Whilst Pilates isn’t so good at building muscle bulk or power, what it is great at is utilising your postural muscles. These are deep muscles that tend to be closer to the skeleton that hold us up against gravity and provide stability around the joints whilst we are moving.
Here, we explore what toning actually means, what factors affect how toned we look and how Pilates can assist in reaching your goal of looking leaner.
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.
Thankfully, times are changing and strength training is becoming popular for women as people understand the benefits. In addition, not all types of strength training lead to gains in muscle bulk so you can train in a way that suits your goals.
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.
Start to spin the tailbone up to the sky and peel each vertebra off the mat until the hips are lifted in line with the lower ribs. Articulate the spine back down to the mat.
While traditional Pilates doesn’t use heavy weights, it incorporates resistance—especially with equipment like the Reformer—and focuses on eccentric muscle contractions (lengthening under tension), both of which can strengthen muscles.
The focus on this version of a press up is to keep the elbows close to the sides. This is super challenging for your triceps as it means that you use your chest muscles less.
Reformer for Pilates: The Pilates Reformer is the most famous Pilates machine. It uses springs and pulleys to give you adjustable resistance, which lets you do more exercises and work your muscles harder. This works very well for specific toning.
Pilates can be a valuable tool in this journey towards toned muscles, as it helps build muscle mass and can improve overall body strength.
This is known as neuromuscular adaptation. Firing up your muscles in this way is likely to make you feel different and you may experience this as a feeling of being stronger.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about Pilates and how it fits into this equation.
Unlike standard muskegon gyms workouts that may neglect the deep core muscles, Pilates specifically activates the transverse abdominis, leading to a flatter stomach and improved posture. This results in a stronger, more defined midsection and reduced lower back pain.