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!

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.

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?