Pilates is definitely having its moment right now. From celebrities and social media influencers to everyday fitness enthusiasts, more and more people are crediting their strong and toned physiques to their Pilates practice. 

But Pilates is more than just the latest fitness trend — there are plenty of proven benefits that come with including Pilates in your workout routines.

Long before it was trending as a popular toning exercise on social media, the practice of Pilates was being used to build strength and promote healthy bodies and minds. 

Pilates was founded in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates. His goal was to increase the mind-body connection during exercise as well as help people to build the foundational skills necessary for core stability, strength, and flexibility. 

Now those applications can be translated into very real benefits for your health and wellness! Here are five reasons to add Pilates to your workout routine.  

5 Ways Pilates Can Maximize Your Fitness

1. Strengthens and tones muscles in your entire body 

The most obvious benefit of practicing Pilates — and probably the most pertinent perk if you have any body composition or fitness goals — is that Pilates is a full-body workout that hits muscle groups throughout your entire body! 

Because Pilates targets your mind-body connection as you move through challenging, core-focused movements, you can strengthen all of your major muscle groups as you perform the workout. When done regularly, this can eventually lead to more toned and defined muscles and subsequent improvements in your body composition that you can actually see! 

For example, an 8-week study evaluated the body composition effects of Pilates practice on sedentary, obese women. The researchers found that participants who participated in the Pilates training saw improvements in waist-hip ratio, lean body mass, biceps, and triceps. 

What’s more: Pilates has also been shown to improve strength and physical performance in the same demographic, even if no changes in body composition were detected.

So, if your goal is to build a stronger, healthier body regardless of what it looks like, Pilates is a great exercise to incorporate to get results. 

2. Supports weight loss and fat loss 

In addition to its strengthening and toning benefits, you can use Pilates training to your advantage if one of your goals is to lose fat. A meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials found that Pilates dramatically reduced both body weight and body fat percentages in overweight or obese participants. The researchers here also found that these results were especially pronounced in people with longer-term Pilates practices. 

It’s important to note that Pilates practice on its own may not be enough for fat loss, depending on the intensity of the exercise. Fat loss depends primarily on the number of calories you take in versus the number of calories that you burn for energy every day, and you want to be in a caloric deficit in order to lose weight. This generally means that, if you want to lose weight, your Pilates practice should also be paired with other exercises plus a calorie-conscious diet.

However, Pilates can help increase your energy expenditure, especially during more intense practices, which can also grow your calorie deficit.  

3. Improves flexibility and mobility

Pilates moves are challenging for your muscles, yes, but they’re also good for your movement and flexibility! 

A study found that subjects who were trained using Pilates over the course of 8 weeks saw greater improvements in flexibility than participants who did not do Pilates training. Even more impressively, 85% of the participants from the Pilates group were also able to pass lumbopelvic stability tests at the end of the 8 weeks, while nobody from the control group was able to pass the test at any point! 

Other researchers have concluded that Pilates may be even better for flexibility than other stretches, such as static stretching. So, while you’re building stronger and more toned muscles, you’re also helping your body become more flexible, which is great for preventing injuries, helping your joints to achieve a full range of motion, and ultimately improving your physical performance in the future. 

4. May lower your injury risk

Many Pilates movements are floor-based and do not require high-impact movements like jumping or bearing extremely heavy weights. This means that your Pilates practice may present fewer chances of injury than in other higher-impact or load-bearing exercises. 

What’s more: Pilates may be a better option for your exercise routine if you suffer from pain and are looking for a suitable workout that still challenges you! Pilates practice has been linked to reduced back and neck pain from osteoarthritis, as well as to better quality of life in subjects with back pain, osteoporosis, and knee osteoarthritis.

So, even if you would normally avoid exercises for fear of pain, Pilates is often a better choice that can ultimately prevent further pain down the line. 

5. Targets posture and balance 

Finally, regular Pilates practice can also translate to a world of benefits outside of the studio or gym. For example, Pilates practice was found to improve posture alignment and core strength in dancers. 

Core strength is one of the foundational targets of Pilates training. Your core, which consists of muscles in your abdomen, hips, obliques, and spine, is hugely important for protecting your spine and improving your balance. So, because your core strength is one of the key focuses during Pilates, the training and strengthening of these muscles can then improve your posture and your balance, which are just as important in your day-to-day life as they are in your workout programs. 

In addition, one of the beauties of Pilates is that it depends on a good mind-body connection for better results. The practice of cultivating that connection is great for your posture and balance as well as your emotional health. 

Conclusion

Pilates is a challenging yet low-impact workout that increases your mind-body connection while strengthening muscles throughout your entire body. It’s also an accessible workout for many people, since most exercises require minimal equipment (or no equipment at all), making it suitable for folks of all fitness levels.