Pilates is gaining in popularity with each passing year because of its reputation for helping create bodies that exude optimal mobility, control and muscular balance . Pilates requires that your mind and body connect in what looks like the simplest movements. But the reality is those movements make you mumble profanity under your breath because of the amount of mental and physical control and strength they take to execute. It’s famous for slow micromovements that can make NFL linebackers shake and tremble with agony. Yet, Pilates is low impact and your body feels better at the end of your session than you do at the end of a massage. You will often hear me say to someone new, “You just have to feel it for yourself to really understand it”. Pilates will strengthen your smaller support muscles, stretch your larger prime movers and lubricate your joints so you feel like you can move with more ease, power and control.
So why would you need anything else if Pilates is so good? Fruit is really good for you too, but I would never tell you to not eat vegetables because all you need is fruit. Your body will better thrive with the unique properties you get from both fruit and vegetables. The same is true for Pilates and weight training. Listen, if you only do Pilates, you are doing ok and will be just fine. But if you are ready to go to the next level, you should try combining free weights and Pilates in your weekly workouts to really support and nurture your body for killer results that are both aesthetic and functional..
Weight training is best defined as resistance training with free weights or machines that create a force you must move. Usually the goal is muscle growth, or hypertrophy, and increased bone density, and an often less talked about benefit to your endocrine system which results in improved hormonal balance. Weight training can feel intimidating but it should not be! Just like Pilates, you can start right where you are. Weight training is the perfect complement to Pilates because together you will get the unique benefits from both that will complement each other like a sweet and salty snack.
Now, I am more of a purist and suggest you keep your weight training and Pilates in separate workouts within the week instead of getting creative trying to put them together. The fusion of the modalities feels forced and waters each down and ultimately you lose the effectiveness that makes them each unique and special. And yes, Pilates sometimes utilizes small hand weights and that is great. Keep doing that. But in traditional weight training, you will utilize heavier weights than you would in Pilates because you are targeting different muscles with different goals for each modality. How heavy the weights are for strength training is unique to the individual executing the workout, but you should be close to failure while still keeping good form on the last two repetitions of your set.
Still feeling a bit overwhelmed by the thought of adding free weights and not sure where to start? That’s exactly why we created our self-lead program, Foundations, to help fill that void of getting started and feeling comfortable with free weights. It can all be done at home in the comfort of your home with two pairs of dumbbells, one light and one heavy. We coach you through how to know what those light and heavy weights should look like for you, how to execute each free weight move properly, and even give you 8 weeks of programming that includes both Pilates and free weight workouts. We are running Foundations again for a third time starting on July 10th. We have two options depending on how much support you might want. You can just purchase the program or you can purchase the program with Voxer support where you will have access to the coaches two days a week.