Because Pilates does so much to build strength, people often wonder if it qualifies as strength training. And the answer is, ‘sorta.’
Pilates doesn’t provide the same muscle-building potential as traditional strength training, such as weightlifting. But it is a strengthening practice that just happens to include a lot of other benefits.
So if you’re primary goal is to build big muscles and ‘beef’ up, you may
want to stick to just strength training. But if you want a well-rounded fitness routine that includes gaining muscle mass, adding Pilates to your strength training can do exactly that.
How Pilates Enhances Strength
Pilates DOES build strength. Plus, it has several benefits that contribute to your overall fitness. It’s these benefits that make it a terrific supplement to more traditional strength training.
For one, Pilates builds functional strength through exercises that echo the way we naturally move, bend, and twist throughout the day. In other words, it builds the strength you need to ‘function’ in everyday life. It improves your movement patterns and makes you more resistant to injuries.
Pilates also emphasizes strengthening the core, specifically. It’s not about getting six-pack abs. Rather, Pilates recognizes the importance of the core as the foundation for all the movements in the body. The stronger the core, the more solid that foundation. It stabilizes the body to enhance balance and coordination. And that strength is critical for maintaining proper posture and alignment to keep the body safe.
While Pilates focuses on strength, it also places a premium on endurance through the high-repetition nature of the movements. This emphasis on endurance rather than ‘bulking up’ allows the muscle to build over time and without the wear and tear of lifting heavy weights. Building strength through these repetitive yet highly intentional movements can also stabilize weak areas of the body that may be more prone to injury.
Finally, Pilates sheds light on the important connection between flexibility and strength . Bulky muscle mass can create DOMS which can impede with building flexibility. Especially if the muscles are rarely stretched. And flexibility is important in terms of mobility and increasing range of motion. As such, Pilates aims to build strength in lengthened muscles. For example, an exercise such as Roll-Up engages the abs while simultaneously stretching the spine to improve flexibility.
The Ways Pilates Differs from Strength Training
Strength training and Pilates are each great ways to move and strengthen your body. One is not better than the other. Both rely on continually challenging the muscles with increasing resistance to make them stronger. Strength training involves heavy weights with fewer reps to fatigue the muscles, while Pilates uses more reps with lower resistance to build strength and endurance.
The form of resistance in strength training is typically an external object
such as a dumbbell, weighted bar, kettlebell, or machinery. By lifting
progressively heavier weight over time, you build muscle mass. Meanwhile, Pilates uses body weight or resistance from springs and bands. It tends to be less progressive than strength training.
Finally, strength training exercises tend to isolate specific muscle groups
and push them to their limit. Pilates pulls away from maximal overload and focuses more on full-body integration that targets multiple muscle groups at the same time. Movements are executed in a coordinated and controlled way.
Adding Pilates to Your Strength Training
Pilates and strength training each view building strength from a different point of view. And that’s what makes them such a great combination. Practicing Pilates along with more traditional strength training can give you a balanced way to build strength.
So where do you begin?
You may want to start by introducing mat Pilates to your regimen as a low- impact, active recovery workout that won’t add strain. Consider it a nice complement to heavy lifting sessions. Plus, it will teach you how to properly activate your core muscles, which will improve your overall lifts and form when you go back to strength training.
Once you become more familiar with the basic moves of mat Pilates, you may want to try reformer Pilates. Reformer Pilates uses resistance from springs to add extra load to your muscles. It’s different from using heavier weights to do this, so you’ll be challenging your body in a new way.
Your best bet is to do Pilates on alternate days when you’re not doing
strength training. That way, you’ll give your muscles time to recover.
Ready to Get Started?
Adding Pilates to your strength training just requires you to take that first step!
So if you’re in the Metro Detroit area, don’t hesitate to contact us today.
We’ll connect you with one of our highly trained instructors who will educate you about Pilates, then motivate and inspire you to keep moving. We look forward to hearing from you!