Here’s what they said.

Pilates emphasizescore strength,flexibility, and a deepmind-body connection.

But when it comes to your specific fitness goals, which approach is better for you?

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What is Pilates?

There are two common types of Pilates workouts:mat and reformer Pilates.

Mat Pilates is done onno surprisea mat, using your body weight or props like dumbbells and resistance bands.

Two young women practicing ballet with a teacher in the dance hall.

NASM-certified trainer with C4

According to Franke, these include:

Amazing flexibility with strengthnow youre unstoppable.

Tony Horton, personal trainer

What is weight training?

Commonweightlifting exercisesinclude squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and curls.

Woman doing hip exercises

Those can include:

Pilates vs. weight training: Whats the difference?

Both Pilates and weight training can improve your overall fitness.

But the punch in of strength they buildand where they build itdiffers, according to Franke.

Cropped image of woman doing lunge yoga pose

On the other hand, Pilates buildsfunctional fitness.

Its not about lifting heavy; its about control, stability, and creating balance throughout the body.

It works those smaller, stabilizing muscles that weight training can sometimes overlook.

Woman in leggings and bra doing Lunge with Arm Extended Up pose hip opener stretch during yoga session in morning at home.

NASM-certified trainer with C4

Which option is right for you?

Deciding between Pilates and weight training depends on your personal fitness goals.

If your primary goal is building muscle, weight training is the way to go.

Woman doing arm exercise without weights while sitting on mat at home.

And if youre healing from an injury, Pilates is generally a safer, low-impact option during your recovery.

But really, you canand perhaps shouldhave the best of both worlds.

In fact, many experts recommend combining the two workouts.

A woman in sports clothes does yoga or gymnastics at home. Daylight. She smiles

Pilates and weight lifting work really well together as part of a complete fitness routine, Franke says.

Horton echoes this sentiment, emphasizing that a mix of exercises prevents plateaus and keeps you engaged.

Amazing flexibility with strengthnow youre unstoppable.

Alves MC, de Souza Neto RJ, Barbosa RI, Marcolino AM, Kuriki HU.

Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon).

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Epub 2019 Dec 19.

Momma H, Kawakami R, Honda T, Sawada SS.

Br J Sports Med.

2022 Jul;56(13):755-763. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2021-105061.

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