Does Pilates Count as Strength Training?
Pilates is definitely having a moment and it’s not slowing down. From influencers and celebrities showing off their sculpted cores to countless social media posts praising it as the ultimate workout, it’s everywhere. And I’ll admit it - I’m a Pilates lover too.
I’ve been doing Pilates since before it was cool (certified over 25 years ago) and I’ve seen firsthand just how powerful it can be. As a Pilates instructor, physical therapist, fitness trainer, and a woman in my late 50s, I absolutely love it and still practice it regularly.
That said, I don’t believe Pilates should be the only workout in your routine. While the hype is partly deserved, there’s also a lot of confusion, especially around what Pilates can and can’t do when it comes to building real strength and muscle.
Let’s cut to the chase: Can Pilates count as strength training? My quick answer is yes - and it depends. I know that is not a direct answer, but it truly depends on what your goals are. I know some people might not agree with me, but hear me out.
To really answer this question, we have to first define what strength training actually is and how it differs from building muscle.
What Is Strength Training?
Strength training, also known as resistance training, involves working your muscles against an external force, like weights, bands, or even your own body weight with the goal of increasing muscular strength, endurance, and/or size.
A key principle in strength training is progressive overload: gradually increasing the resistance or intensity over time to continue challenging your muscles. This is essential if your goal is to truly get stronger and build muscle (hypertrophy).
Muscle Strength vs. Muscle Building vs. Muscular Endurance
These terms often get lumped together, but they refer to different adaptations:
Muscle strength: The ability to exert maximal force in a single contraction.
Muscle building (hypertrophy): An increase in the size of your muscle fibers, often achieved through moderate to heavy resistance with a specific rep and volume range.
Muscular endurance: The ability to sustain muscle contractions over an extended period. This means less force, but for longer—think high reps with low load.
Now let’s talk about Pilates…..
What Pilates Does Exceptionally Well
Improves Mobility and flexibility
Builds Core strength and stability
Enhances Balance and coordination
Promotes proper form, body alignment, and Posture
Strengthens the mind-body connection through breathing and movement awareness
Offers a low-impact option ideal for injury prevention and rehabilitation
A typical Pilates class activates all your muscles through slow, controlled movements. These movements increase time under tension, which can definitely help improve muscular endurance and build strength in a foundational way.
It’s also low-impact and incredibly beneficial for your joints, posture, balance, and overall movement quality. I often use the Pilates Reformer in my Physical Therapy practice because it offers both resistance or assistance through springs, depending on the exercise and the goal.
Different types of Pilates:
Classical Pilates: Developed by Joseph Pilates with the purpose of core strength, posture, flexibility and overall body control. The focus was on controlled repetition of exercises, but not hypertrophy of muscles.
Pilates Mat tends to rely heavily on bodyweight, making it excellent for muscular endurance, core work, and stability, but less ideal for actual muscle hypertrophy.
Pilates Reformer: The Reformer is an incredibly versatile piece of equipment. It uses springs to create resistance, which can be adjusted to match the needs and goals of the individual. If you’re a beginner or recovering from an injury, this can be a fantastic entry point into strength training. However, even with the Reformer, you’ll need to increase the load (heavier springs) and progress your movements to continue building strength or muscle.
Lagree and the Megaformer method (such as Solid Core locally in DC) are different from traditional Pilates in both intensity and intent. I don’t actually consider this Pilates, but I refer to this method as “Pilates on steroids.” It’s designed to push your muscles to failure using heavier resistance, faster transitions, and a more high-intensity approach.
Does Pilates Count as Strength Training?
When we think of strength training, we often picture lifting heavy weights - barbells, dumbbells, or kettlebells - and doing compound lifts like squats and deadlifts. And yes, that’s a proven way to build muscle, especially when following the principle of progressive overload.
But strength training isn’t limited to heavy lifting. Bodyweight movements like push-ups and planks count too - and that’s where Pilates fits in.
Pilates does fall under the strength training umbrella. Whether it’s mat work or the Reformer, Pilates creates time under tension using bodyweight or spring-based resistance. It’s especially effective for improving core strength, mobility, posture, and body awareness.
For beginners or those recovering from injury, Pilates can absolutely count as strength training. But if your goal is to build significant muscle or combat age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), Pilates alone likely isn’t enough. Building muscle requires training close to muscular failure in a rep range of 6-30 with enough resistance - which Pilates doesn’t always provide.
The Real Question: Does Pilates Build Muscle?
Pilates and traditional weight training are both forms of resistance training, but they approach it differently. Pilates typically uses bodyweight or light resistance with higher reps to improve mobility, stability, and muscular endurance. Traditional strength training, on the other hand, uses heavier loads with fewer reps to promote muscle growth and strength.
Here’s where it gets nuanced:
Pilates can lead to small increases in muscle mass, especially if you're new to exercise or returning after a break. That’s because you're likely activating muscles that haven’t been challenged in a while. But over time, if you continue doing the same Pilates workouts, without increasing resistance, reps, or complexity, you’ll likely hit a plateau - because your body adapts.
To build muscle and combat age-related muscle loss (sarcopenia), 2 key elements are essential:
1. Progressive Overload:
Gradually increasing the challenge of your workouts by adding resistance, increasing reps, or slowing your tempo - keeps your muscles adapting. Just because you feel the "burn" in Pilates doesn’t mean you’re triggering hypertrophy (muscle growth). Research shows muscle growth occurs in a wide rep range (6–30 reps), as long as the effort is high enough.
2. Training Close to Muscular Failure:
You need to push to the point where you’re just a few reps shy of not being able to complete another rep with good form. You’ll know you’re getting close when your speed slows or your form starts to break down. Reaching this level of intensity within about 60 seconds or less per set is ideal. While total failure isn’t necessary (or always safe), consistently working near it is key for growth.
Most Pilates exercises, especially mat work, don’t offer the resistance needed to train in this range. You can often do more than 30 reps without hitting muscular failure, which means you're building endurance rather than muscle. However, Reformer Pilates can offer more potential for strength gains if you progressively increase the spring resistance and intensity over time
Can Pilates Replace Weightlifting?
This is a question I get all the time, and the answer is (again) that it depends on your goals. But if you’re a woman in menopause or beyond, I wouldn’t recommend relying on Pilates alone.
If your goal is to build muscle mass or gain maximal strength, Pilates probably won’t cut it on its own. While the Reformer adds resistance, it generally lacks the progressive overload needed for true hypertrophy (muscle growth). Traditional strength training, with heavier weights and moderate reps, is much more effective. And for women in midlife, I strongly recommend including strength training to help combat the natural muscle loss that happens with age.
That said, Pilates is fantastic, especially for core strength, mobility, body awareness, and functional movement - all with minimal joint stress. It emphasizes form, breath, alignment, and control, which can improve your performance and reduce injury risk, both in the gym and in everyday life.
If you love Pilates (like I do), keep doing it! It offers amazing physical and mental benefits. And let’s be honest, enjoying your workout is one of the most important parts of staying consistent.
Let’s talk about Body Composition?
When it comes to fitness goals, many people focus on weight loss, but what really matters is body composition: the ratio of fat to lean muscle. This is especially important for women in midlife, when hormonal shifts make it easier to gain fat and lose muscle, particularly around the midsection.
The goal should be to maintain or build lean muscle while reducing excess fat to support strength, energy, and metabolic health. Strength training is one of the most effective ways to do this. As you build muscle, your resting metabolism increases, helping you burn more calories even at rest which can lead to fat loss and a more defined physique, even if the scale doesn’t budge much.
Pilates, while beneficial, isn’t designed for fat loss or significant muscle gain. And, there is not enough research to prove that Pilates will improve your body composition. It’s a lighter form of resistance training and doesn’t provide the same stimulus for muscle growth as lifting heavier weights. If your goal is to change your body composition, combine strength training with Pilates AND make sure your nutrition supports those goals.
Because no workout (Pilates or lifting) can outwork a poor diet, improving body composition requires consistent resistance training, adequate protein, solid nutrition, and recovery.
How to Combine Pilates with Strength Training (Especially in Midlife)
For women in midlife, strength training is non-negotiable. It helps prevent muscle loss, supports bone density, boosts metabolism, and improves overall strength and function.
Pilates has amazing benefits - improving mobility, core strength, and body awareness -but it’s not enough on its own if building or maintaining muscle is your goal.
The best approach? If you enjoy Pilates, combine both. Use Pilates on non-lifting days as active recovery. It’s low-impact, restorative, and improves movement quality.
Bottom line: Strength training should be a priority in midlife, but Pilates is the perfect complement. Together, they help you build a strong, balanced, and resilient body that moves well and feels even better.
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