@seekinganswersinlife I have been seeing it too. It’s convincing to try! Idk if it would be better or worse than weight lifting. I feel like people with naturally low body fat tend to show their workouts in social media as the cause, when they are actually just thin for non exercise related reasons
Pilates-tok?
- Thread starter seekinganswersinlife
- Start date
@seekinganswersinlife I have a six pack and 18% body fat from lifting, my body never looked like this when I was doing yoga & Pilates. If people are losing weight and looking “lean” from Pilates I guarantee there is muscle atrophy and/or diet changes leading to weight loss along with that. The info about inflammation, hormones, fat gain from lifting all sound like misinformation / pseudoscience and honestly I’m so tired of hearing about it.
From the outside looking in it seems like a lot of people have serious body baggage and just want to be skinny. If that is the case with these people I wish they’d just be honest about dieting and stop making things up on the Internet!
From the outside looking in it seems like a lot of people have serious body baggage and just want to be skinny. If that is the case with these people I wish they’d just be honest about dieting and stop making things up on the Internet!
@dawn16 Yes! I think the phrasing of giving the lean look really is just saying skinny. If you were lifting and growing your muscles you're going to potentially be bigger in areas especially depending on your starting point. If you are thin and grow muscles, but have relatively low body fat already you're going to get bigger if you then stop with that stimulus and muscle begins to decrease you'll look smaller, but I think using the term lean is incorrect. Leanness refers to fat amounts, not size. I think it's just aesthetic shifts where people don't want a big protruding quad with little fat on top, they want thin legs regardless of the makeup of that.
Also I think some of the inflammation statements are really referencing the muscle holding more water and glycogen when training that muscle. When I took some time off lifting and training I noticed more room in the thighs of some shorts. Did I lose fat and get rid of dangerous inflammation by not lifting and just walking, no I probably lost some water in the muscle that's normally there after training. My muscle isn't growing and repairing itself, it was a week or two off, not an indication of my "new routine" being magical and indicating my body is in danger of chronic inflammation.
Also I think some of the inflammation statements are really referencing the muscle holding more water and glycogen when training that muscle. When I took some time off lifting and training I noticed more room in the thighs of some shorts. Did I lose fat and get rid of dangerous inflammation by not lifting and just walking, no I probably lost some water in the muscle that's normally there after training. My muscle isn't growing and repairing itself, it was a week or two off, not an indication of my "new routine" being magical and indicating my body is in danger of chronic inflammation.
coolbutclueless
New member
@seekinganswersinlife it's funny that tiktok hasn't really shown me any Pilates content because I actually do Pilates sometimes, and I have seen so many people asking about Pilates tiktok on this subreddit lately lol. but it hasn't made its way to my feed I guess!
@seekinganswersinlife I’ve heard of girls “decompressing” their spine from yoga and “looking leaner” as a consequence of stretching out tight muscles. I’m wondering if your ideal physique hasn’t been achieved due to chronic inflammation from overworking your body. That’s happened to me which was so discouraging. I combatted it with alternating low and high volume days and actually pulling back a bit in the gym and focusing more on recovery and active rest days (swimming, hiking, running less than 5k, hiit with weights). Also is your lifting program designed for strength or hypertrophy?
jonahthesign
New member
@seekinganswersinlife I’ve been seeing it everywhere too! I thought it was because I was talking to a friend about it the other day and something in my phone heard me (I know that apparently doesn’t happen but hmmm).
It’s a trend. Pilates and yoga and HIIT and all kinds of fitness things cycle in and out of fashion and have done for decades. The difference is some enterprising young ladies have found a way to use it to sell their personal brands if not products. Whether that’s a fair response to current working culture or an exploitation of other young ladies is up for debate
It’s a trend. Pilates and yoga and HIIT and all kinds of fitness things cycle in and out of fashion and have done for decades. The difference is some enterprising young ladies have found a way to use it to sell their personal brands if not products. Whether that’s a fair response to current working culture or an exploitation of other young ladies is up for debate
baptistbiblebeliever
New member
@seekinganswersinlife TikTok is garbage 
ricardoleslie9811
New member
@seekinganswersinlife I’ve done Pilates for four years. It really helps me with my core like nothing else I’ve ever tried. However I find Zumba better for weight loss and Pilates will not give you a great ass the way that lifting does
@seekinganswersinlife There is, as there has always been, lots of bullshit around on the internet. It used to be forums and blogs, not it is social media. We can argue about whether content creators have a moral obligation to put out accurate info in their content. But undeniably, the onus is on us as content consumers to activate our bullshit filters whenever we consume content on tiktok and insta. Exercise science is in no way perfect and has a long way to go especially regarding women and advanced lifting, but we're far enough to know that lifting heavy is safe and healthy across the board. Please realize you are being fed very specific content by some very enthusiastic people who may be very wrong but confident about their shit, by a very good algorithm. I'm not anti-social media by any extent, I love insta a bit too much and enjoy getting sent tiktoks, but never ever not have your critical guard up when being fed health information by peers via algorithm.
not_a_unicorn
New member
@seekinganswersinlife Any time I see someone say "this one particular form of movement is terrible and you HAVE TO do this one" I pretty much dismiss it as nonsense. Bonus points for bringing in ~hormones~ or other shit like that.
@seekinganswersinlife IIRC, Pilates began as a rehab method for injured dancers. Dance, especially ballet, tends to self-select individuals who are naturally long-limbed and lean (ectomorphs). A lot of the teachers are this body type and also have dance training. All the Pilates in the world won’t make you look like them if you aren’t this body type yourself.
That said, Pilates is a terrific addition to one’s fitness regimen, especially the classes that utilize Reformer equipment.
That said, Pilates is a terrific addition to one’s fitness regimen, especially the classes that utilize Reformer equipment.
@seekinganswersinlife I honestly get culty vibes from it LMFAO
wintermint
New member
@seekinganswersinlife I don't know if it's just me algorithm but I've seen SO much pilates content lately. It's funny to me because I got into pilates before lifting because I have a dance background which has a lot of overlap. I feel that it helped my abs but I didn't develop any other muscles. People keep saying lifting was too hard on their bodies and they were always inflamed and pilates with walking helps them stay lean? It's always weird vague language that almost aligns with like lifting being harsh and masculine and pilates being soft and feminine. I think its just another trend but I hope this isn't a sign of a thin body type being "in" again.
@wintermint I'm seeing so much of it too!
@wintermint In my area the reformer classes are very expensive so it's mostly older women. It's a good break from dealing with gym bros