Pilates and weight loss: What's the deal?

If you've ever popped your head in on a Pilates class, you probably noticed a lot of lying down. It may not look very active — but Pilates is a great low-impact workout for building strength, improving posture, and losing weight.

Whether you're thinking about combining pilates with other exercises or doing it as your main workout — here's what you need to know about Pilates and weight loss.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is a type of controlled exercise that takes inspiration from callisthenics, yoga and ballet. It was designed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s as a workout to improve his balance, posture, and strength [8].

The main purpose of Pilates is to build strength and improve flexibility in the deep core muscles. These include your abdominals, lower back, buttocks, and hips [8].

Most Pilates classes involve performing a series of controlled, repetitive movements around 5-10 times. It requires a lot of concentration to do well as each movement has an ideal placement, breathing pattern, and rhythm.

That’s one reason why it’s a good idea to be slow and steady in a Pilates class — you are looking for control and quality of movement, rather than speed.

Different types of Pilates

Pilates is hardly a new type of exercise, so you might be super familiar with how it works. But just in case, here’s a quick rundown. The types are [4]:

• Mat Pilates: using your own body weight to perform movements on a yoga mat.
• Reformer Pilates: using a specialised machine to perform movements.
• Wall Pilates: a variation of Pilates where you stand or lay against a wall.

All of these styles may also include the use of small props, such as balls or resistance bands.

One of the great things about a Pilates workout is you can tailor the intensity, duration, and difficulty level to the individual.

You’ve probably heard of many different Pilates class types, such as [10]: 

• Fitness classes that aim to build strength and burn calories through high-intensity movements
• Rehab classes that focus on certain physical conditions and muscle groups
• Pregnancy classes which are tailored for pre- and post-natal workouts
• Classical Pilates, which is a replica of the style Joseph Pilates taught, though it’s not as common today

Even though you can practice Pilates on your own with online videos, it’s a good idea to get started with a qualified Pilates instructor. They can help perfect your technique so that you are exercising safely.

What are the benefits of Pilates?

Not only is Pilates a fun way to get your body moving, it comes with a whole host of benefits for your body and mind, such as [1][4]:

• It’s a form of resistance exercise which builds whole-body strength
• It has been shown to reduce depression and anxiety
• It promotes better posture, which can also help with back pain and muscle aches
• Working on your core strength helps improve your balance
• It can be used for injury rehabilitation

And then there’s the reason that you’re here — Pilates can be effective for weight loss. Let’s dig a bit deeper to understand how and why.

Is Pilates good for weight loss?

Multiple studies have shown that Pilates can contribute to weight loss. They measured factors like body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, waist size, lean body mass, and overall weight [1][6]. 

While these results sound fantastic, there are two important factors we want to highlight:

• The majority of studies had people practising Pilates in 3 classes per week, each 60 minutes long [6]. 
• The most impressive results were seen in studies that lasted 10 weeks or longer [1].

We wanted to bring this up because it shows how the duration and consistency of your Pilates exercise can impact whether or not you lose weight.

Consistency is something a lot of people struggle with when they start a weight loss journey. Sometimes it’s because the fitness regime they choose feels boring. Other times, it’s because they have limited time to fit in both cardio and weight training.

In good news, research found that Pilates classes can help overcome these challenges. Not only is it a full-body workout, but the varied moves help keep it from feeling boring.

Many of the studies we mentioned earlier had low dropout rates which suggests Pilates is a fun exercise that people want to keep doing [6].

If you struggle a lot with consistency, you might benefit from extra support. Juniper’s Weight Reset Program is designed to help you lose weight and keep it off — get treatment that targets weight gain on a biological level, plus a dietitian-led program that supports long-term weight maintenance.

Health coaching is used to assist you with lifestyle changes including sticking with a routine and a support system of other women on the journey with you, so you feel less alone, while one-on-one health tracking gives you a personalised experience.

Weekly check-ins with your health practitioner are used to track your physical, mental and biometric health, where adjustments can be made to suit your individual needs. If you want to be supported through every step of your weight loss journey, this is how to do it.

How many calories can you burn doing Pilates?

Believe it or not, we found a very specific study that helps us answer this question. Keep in mind it’s an estimate and your actual calories burned will depend on factors like age, weight and overall fitness.

The study involved a small group of participants who had been doing Pilates for a few years. The aim was to compare the effectiveness of beginner, intermediate, and advanced Pilates sessions [2]. 

In a not-so-surprising result, the advanced workout burned the most calories at around 8 per minute. This means it can be considered moderate exercise. The second highest was intermediate, at 6.5 calories per minute. And third place was the beginner’s level with 4.6 calories per minute.

The researchers also noted that certain high-intensity moves across all workouts burned more calories.

For example, in the advanced workout the Rollover and Jack Knife moves were better for burning calories than doing Hundreds, Saw or Seated Twist.

Using these numbers as an estimate, we can give you a rough idea of how many calories are burned in a single Pilates class, assuming 60 minutes per class: 

• A beginner’s class could burn up to 270 calories
• An intermediate class could burn up to 390 calories
• An advanced class could burn up to 480 calories 

We want to highlight again that these are just an example. If you’d like some personalised advice, it’s worth talking to a personal trainer.

What's the best type of Pilates for weight loss?

You might be wondering if it matters whether you choose to sweat it out on the mat or the machine. Well, we did a bit of digging and came up with some research to give you a clue.

When it comes to body improvements, research shows both to be effective. In a study comparing 8 weeks of reformer and mat Pilates, researchers found no difference in body strength, flexibility or aerobic endurance [7].

In another study, researchers found both mat and reformer Pilates used the same muscle groups [9].

When it comes to weight loss, there is some evidence to suggest reformer Pilates is your best bet. One study found that reformer Pilates could burn slightly more calories than mat Pilates (2.6 vs 1.9 per minute) [9].

This may have something to do with the reformer machines helping create greater resistance than body weight alone, which makes the Pilates exercises harder.

Intense exercise does seem to be the key to Pilates and weight loss. As we mentioned earlier, the calorie-burning study found that a more challenging workout was the most effective.

They also highlighted the fact that intense Pilates movements could lead to greater calories burned [2]. In other words, getting your heart rate pumping with high-intensity exercise of any kind is a good idea for weight loss.

Can Pilates help you burn stomach fat?

Whether it’s your stomach or your hips — wanting to shift weight from a certain area is one of the most common goals we hear. Unfortunately, it’s not that realistic.

Research has shown that exercising certain body parts has no greater effect on the fat stored there [11]. So, doing a lot of core work can’t guarantee you'll lose fat in that area.

That’s not to say Pilates can’t help you burn stomach fat. It just means it won’t target that area alone. Our bodies burn fat during exercise for energy. We don't get to decide where they take this fat from — that’s controlled by factors like genetics, age, and gender.

But, by keeping to a consistent exercise routine we can promote full body weight loss; including stomach fat.

There’s also the fact that building lean muscle mass can increase your metabolic rate, which is how much energy you burn while at rest.

Is 30 minutes of Pilates a day enough to lose weight? 

Whether you’re a busy bee with only 30 minutes per day or just getting back into exercise — short, regular workouts can feel great. But is it enough for weight loss?

We did find a study from India that found 30 minutes of Pilates was effective for weight loss [3]. They had a small group of participants perform 30-40 minutes of Pilates on 5-6 days of the week.

After 10 weeks, body fat percentage had reduced in the Pilates group but not in the control group, who made no changes to their regular schedule.

In most of the other studies we reviewed, participants were doing Pilates for 60 minutes up to 3 times per week [1][5][6].

There are two similarities we think it’s important to mention here: 

1. Most of the studies had good results after 10 weeks
2. People exercised for the same amount of time each week

Whether they were practising Pilates for 30 minutes per day or 60 minutes a few times a week, it still added up to around 3 hours of exercise.

So, the key may not be in how often you exercise but in meeting the national guidelines for at least 2.5 hours of moderate exercise each week.

How does Pilates compare to cardio and strength training? 

From walking to swimming, Pilates and yoga, there are so many great ways to get moving.

When you’re on a weight loss journey, you might be keen to work out in the most effective way possible. So, how does Pilates compare with traditional cardio and strength training? 

Pilates vs cardio exercises 

Even though Pilates is not considered a type of cardio exercise, it does have benefits for cardio fitness. 

One study decided to put it to the test by comparing a weekly walk with a Pilates class. Each group did 60 minutes of exercise, 3 times per week, for a period of 8 weeks [5]. 

At the end of the study, there were great improvements in both groups. But, Pilates was considered slightly more effective because it provided benefits to the whole body.

Along with improvements to BMI and cardio fitness, Pilates participants also built a strong core, plus better flexibility and mobility.

Pilates vs strength training 

Pilates is actually considered a form of resistance training, but it is different to the isolated exercises you might do in a gym [9][10].

One of the benefits of Pilates over regular strength training is the addition of mindful breathing. Pilates focuses on relaxation and control which can help improve mental health, reducing rates of depression and anxiety [1]. 

At the end of the day, the perfect exercise is one that you enjoy. Whether that is Pilates, running, weight lifting or boxing — having fun while being active can help to overcome gym anxiety and improve fitness.

Image credit: Getty Images