Is Pilates Strength Training? Here's What the Science Says

Pilates and strength training are two of the most popular training styles out there at the moment, and they're consistent faves in the Sweat app. One of our most-loved programs is The 3-2-1 Method with Katie Martin, which gives you three strength workouts, two Pilates sessions and one run (or other cardio) each week.

We're stoked about this. Pilates has a cult following and has (rightly so) earned a reputation for building incredible core strength, improving posture, and helping you move with more control, while traditional resistance training with weights does more to build muscle mass and strength.

So, where does Pilates fit on the strength training scale? Does it count, or do you still need traditional strength training no matter how hard your Pilates workouts feel?

Is Pilates strength training?

At its core, strength training simply means working your muscles against resistance so they adapt and become stronger, so yes, Pilates is a form of strength training.

Resistance doesn't always have to come from a barbell, dumbbells or gym machines, and Pilates can easily tick that box whether you're working against the resistance of your own body, resistance bands, ankle weights, a Pilates ball, ring, or you have access to a reformer machine.

Research has also shown it can be an effective way for older women to increase full-body strength, and you can challenge yourself with more advanced moves as you progress. But here's where things get a little more nuanced and what we want women to know.

While Pilates can absolutely improve strength (and deliver a bunch of other benefits like balance, mobility and posture), a key issue with research on Pilates is that the results often compare those doing Pilates to those doing nothing, rather than comparing Pilates with traditional strength training.

Compared to someone doing absolutely nothing in the way of workouts, of course you'd expect them to make strength gains by adding Pilates to their routine. But to make significant improvements in muscle, bone density, and strength, Pilates alone is not what we'd have you doing. We still want you to strength train.

Where Pilates falls short

Pilates can absolutely make you stronger. We're not arguing about that. But when exercise scientists talk about building muscle, increasing bone density or developing maximal strength, they're generally referring to progressive resistance training.

In Pilates, progression usually comes from improving technique, increasing control, adding repetitions, incorporating more advanced exercises, or adding extra resistance with ankle or wrist weights or extra springs on the reformer.

With traditional strength training, progression is much easier to measure. You might start by squatting 30 kilograms and gradually build to 50, 70 or even 100 kilograms over time (aka progressive overload). That's a level of load and strength progression you'll never achieve in Pilates.

That gradual increase in challenge is known as progressive overload, and it's one of the key drivers of long-term strength and muscle growth, as well as being one of the most effective ways to maintain and improve bone density.

While Pilates certainly offers opportunities to progress, it generally just doesn't provide the same capacity to continually increase external load as traditional resistance training.

Why we love adding in some Pilates each week

If Pilates really isn't your thing and you love the gym, power to you. No pressure to add in something you don't like. But there are so many benefits to be gained by throwing in the odd Pilates class, and our Pilates workouts in the Sweat app are super popular as an add-on.

Adding Pilates to your routine can level up your core and functional strength, muscular endurance, balance, flexibility, mobility, coordination and posture.

Like traditional strength training, Pilates can also involve a mix of compound movements (exercises that engage multiple muscle groups, such as squats) and isolation exercises (which target a specific muscle, like bicep curls).

If you’re used to traditional lifting though, your first Pilates session might surprise you. The strength and movement patterns involved in Pilates are quite different to traditional strength training, and it’s super common for gym-goers to get on the mat or reformer machine and discover a whole new level of hard due to the control, balance, endurance, reps, and core strength required.

Kayla is so fit and strong, but every time she tries Pilates, she's in hell. So prepare to be humbled if you're a newbie. The challenge is exactly why it's so addictive.

So, how should you train?

As we said, if you're not into Pilates, you don't have to do both. But if you don't love strength training, we'd still recommend you add it to your routine. And if you love both, they complement each other incredibly well.

Pilates can help you develop core strength, stability, flexibility, mobility and body awareness, while resistance training helps build muscle, improve bone density and increase overall strength through progressive overload.

That's exactly why training approaches like The 3-2-1 Method with Katie Martin have become so popular: to have your workouts laid out for you, with a balanced mix of training styles and no guesswork. You can also follow a strength program in the Sweat app, then throw in the odd Pilates workout from the On Demand tab.

Ultimately, the best workout is one you'll enjoy enough to do consistently. But if you're in your Pilates era, adding some progressive resistance training alongside your Pilates routine is one of the most effective things you can do for your muscles, bones and long-term health.