Will Pilates help you lose weight?
The first reason is simple math. If you are largely sedentary or even very busy but not particularly active, Pilates training will increase your total calorie expenditure compared to your baseline level.
If you normally burn 1,200 calories on a typical day and add a 300-calorie workout to your routine, you burn a total of 1,500 calories, or 25 percent more than before you added the workout. This applies to all exercises that you add to your existing routine, not just Pilates. However, it is important to understand that an increase in your activity is an increase in the number of calories burned, which directly leads to weight loss.
Boost your metabolic rate
The second way Pilates helps you lose weight is by affecting your overall body composition. Many people who want to lose weight don't necessarily want to get smaller. This is the redistribution that many of us are looking for.
If you had the same weight, but only your body would be in shape and in good shape, would you want to weigh less? Probably not. When we look in the mirror, we most want to see toned muscles and a minimum of extra flesh. In other words, more lean muscle mass and less fat. To change the ratio of muscle to fat, you must perform weight training.
You can choose a weight training session or a weight training session. Pilates, as it turned out, can be both. Proper Pilates training requires you to perform a series of self-weight exercises, as well as endless exercises on several different Pilates resistance devices. Note that Pilates uses large heavy springs rather than weights, so you will use many different levels of resistance adapted to your strength and capabilities.
Changing the body composition by increasing muscle mass and reducing the amount of fat will have a positive effect on the basal metabolic rate. The more muscle you add, the more calories you burn at rest. Yes, you got it right. You will burn more calories at rest simply by increasing your body's muscle mass. Pilates offers two different types of weight training to help you do this. In fact, in a study published in 2019, participants who practiced Pilates for 8 weeks had greater muscle gain (and greater fat loss) than their counterparts who performed aerobic training for 8 weeks.
The effect of Pilates
If these individual physiological reasons are not enough to convince you of the benefits of Pilates for weight loss, there is one last reason that should definitely win you over.
This is the secret of Pilates practitioners all over the world, who call it the Pilates effect. Start a Pilates workout and you'll be forced to lift your abs, pull in your shoulders, and lengthen your neck. By the end of your Pilates class, your spine lengthens, your waist narrows, and your chest rises proudly. Your posture will completely change, and you will look and feel longer and taller than just an hour earlier.
Home exercises Pilates for weight loss
These recommended home Pilates exercises for those who want to lose weight include moves that you might learn from traditional fitness. Pilates has strong roots in gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics, so don't be surprised if you learn the choreography. Try a few if you are just starting out with Pilates or want to Supplement your cardio workouts with some weight training to improve your weight loss results.
Push-UPS Pilates
Stand up straight and stretch down to your feet, then slowly, keeping your back straight, move to the push-up or plank position. Perform 3 to 5 push-UPS, then start to return to the reverse position from which you started. Repeat 3 to 4 sets.
Targeted muscles: back, core muscles, shoulders.
Standing footwork
Stand with your feet slightly narrower than your hips, parallel, and your arms crossed. Squat half-way, bending your hips and knees, but keeping your spine upright. Hold at the lowest point for 3 seconds. Then stand. Repeat 8 to 12 times in 1 set. Complete only 2 approaches.
Target muscles: glutes, hamstrings.
Pulling your legs up
The muscles on the back of the body are large and dense. Increasing their strength and volume will affect your metabolism. Sit up straight with your feet together in front of you and your hands behind your hips. The toes look forward. Lift your hips up, forming a straight line with your body. Hold for 5 breaths. Lower and repeat 5-8 times. As you progress, you can add leg movements by lifting one leg at a time.
Target muscles: glutes, hamstrings, triceps, broad back muscles.
If you are ready for the next level of Pilates, where you will practice the springs that Pilates is famous for, go to the Pilates Studio and sign up for a one-on-one session where you can experience all the different types of equipment that are available. If you are trying to lose a lot of weight, you should do Pilates two or three times a week and work regularly with spring equipment.
