Wondering if those Pilates classes will actually help you build muscle? You’re not alone. While Pilates has a reputation for creating long, lean bodies and improving flexibility, many people question whether it can truly build strength comparable to traditional weight training. The good news? Pilates definitely builds muscle, just in a different way than pumping iron at the gym. Let’s break down exactly how Pilates works to strengthen your body, what kinds of results you can expect, and how to maximize your muscle-building potential on the mat or reformer.
How Pilates Builds Muscle
Unlike traditional weightlifting, where you’re typically isolating muscle groups with heavy loads, Pilates takes a more integrated approach to strength development. Here’s how it works:
Pilates Uses Resistance to Challenge Muscles
Pilates builds strength through various forms of resistance. In mat classes, you’re primarily working against your own body weight. This might sound easy until you try holding your legs six inches off the ground while maintaining perfect form!
On equipment like the reformer, springs provide adjustable resistance that can be quite challenging. The beauty of this resistance is that it works both when you push out and when you return, creating balanced muscle development through both concentric and eccentric contractions.
Focus on Slow, Controlled Movements
Traditional strength training often focuses on how much weight you can lift. Pilates, on the other hand, emphasizes how precisely you can control a movement. Those slow, deliberate movements create continuous tension in the muscles, what trainers call “time under tension”, which is proven to build muscle endurance and tone.
When you perform a hundred beats in Pilates, your abs aren’t just working for a second or two like in a crunch. They’re engaged continuously for a minute or longer, creating different but very real muscle fatigue.
Muscle Engagement and Isolation
One of Pilates’ greatest strengths is its ability to target those small stabilizing muscles that traditional workouts often miss. While bench presses build your pecs, Pilates works the tiny muscles between your shoulder blades that improve posture and prevent injury.
Pilates also excels at teaching you to isolate specific muscles. Through precise cues and body awareness, you learn to engage your transverse abdominis (deep core muscles) without tensing your neck or shoulders, a skill that translates to more effective workouts in any discipline.
What Muscles Does Pilates Work Most?
Pilates truly is a full-body workout, but it does emphasize certain muscle groups more than others:
Core (Abs, Obliques, Lower Back)
The core is the star of Pilates. Nearly every exercise engages your abdominals, obliques, and lower back muscles. The focus on “drawing your navel to spine” activates your transverse abdominis, the deepest layer of abdominal muscles that acts like a natural corset.
Regular Pilates practitioners often develop noticeable definition in their midsections, not just from the direct ab work but because proper core engagement becomes second nature.
Glutes and Hamstrings
Your posterior chain gets serious attention in Pilates. Exercises like bridges, swimming, and single-leg kicks target the glutes and hamstrings effectively. Many people are surprised by how sore their behinds can be after a challenging Pilates session!
Quads and Hip Flexors
The front of your thighs works hard during Pilates, especially in exercises where you’re holding your legs off the ground or performing controlled extensions. Many people discover muscles in their inner thighs they never knew existed after starting Pilates.
Shoulders and Upper Back
Pilates places special emphasis on proper shoulder positioning and scapular (shoulder blade) mobility. Push-up preparations, swimming, and many reformer exercises strengthen the often-neglected muscles between the shoulder blades that are crucial for good posture.
Arms
While Pilates isn’t known primarily as an arm workout, certain exercises definitely build strength in the biceps, triceps, and forearms. On the reformer, exercises like the hundred with arms low, arm circles, and tricep presses can create significant upper body challenge.
Pilates vs. Traditional Strength Training
Both Pilates and traditional strength training can build muscle, but they do so in different ways and with different outcomes.
Similarities
Both methods rely on progressive overload (gradually increasing challenge) to stimulate muscle growth. Both improve joint stability, body awareness, and functional strength for daily activities. Both can be modified for beginners or made more challenging for advanced practitioners.
Differences
Traditional strength training primarily targets muscle hypertrophy (increasing size) and maximal strength through heavy resistance with fewer repetitions. This approach excels at building bulkier muscles and raw power.
Pilates focuses more on muscle endurance, control, and balanced development through moderate resistance with more repetitions. This builds what many call “functional strength”, the kind that helps you move better in everyday life.
Traditional strength training often isolates muscle groups, while Pilates typically works multiple muscle groups simultaneously in integrated patterns that mimic real-life movements.
Can You Get ‘Toned’ With Pilates?
“Toned” is one of those fitness buzzwords that deserves clarification. What most people mean by “toned” is having visible muscle definition without bulk, combined with lower body fat that allows that definition to show.
Pilates absolutely contributes to muscle tone by strengthening and defining muscles throughout your body. Many dancers and actors use Pilates specifically because it builds strength without excessive bulk.
However, it’s important to note that the “toned” look also requires attention to nutrition since body fat percentage largely determines how defined your muscles appear. Pilates builds the muscle; nutrition reveals it.
How to Maximize Muscle Gains With Pilates
If building strength is your primary goal with Pilates, here’s how to optimize your practice:
Use Equipment Like the Reformer
While mat Pilates is effective, reformer Pilates offers adjustable resistance that can significantly increase muscle challenge. The springs can be configured for exercises that challenge even very strong individuals.
Other Pilates equipment like the Cadillac, Wunda Chair, and Pilates Tower also provide options for increasing resistance beyond body weight alone.
Progressive Difficulty Matters
Just as with any strength training program, progression is key to continued muscle development. As exercises become easier, move to more advanced variations or increase the resistance.
In mat classes, this might mean progressing from modified versions to full expressions of movements, or adding repetitions. On equipment, you can increase spring tension as you get stronger.
Train Consistently
Muscle development requires regular stimulus. Aim for at least 3 Pilates sessions weekly if strength building is your goal. Many studios offer different class levels, so don’t be afraid to try more advanced classes as your proficiency increases. Platforms like Perspire.tv make this easier by offering both live and on-demand Pilates classes for all levels, so you can gradually increase intensity and variety from home or on the go. This flexibility helps you stay consistent, which is the key to real muscle gains.
Combine With Other Training Methods
For optimal muscle development, consider complementing Pilates with some traditional strength training. Many athletes find that the body awareness and core strength from Pilates actually enhances their performance in the weight room, while the additional resistance from weights helps build more raw strength.
Other Benefits of Muscle Building with Pilates
Building muscle through Pilates offers numerous advantages beyond aesthetics:
Better Posture and Spinal Alignment
The emphasis on proper spinal positioning and core engagement in Pilates translates to improved posture in daily life. Strong postural muscles help maintain healthy alignment without conscious effort.
Reduced Injury Risk
The balanced muscle development from Pilates helps prevent the imbalances that often lead to injury. By strengthening the stabilizing muscles around joints, Pilates creates a more resilient body.
Improved Athletic Performance
The control, balance, and core strength developed in Pilates enhance performance in virtually any physical activity. Many professional athletes incorporate Pilates into their training regimens for this reason.
Gentle on Joints
For those who find traditional weight training harsh on their joints, Pilates offers a lower-impact alternative for building strength. This makes it particularly valuable for older adults or those rehabilitating from injuries.
Bottom Line: Can Pilates Build Muscle?
Yes, Pilates can definitely build muscle, particularly the kind of functional, balanced muscle that improves how you move through life. While it may not create the same type of hypertrophy (size increase) as heavy weight training, it excels at developing muscle endurance, control, and definition. The results tend to be more along the lines of a dancer’s physique: strong, defined, and capable, without excessive bulk. For many people, this is exactly the type of strength they’re looking for.