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.
Through focused exercises like leg lifts, planks, or movements on the Reformer, these muscles are activated and trained to support you in everyday movement.
For example, it is common for people to stand in a resting position with their lower back arched, which means that their stomach protrudes. Standing in a way that reduces the arch of the lower back prevents the stomach from sticking out.
Without reducing overall body fat, it’s difficult to achieve a truly toned appearance, even with strong muscles.
If you have a layer of fat covering those muscles, then they won’t be as visible – giving the appearance of being “untoned”.
In addition to consistent Pilates practice, you also need to maintain a healthy diet and incorporate cardiovascular activities for overall body fat reduction.
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The key is consistency. Practicing Pilates regularly allows those small gains to add up to visible change over time.
One-on-One Sessions are by far the most effective way to practice Pilates/Suspension Training. The family fitness of norton shores instructors will create a customized program based on your health, goals, and ability, and will re-evaluate your progress from time to time to make sure results are obtained.
Poor posture from sitting, slouching, and repetitive movements plagued most of our clients. Pilates re-patterns your posture by activating key muscle groups while ensuring proper spinal alignment. Our instructors manually cue proper alignment and teach you to be more mindful of your movements.
This means even at rest you are burning more calories. Pilates can prepare your body for strength training and cardiovascular exercise by waking up your muscles and improving the efficiency of your movements.
The focus is on increasing resistance over time, making it the best option for increasing overall strength.
Research backs the benefits of Pilates for muscle toning. A study found that eight weeks of Pilates significantly improved core strength, flexibility, and muscle endurance.
When you move with control, your muscles stay engaged for longer periods of time. This is what helps build endurance and tone. It also means you're using the right muscles for each movement rather than relying on momentum or overcompensating with stronger areas.