@seekinganswersinlife Also wanted to say, if you took a “Pilates” class that was lots of high rep exercises it wasn’t a real pilates class. Most likely a group x instructor who wasn’t trained as a Pilates instructor.
@maryephil Ooh interesting. We had rings (is that a Pilates thing?) and had to like squeeze them between our hands while simultaneously doing lots of split squats etc. Also holding soft balls under our knees while doing donkey kick type things on all fours.
There was less core work than I expected, maybe 20% of the class was directly core work.
@seekinganswersinlife In terms of core work…every exercise in pilates is coming from the core. So it is all core work when done properly. Now you could do a whole pilates class and never do the exercises correctly or with the right intention, so you never really work the core. But when done right, every exercise in a pilates class originates from your center/powerhouse/core.
@seekinganswersinlife The Pilates Circle/magic circle/ring is a Pilates piece of equipment designed by Joseph Pilates. They are used in lots of different classes now. The hall is also used in different classes. Putting it behind the knee for glute/hamstring work is a group fitness/barre workout. Not classical pilates. Could be more along the lines of contemporary pilates depending on how it is used.
I've lifted (deadlifting my bodyweight weekly) for 5 years before I got sick. Learning how to manage long COVID, at least for right now, weight lifting is too much. After I injured my back the umpteenth time with squatting, I decided to really focus on stabilizing my pelvis with Pilates.
And you know what? I'm still maintaining (what's left after being semi sedentary for two years) my muscle mass from weight lifting. My structure is getting more stable. My body awareness is increasing. When I do yoga, my understanding of the poses is better because of what I learned in pilates.
I found pilates 5 month ago, it's my default exercise now and my body is so much happier.
Now I just really want pilates > yin yoga videos on YouTube, please.
@seekinganswersinlife I feel like people are only answering half your question and bulldozing past the second part. I can't speak to hormones at all but I can share my experience about aesthetics. Weight lifting gave me a thicker look and pilates gives me a slimmer/leaner look. I don't know the science behind it but that's what happened.
@romney1010101 THIS. I have the best aesthetic results when I combine strength training and Pilates. As a short person, I tend to look bulky when I focus solely on lifting. So I’m actually not mad at this “trend”, it seems like a natural progression as more women become interested in strength training.
@seekinganswersinlife I'm pretty firmly on anti-diet and fat lib tiktok so all the pilates content I get is from people who preach intuitive movement, some of whom also do other activities.
There's a lot of weird health misinformation on tiktok though. For a while I was getting ones that were spreading misinformation to discourage people from getting a pap? Some mild like incorrect screening guidelines, some more sinister like "cervical cancer is a lie they tell you you have to make money!!!".
Also many pilates studios-especially pre-covid when there were fewer online options-have been between unwelcoming to outright hostile to fat people. So of course pilates is then associated with an image of a thin white woman-because that's who was allowed in the space. Slap a claim of causality on that and bam you can sell your shit!
@seekinganswersinlife I think Pilates is a much safer alternative for people. Squatting with improper form/weight is downright dangerous and can cause long term damage. Let’s not forget weight lifting was never really developed with women in mind. Still love weight lifting, but I think everyone would benefit from starting their fitness routine with pilates, just for the transverse abdominal bracing and engagement alone. Save yourself from long term damage/injuries by starting with a strong core.
@seekinganswersinlife I thought Pilates and barre were giving me great results until I switched to lifting a few years ago. These workouts have a lot of benefits, but they are not an efficient way to build muscle. Which is what makes you look "toned," along with your diet.
IF this were true (and I don't think it is), it's possible that people got results after switching to Pilates because their usual lifting workouts were too frequent, long or too high-intensity for them, which was stressing them out.
Also: a lot of people just enjoy Pilates-type workouts more, and that's okay! You get the best results from the workouts you actually show up for, so there's that too.
@seekinganswersinlife I don't know how it compares to weight lifting, but my body looked phenomenal when I did pilates a lot. I even remember by OBGYN said something about it during my exam. She said "I don't know what you are doing work out wise, but keep it up because you look great."
@seekinganswersinlife I don’t have TikTok so I can’t comment on what you’re seeing on social media, but I do know there are a lot of influencer folks out there who say they do Pilates but it’s not really certified or real Pilates but more “Pilates inspired”……
I take reformer Pilates classes for non aesthetic reasons (basically it’s cheaper physical therapy for some of my old ailments) and what I’ve noticed is that the folks in my classes who do have that long and lean look are people who looked long and lean no matter what due to their genetics. Pilates does appeal to a lot of us former dancers though and many of the other former dancers I know still have that stereotype ballerina body type.
@seekinganswersinlife I did pilates, barre, and spin for years before I started heavy lifting. I'm 5'10" and weighed 180lbs, I stayed a size 12 for the duration (this is just for context). Then I started powerlifting heavy with walking as my cardio. I gained about 5lbs but went down to a size 8-10.
As far as the look of my body. I would say that I looked "leaner" when I was doing pilates / barre / spin, like my curves were not as emphasized. Whereas with heavy lifting I look a lot curvier, more of an hourglass shape.
@seekinganswersinlife The cause for people saying this is that they want your views, your clicks, your buying their ebook, because they want money. That is the cause.
People will find any reason to move you away from free common sense to niche activities because they want to make money from it.
