Pilates..
 

Hi feathers!

I have a question about pilates. Of course, I have always heard it is very beneficial for your health and body. I recently was told by a friend that pilates changed her life and gave her a completley different body. Now, obviously this was coupled with a good diet and cardiovascular exercise a few times a week, but does Pilates really reshape your body? Does it really "tone" your muscles? Does it tone as well as strength training?

Has anyone had any experience/results with pilates?

Thanks!!!

Not a featherweight, but I'm one of those people who will say that Pilates changed my body significantly.

I fit into smaller sizes than my weight actually is because Pilates toned it. And depending on the class (every instructor is different), it will be harder or easier than doing weights.

Pilates is considered strength training, depending on what type (mat class or semi/privates using the reformer/cadillac, etc.) .

Personally, I love it!

Really? Im so interested. There is something called "Loft Pilates" (i think thats what it is) around where I live. I was thinking about doing it becuase I like the idea of making my muscles longer as opposed to bulkier..

I recently stopped "dieting" and now just watch what I eat and also run 2.5 miles about 5 times a week. Do you think in conjunction with the pilates, the toning would happen? Im just worried becuase I am not calorie counting anymore or strictly dieting. Wouldnt want to build muscle and still have fat on top..that would just make me bigger! eeekk!

Originally Posted by Dianne042425:
I was thinking about doing it because I like the idea of making my muscles longer as opposed to bulkier.

I've really enjoyed the challenge of taking Pilates classes twice a week for the past year, but I don't think that what you are seeking to do is actually possible through Pilates or any other exercise. Someone who knows more about anatomy needs to happen upon this thread, but I believe your muscles are currently as long as they're going to get. (Unless the tendons get detached & then reattached somewhere else through a surgical procedure.)

Doing Pilates has helped give me some sort of definition in my abs, though it's taken daily cardio to make it visible.

It's also helped my posture & balance in spin class, on the cardio machines, and while doing weights.

I supplement the classes with trying to do it one day a week on my own. It travels well to hotel rooms & etc. But I wanted to make sure to work in class under a teachers' supervision for several months before carrying on my own routine alone, as you could really make your neck & back sore in an unpleasant way (or worse) without a teacher correcting your form until you get it right.

Originally Posted by saef:
I've really enjoyed the challenge of taking Pilates classes twice a week for the past year, but I don't think that what you are seeking to do is actually possible through Pilates or any other exercise. Someone who knows more about anatomy needs to happen upon this thread, but I believe your muscles are currently as long as they're going to get. (Unless the tendons get detached & then reattached somewhere else through a surgical procedure.)

Doing Pilates has helped give me some sort of definition in my abs, though it's taken daily cardio to make it visible.

It's also helped my posture & balance in spin class, on the cardio machines, and while doing weights.

I supplement the classes with trying to do it one day a week on my own. It travels well to hotel rooms & etc. But I wanted to make sure to work in class under a teachers' supervision for several months before carrying on my own routine alone, as you could really make your neck & back sore in an unpleasant way (or worse) without a teacher correcting your form until you get it right.

Interesting. I always thought it was for lengthening your muscles. So is it mainly an exercise for increasing flexibility and balance? I wonder why some people feel it has reshaped their body. I hear its pretty expensive so I am not sure if I want to fully invest in it if its not that beneficial for reshaping..

yeah, they really advertised pilates as able to make your muscles long and lean in the past, but in reality, that is determined by genetics. So you can only make your muscles bigger by lifting (or pilates, yoga etc). A dancer has long lean muscles because she was born that way, not because she shaped them that way by doing pilates or dancing. I do think pilates or yoga can reshape your body by increasing muscles by using your own body weight, and I think you will like your results! I do have to say lifting has really made participating in yoga and pilates much easier for me and I can push my body further because of it (including running)

I think it's worth the $. One other option might be to join a gym that offers pilates classes, rather than a studio that does only pilates. If you really like it and still want to try the studio, then switch

We're getting into semantics now, but I think Pilates will help you reshape your body in the sense that you will be using muscles that you don't normally use.

Yes, the way that the muscle breaks down matters. There's two types of muscle fiber, both of which are used in Pilates. This will help the muscles rebuild in ways that make your body change.

It will help your posture, which we all know can add or take away 5 lbs, it will add flexibility to your strength and vice versa (you'll see it when you start carrying around heavy loads or trying to do something hard with your body).

As with running, the Pilates will definitely help you, because there are bad habits that we pick up when we're doing other sports that the Pilates will help and it may help you avoid injury or help you recuperate from injury better than just lifting weights. I don't think there's a problem of adding more fat to your muscle, if you've reached your goal weight and you're not actively gaining weight.

As with any muscle increase, you'll be burning more calories as your muscles develop.

I go to a studio that's focused entirely on Pilates and spinning and I really think it's much better than a gym. I find gym Pilates classes are too easy and not as focused and it may not really show you how you can take advantage of it. If I had to judge Pilates by the gym classes I've taken, I wouldn't have gone back!

The studios may offer you free classes so you can test it out, without having to join a gym. Also, you'll probably get more immediate feedback about how you're doing and you can tell them what you're focusing on.

I love Pilates!! It's a bit pricey for me, but I'm going to try to work it into my budget. My core is really weak, so I find the reformer is able to help me. I don't think my core is strong enough to do mat pilates- I find that I strain myself instead of work out my core.

Well heres the thing. This is why I am so interested in it right now..

My sister was telling me about this girl she knows that was swearing up and down about this Pilates place. Its called the Pilates Loft. Apparently its not like your typical gym pilates class. The reason my sister was so flabbergasted by this girl is because she knew her a year ago and had a totally different body. She wasn’t fat but had weight to lose and could def use some toning (a typical featherweight). Anyways, my sis saw this girl recently (as did I) and her body is freaking amazing. Shes 5’3, 112 pounds and toned as heck. She said shes not bulky and has the perfect muscle shape. The girl said she had tried everythinggggg. But apparently this pilates class is what did it for her. She said she didn’t change her diet at all (still drank on the weekends and generally eats pretty healthy anyways and def still went out and treated herself with food), and she still managed to get the body she has now. Well these classes are insanely expensive. But my sis and I were like it must really work if they can charge that much for these. I know everyone always has their story but what I like about this one is 1. She didn’t do a drastic diet 2. She started out at a normal weight 3. Shes got a SICK body, not just lost a few pounds, but a totally reshaped diff body and 3. She did this class like 3 times a week. Nothing crazy intense..

Has anyone heard of this kind of story or do you think the girl is lying about her diet?

Eeeeehhhh, not to be too skeptical, but I wonder if that girl is dieting dramatically and just doesn't want to talk about it. I have had coworkers recently ask me about my weight loss, and I admit to fudging a little and saying vaguely that I've just been "working out," when in fact I've obviously been dieting like mad and have this ridiculously detailed fitness regime that, IMHO, isn't just a kind of weekly aerobics class or something. I've embarked on a total fitness lifestyle rather than just cutting out carbs and moving more, you know what I mean?

So for someone to totally reshape their body through Pilates alone... I'm dubious. I'm also dubious as an avowed Pilates fan. I do flexibility-based strength training at least three or four times a week, and no one brand of method--be it Pilates, yoga, ballet, barre, or fusion--has "reshaped my body." Neither has cardio or lifting weights. All of them together in combination with diet are what reshaped my body. You can't spot reduce, but you can spot tone, and Pilates doesn't exactly spot tone per se. It strengthens your core like CRAZY, which can lead to more defined abs and better stability when doing any other type of workout, yes. But others are right that it does not "lengthen" your muscles. It is one tool among many that can help strengthen, tone, show off your lean muscle mass once you shred weight off through aerobic exercise and dietary changes.

Here's the other thing. No type of exercise really needs to break your bank, especially one you're not sure about yet. I would be very wary of ponying up a ton of cash on a place just because it seems cool and this one girl has had good results. I have a friend who's a huge gym rat but she tried Pilates and HATED it. It's not for everyone. It's tough, it's not relaxing the way yoga is, and it's a lot of work for very little calorie expenditure, if that's what you're going for.

Now, all that said, here's what I would instead recommend: go to the library or get on Netflix or YouTube and preview some Pilates mat routines. Really give them an honest try. If you hate them or are just bored by them, don't shell out beaucoup bucks to a studio you'll never go to. If you are intrigued, however, look into it further, but don't overcommit yourself. Check out the place's hours and payment plan options and then commit to the lowest level or guest pass until you decide you really, truly want to go there several times a week.

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now. I just feel bad when I hear about people wasting either studio or gym memberships on places they realize they abhor without really seeing what the workouts would be like.

I am a big pilates fan and it could be the case that she has that sick body if she's been doing private classes. Three times a week of a private pilates class can do something like that, if she isn't going crazy overeating and she's generally a healthy eater.

But I agree with the above poster that shouldn't sink a lot of money into Pilates until you know what it is.

Can you go to this Pilates Loft and check it out? Ask if you can get a free mat class? Can you speak to the Pilates instructor about *your* goals and see if they agree that they can work with you to get the body you want (and within the time frame you're thinking about)?

Do some more research on the place.

I don't know where you are, but it could be that there are other studios (there's a whole bunch where I live) and what you want is the studio that works for you. Pilates, independently from the studio, works.... but you have to find the right fit if you're going to dedicate yourself to doing it.

I can't speak for pilates, but I do yoga 2-3 times a week and feel like it changed my body a lot... seeing the way my body looks from doing yoga, I'm hooked. Especially when I was doing hot power yoga regularly (rather than more traditional yoga, which is cheaper in my area), I noticed I lost some body fat and started getting really toned without getting too bulky (my legs bulk up easily, but otherwise I've stayed pretty lean). I assume pilates is fairly similar in strength building and level of cardio.

I don't think that there's necessarily anything "magical" about yoga or pilates. I think the reason they make sure a difference in your body (if you put the time in to it) is just that you're getting in regular, tough workouts. You're burning a lot of calories and building muscle at the same time, and you're doing similar sets of movements each time you go, so certain muscles are really beginning to build.

If you can afford it, it's probably worth a shot, worst that can happen is you don't like it.

Originally Posted by parafilm:
I assume pilates is fairly similar in strength building and level of cardio.

Actually, it's not, especially depending on what type of yoga you're doing. Power yoga, flowing vinyasa flow, burns a LOT of calories, as does so-called "hot" yoga. Pilates does a better job strength building and burns far fewer calories, particularly because there's pretty much just one breed of Pilates, most of it performed at a fairly slow pace and designed primarily to challenge, tone, and strengthen muscles rather than moving the limbs rapidly, as in vinyasa yoga.

Although Pilates is expensive why don't you try it for a couple of months and see what it does to your body... If you don't like it, it's only for a short time then just stop and go to something else... Then and only then IMHO will you be able to say that it's a good or bad thing for you...

Let us know how it goes...

Thanks everyone. This is where I get so frustrated with dieting. You hear all these stories and want to invest in them. I hear pilates with the reform machine (i think thats what its called) is a lot more different and harder than regular mat pilates.

Do you think if I eat at maintenance (which is about what I am eating now that I am not "dieting" anymore), run 4-5 times a week and do the pilates 3 times a week, I could still lose fat? My main goal is to get more toned and smaller. I am not even focused on the scale right now. Im just afraid i wont get smaller or lose fat becuase my calories are low. Ahhh this all gives me a headache sometimes!!

Does Bikram yoga tone?

Originally Posted by parafilm:
I can't speak for pilates, but I do yoga 2-3 times a week and feel like it changed my body a lot... seeing the way my body looks from doing yoga, I'm hooked. Especially when I was doing hot power yoga regularly (rather than more traditional yoga, which is cheaper in my area), I noticed I lost some body fat and started getting really toned without getting too bulky (my legs bulk up easily, but otherwise I've stayed pretty lean). I assume pilates is fairly similar in strength building and level of cardio.

I don't think that there's necessarily anything "magical" about yoga or pilates. I think the reason they make sure a difference in your body (if you put the time in to it) is just that you're getting in regular, tough workouts. You're burning a lot of calories and building muscle at the same time, and you're doing similar sets of movements each time you go, so certain muscles are really beginning to build.

If you can afford it, it's probably worth a shot, worst that can happen is you don't like it.

This is my experience with yoga too. I do traditional yoga with Iynegar and Anusara trained teachers (alignment based rather than "hot power yoga", although I get hot in class and am becoming more powerful.) My arms and legs and core are getting so much stronger, I sweat like a mother, and am loving the progression into more inversions and balances that I'm able to do now.

The scale is not moving down all that fast, but my pants are getting looser and looser.

Originally Posted by Dianne042425:
Does Bikram yoga tone?

Lots of types of yoga tone, but Bikram is the "hot yoga" method and it's more about cardiovascular endurance and flexibility, especially the latter. By heating the room to a very high temperature, your muscles relax and are extremely pliable and capable of attaining postures that aren't feasible when muscles are colder.

Personally, if you want to use yoga for toning, I'd still advocate Vinyasa over Bikram.

HI! I was excited to read this thread coz I just signed up for my first yoga class and am going to take a 1 time only Pilates class, too. The class I am taking is not offered where I live, so when I 'm on vaca, I'll take it. And it's called Demi bar Pilates. I have no idea what that means - which is why I'm going - and I will report back here in 10 days my take on the classes.

A couple of things: Whenever you fatigue a muscle, it will grow stronger. The shape of the muscle depends on your height and genetics. Typically, shorter people look bulkier than taller peeps. The look of your "tone" depends on your size and genetics as well. Generally, your muscles won't show much definition if there's too much fat over them. You have to lose the fat to show the muscle definition.

That said, everyone carries fat in their bodies differently. For me, if I were to gain 20 lbs, it would ALL be smack in the gut and my legs would still be twigs. (And that's just how my 74 year old dad is :)) The opposite (weight loss) applies, too. So in order for me to have defined abs, the rest of me will be very lean. This make my arms look "ripped".

So for you, you may be a carrier of fat in your limbs. No matter how you lift, or what you lift, you may not see the definition until you lose some more fat.

Another thing I want to point out, to prove that genetics is the cause for where our fat is most on our individual bodies, is that it is wrong that fat gain in a particular area is from not moving that area. For instance, an office worker's butt is not fat because she sits all day. You can't spot-gain fat any more than you can spot-reduce it. Otherwise, everyone in a wheel chair would have huge fat legs!

We are how we are. I hope this helps so the poor dead horse doesn't have to get beat! Let yourself off the hook for things you can't change. :)

Originally Posted by fitness4life:
HI! I was excited to read this thread coz I just signed up for my first yoga class and am going to take a 1 time only Pilates class, too. The class I am taking is not offered where I live, so when I 'm on vaca, I'll take it. And it's called Demi bar Pilates. I have no idea what that means - which is why I'm going - and I will report back here in 10 days my take on the classes.

A couple of things: Whenever you fatigue a muscle, it will grow stronger. The shape of the muscle depends on your height and genetics. Typically, shorter people look bulkier than taller peeps. The look of your "tone" depends on your size and genetics as well. Generally, your muscles won't show much definition if there's too much fat over them. You have to lose the fat to show the muscle definition.

That said, everyone carries fat in their bodies differently. For me, if I were to gain 20 lbs, it would ALL be smack in the gut and my legs would still be twigs. (And that's just how my 74 year old dad is :)) The opposite (weight loss) applies, too. So in order for me to have defined abs, the rest of me will be very lean. This make my arms look "ripped".

So for you, you may be a carrier of fat in your limbs. No matter how you lift, or what you lift, you may not see the definition until you lose some more fat.

Another thing I want to point out, to prove that genetics is the cause for where our fat is most on our individual bodies, is that it is wrong that fat gain in a particular area is from not moving that area. For instance, an office worker's butt is not fat because she sits all day. You can't spot-gain fat any more than you can spot-reduce it. Otherwise, everyone in a wheel chair would have huge fat legs!

We are how we are. I hope this helps so the poor dead horse doesn't have to get beat! Let yourself off the hook for things you can't change. :)

I agree with everything you say except I dont believe you cant change your shape. Just becuase your fat goes to your legs doesnt mean you cant have toned slim legs. This is where I get confused. Everyone says you need to lose the fat before you can see the muscle definition yet says you should weight lift to help burn fat. So which is it? Do you toned your muscles after you lose the fat or do you work at toning your muscles to help get rid of the fat? this is the constant thing that plagues me about lifting. I just wish someone would tell me that if I am eating relatively healthy, running and weight lifting a few times a week that the fat will get smaller and the muscles more toned!

Originally Posted by Dianne042425:
So which is it? Do you toned your muscles after you lose the fat or do you work at toning your muscles to help get rid of the fat? !

When people say you need to lose fat before you can see tone, they don't mean you literally lose fat first and THEN start toning. It just means that both calorie/fat burning and strength training are both important.

Building muscles helps increase your metabolism, so you burn more fat. Once you have less fat sitting on top of muscles, you're able to see the muscle definition. Running and strength training is the way to go-- you're burning calories by running, while boosting metabolism AND toning muscles by lifting.

I do think that in some ways, we can't change our shape... shape meaning "proportion". My thighs are fairly bulky, even when I lose weight and am only doing exercise that builds "lean muscle". I don't think there's anything I can do healthily that will give me super-lean supermodel legs. Even at my thinnest, my stomach and arms may look great, but I'm always going to have athletic looking legs (even if I'm not doing any strength training for my legs).

ohhhhhhhhh ok! Lol I take things so literally! Im excited to start strength training. Im just fearful of building muscle but not losig fat = getting bigger!

Yea I understand. I know you cant change your "shape" as in if you are an apple, pear etc. But I dont think it means you cant have nice legs or a nice stomach..you know?

The great thing about classes is that you're motivated to work on things for reasons other than weight loss -- you want to do well in the class! This is why I've been loving flow yoga 4x a week: I can check myself against classmates, I challenge myself to try things others are trying, and I leave exhilarated, de-stressed, sore, and happy. It's never "tiring" even though it burns calories, because I'm always driven to do the next thing.

Pilates, though... I mean, you can't really mess up the form, and it's basically like any other core-focused strength training workout. Not to say it's not valuable, but it's not magical. And you can do it very easily from a video. I find personally find pilates a bit boring, and not at all relaxing/meditative like yoga or running. So I agree with everyone who says you shouldn't pay for anything without YouTubing clips first. They're definitely good exercises, but you can do them at home with a video, hand weights, and a mat or plush carpet.

Basic pilates exercises:
• Modified crunches
• Rolling/rocking
• Modified planks
• Birddogs
• Leg lifts & scissors
• Various stretches

Hey All! I'm back and I took both Yoga and Pilates.

First off, let me say, both instructors were at least 25% body fat - kinda high for instructors charging $20 an hour, in my (stupidly ignorant) original opinion. Ignorant opinion?Coz they both kicked my skinny stupid butt!!!!

Yoga- NOT gonna make u skinny by any means. Bennies? Stretching, baby! OMG I have NEVER stretched like that. I will be taking yoga once a week where I live starting friday. Other benny - balance, baby! Now I do bosu ball exercises every week. I couldn't hold a candle to the balance of these women. However, I am very proud to announce I did hold the bird of paradise after 3 tries. :)

Demi bar pilates: Hold cow, sign me up, I want to be a certified instructor! We have NOTHING like this where I live (boonies). I do lunge/squat work 5 x a week with the classes I teach. I am SO sore from 1 pilates class!!! You betcha I'm gonna incorporate these moves into my boot camp class!!\

As far as being in a class - I get it. I was SO motivated and challenged to keep up and push myself so I didn't look like the weakest one there.

I was AMAZED at the strength and endurance of our teacher.

But coming back full circle to my first statement here...If this is such a challenging course, then why was my teacher very over weight?

This goes back to my very most basic theory: It's what you eat.

So, to complete my critique, DO try pilates (yoga, too if you're not flexible like I am, I'm sure we'd improve) but know, like ANY current gimic - it's simple math - what goes in must be burned out, otherwise the energy is stored as fat.

Originally Posted by fitness4life:
But coming back full circle to my first statement here...If this is such a challenging course, then why was my teacher very over weight?

Actually, 25% body fat is not technically overweight. It's in the "acceptable" range. We think of yoga and Pilates instructors as being these willowy dancer types, but they're not always. Both practices, as you learned, require a lot of strength, and often those who are fit but not stick-thin have a great deal of talent with strength-based exercises. Those classes sound AWESOME, though! :)

I LOVE Pilates. I have done it sporadically for several years at home with videos but started taking a class in December once a week. As for the statement that you can't really mess up the form, I completely disagree. Form is the most important part of pilates, it is how you isolate the muscle you are working on. Having an instructor has made all the difference for me.

Since starting the class my arms are soooo much more toned than at any point in my life. My sister, who is tiny, has not lost weight, but seen a significant improvement in toning especially her stomach. I still have weight to lose but I know that when I do there are some pretty sexy looking muscles waiting for me :)

I swear by Pilates and credit it for having reshaped my body in the past year. A year ago, I weighed 325 lb. Today I weighed in at 313 lb. Not a big weight loss for a year of changing my diet and exercising five days a week. (I'm blaming that on PCOS). However, I have dropped two sizes in that time, and I attribute it all to the Pilates.

I work with a certified personal trainer who has been working with people for 25 years. I go to mat Pilates at least three times a week, and sometimes one or two more times when I have private sessions with my trainer. And I don't do much else. Everyone notices how much leaner I look. And my sons are completely impressed with my abs. Underneath the layers of fat, I have rock hard abs. My legs are stronger, my arms are stronger, my shoulders a more defined. But my muscles do not look bigger.

According to my trainer, weight lifting produces larger muscles because in the process, muscles are torn down and then heal, creating more, bulkier tissue. Pilates doesn't tear down the muscle. It compacts the muscle fibers. The muscles are still worked, they just get denser, and the whole body benefits from a wider range of movement through tendons and ligaments. With Pilates, you can work your muscles everyday. That's not recommended with weight training.

I'm about to add cardio to my workouts because I do want to burn more calories and lose more stored fat. Pilates didn't do that for me.

If you've tried Pilates and didn't see any results or thought it was too easy, you were not doing it right. Pilates is NOT easy to do, no matter what size you are. Even for those who have been doing Pilates for a long time. Which is why they're still doing it. No one masters Pilates and then moves on to something else to find a bigger challenge. You are in charge of the intensity of your workout, and you really need a good instructor to help you find that for yourself. I know Marines who can blow through 100 pushups without breaking a sweat whose muscles are really trembling toward the end of doing 10 proper Pilates pushups.

Originally Posted by kat999:
Actually, 25% body fat is not technically overweight. It's in the "acceptable" range. We think of yoga and Pilates instructors as being these willowy dancer types, but they're not always. Both practices, as you learned, require a lot of strength, and often those who are fit but not stick-thin have a great deal of talent with strength-based exercises. Those classes sound AWESOME, though! :)

Yes. I agree. I would then have to adjust my visual assessment and say she was maybe around 35-40% bf.

I guess my point I'd like to emphasize is, if you're doing pilates to gain strength, this instructor was a clear example of her success. If you're doing Pilates to lose fat, you're gonna have to watch the intake of calories like any other lifestyle change plan coz otherwise, you'll just become a stronger "heavier person".

If I had to give up all other work outs, and only keep one, I would keep pilates. I have been doing mat pilates 2x per week for about 10 months now and my core is STRONG. My abs are pretty defined (under the fat - lol), and I am way more flexible. I sweat like crazy during my classes and it is hard work, but when it's over, I feel so relaxed and calm. It's the perfect work out if you ask me. Builds strength, increases flexibility, tones, and conditions.

fitness4life -- Excellent report on Pilates and Yoga :yes: