying this is they are attempting to increase their force production through lifting heavy loads. Through strength training our muscle fibres become more efficient and are able to generate higher levels of force.

Can Pilates Create Strength Adaptations?

Pilates can create some very minimal strength training adaptations for those who are sedentary individuals and are beginning a new movement practice. The main adaptation that will occur from pilates is an increase in abdominal strength and endurance as a great deal of the exercises are based around training the abdominals.

This Doesn’t Make It Strength Training

For individuals who have done real strength training, it is very obvious that pilates is not a form of strength training. Applying challenging loads to our body is a difficult task and differers greatly from the challenges that pilates poses on the body. When we consider how a heavy deadlift session and a 30 minutes light pilates routine is going to effect the body in terms of strength, it is obvious to me that pilates is not a strength training activity other than for those who are very sedentary or for those who going through rehabilitation. Effective strength training requires the body to move heavy loads, something which is not done during pilates.

Pilates is Great, Just Not For Strength Adaptations

This article is not aiming to take away from the benefits of pilates. However it is very important to be clear about which physical practice creates which adaptation. People in the fitness industry always assume that their practice is the only one that they need in their movement practice, this is often due to enthusiastic buy in and is understandable. When it comes to building long term health we will need to use multiple methods of training to create the most effective outcomes. Just as strength training is not an effective way to build cardiovascular endurance, pilates is not an effective way to build long term strength gains.

A Critique of Pilates / Yoga Culture

Stress is king when it comes to adaptation. Physical health is forged through stress, stress of the cardiovascular system and stress of the muscular skeletal system. This stress results in a high VO2 max and high muscular strength. When your 80 years and can hike up a mountain, this will not be because of your mind body connection or your flexibility (both of which are exceptional practices) it will be because you fought for your muscular strength and your VO2 max. When I discuss strength training and running with people who do yoga or pilates they often push back against the intensity of these activities as if they are not “good” for the body which shows a fundamental misunderstanding of what physical health is in all its components.

Movement is Better than non-Movement

In all cases, movement is better than non-movement. So if you don’t want to do strength training and want to do pilates then this is so much better than not doing anything. It is important to be aware that pilates is not the most effective way to create strength training adaptation.

The Best of Both Worlds: Do Both

Mixing training methods is the best option for long term health. Strength training can provide your strength adaptations, pilates can provide you abdominal work and flexibility adaptations and some form of cardiovascular practice can improve your VO2 max.

References