A question I get all the time …..
The answer to that is PILATES is MORE THAN ENOUGH! So NO!
Pilates provides the exact balance of strength and flexibility in every exercise executed with attention to alignment, intention and activation. For every concentric strength contraction phase of the muscle there is an equal and opposite eccentric lengthening of the balancing muscles in the body. This is why Joseph Pilates called his work CONTROLOGY. The science of controlling all movements with the breath and focused mind for the results of mind body strength. It is the intention not the tension that yields the results you need.
Too often people overtrain without attention to form, alignment and functional movement which is one of the reasons so many people are in pain and injured.
The challenge I see most is people depending on resistance and tension to change them. We become addicted in our society to fighting, resistance, hard core, “no pain no gain” mentality. I promise, that only works for a while. I’ve seen in every single body that I have worked on that comes from that mindset. Pain, damage and in need of healing and restoration from the inside out. It takes much longer for these bodies to recover from this kind of training than from bodies who have done nothing.
So to answer the question of weight training being replaced by pilates is actually very simple. Pilates IS resistance training, it’s just a more intelligent way of not only working out but living; mindsets and lifestyle. It’s understanding how to integrate the science of understanding how the body actually works. That’s one of the reasons I truly appreciate STOTT PILATES’s motto “INTELLIGENT EXERCISE” ; the knowledge and understanding they require of their instructors is why we continue to stand out as the elite pilates teacher training and studios.
Weight training is based on the principle of breaking down the muscle to the point that in theory with the proper nutrition and dietary supplementation they will build back up stronger. Unfortunately in the mindset of tearing down to build back up that really only works at its optimal ability when you are young and your intracellular matrix is healthier. However even with that said in our society the diet and nutrition of our youth is horrible and hardly sufficient, which is another topic around active performance and nutrition (see blog here) Therefore just as in life and in understanding true holistic health and healing you have to do what is sustainable for your body if you plan to feel good and live good.
In high school and during college I worked out and trained hard. I was that girl who stacked 2 -45 plates on each side of the bar and did squats below my knees (actually that’s how I scored my husband; as he will tell you he saw my quads doing squats and my legs had him at hello) so I have to say it served me well in that I got myself the best man in the gym but I was also in Physical Therapy on a weekly basis and actually worked for a PT so he could help me out and work on me when he wasn’t seeing clients. We still joke to this day when we run into each other about how hard I pushed myself and something was always “out”- my back, my ribs, my neck… O’h I could go on and on….so let me say this though I started my career over 25 years ago as a CSCS (strength and conditioning specialist), ACE personal trainer and gym junkie, the pain and constant injury led me to discover Pilates and once I started feeling better in my body and looking better I was hooked and I never looked back.
After 6 pregnancies, severe disk degeneration, spondylolisthesis, whiplash and neck injuries from accidents it is Pilates that keeps me strong and toned. I do not nor have I lifted weights another day of my life since I saw all the results I needed from Pilates. Saying that I have jumped on a pull- up bar and pumped out more pull ups than my gym junkies standing by. I don’t say that to sound arrogant but to simply prove the point- strength is strength and if you have it you can use it anywhere at anytime if it’s truly functional (ready more about functional strength HERE)
If you are truly looking to feel better, look better and live pain free, although I can’t make promises because it’s up to you and how committed you are; I am living proof that you do not need to lift weights to get strong. When you learn how to put the intention of balance, activation, elongation and control while being mindful (read more about the neuroscience of training HERE) you will get more results than even weight training. I’ve seen it in hundreds of bodies!
The answer for strength, flexibility, longevity and sustainability is the ability to focus, form and function; to train and use your body like you love and care for it. You deserve Pilates, your body will thank you for life!
