While Pilates isn’t a high-calorie-burning workout on its own, having more lean muscle does help your body burn more energy—even at rest.
Is your pain making it difficult to concentrate? Are you hoping it will just go away, but it’s still hurting you?
Amy M. I needed somewhere to start because it's been a while since I've exercised. Always have loved pilates. This program is perfect for me.
Pilates is popular for its ability to sculpt and tone the body. Emphasizing controlled movements, core strength, and flexibility provides an effective approach to achieving a toned physique.
Anna Bartter is a freelance journalist who writes about health, fitness and women's lifestyle for publications including Stylist, Metro and Psychologies, among others.
During each Pilates session, our credentialed instructors guide you through a flowing sequence of controlled, deliberate movements coupled with deep breathing. The exercises focus on strengthening your core muscles while improving stability, mobility, and flexibility across your entire body.
One of the biggest advantages of Pilates is that it strengthens muscles without putting stress on the joints, making it a fantastic option for all fitness levels.
This contributes to a firmer, more defined appearance even without significantly increasing muscle bulk.
Tone refers to the amount of tension in a muscle at rest. Resting muscle tone is a spectrum and very high or very low muscle tone could be problematic as in the medical world it could indicate a problem with the brain and nervous system. This is quite different to the concept of tone when we are thinking about exercise and aesthetics.
Over time, this can absolutely lead to a more toned appearance — especially when paired with healthy habits outside the studio.
However, Pilates does not promise drastic weight loss or major physical changes. Results will vary depending on individual factors such as genetics
My shoulder was dislocated and ultimately, surgically repaired. I’ve been told that rehab for a shoulder is the worst part, but Dr. Jenna Smiith has made the whole process bearable. She measures progress every visit and tailors the stretches and exercises to my individual performance, or lack of. Her enthusiasm is contagious and helps to motivate me to do the stretches every day, and usually a couple of times per day. She spends time and studies how I’m moving and adjusts each stretch to maximize my efforts.
One of the great things about Pilates is that it can target a variety of muscle groups, all while using your own body weight as resistance.
Pilates and yoga both build core strength and flexibility using your own body weight. However, Pilates incorporates club poses more resistance training with Springs and bands to build functional strength.