Pilates VS Strength Training – Why do you better lift heavy?

When we have to choose what to do with our free time, in order to help our body stay fit and strong, we better choose wisely on the type of activity that we do. That’s why knowing what does what to your body can help you make smarter choices for your well-being and your future. In this blog, we are going to break down the benefits of Pilates and strength training are and why, for improving your muscle mass (not becoming bulky, but mainly maintaining a minimal strength) and improving your bone mass (which we all are going to lose while we age, especially women) you better start lift heavy.

Muscle Mass: Strength Training Wins

As discussed in many other blogs, while we age, our muscle mass decreases, and not only that, but the muscles become less efficient in doing what they are supposed to do. So, if your goal is to build muscle mass, which has nothing to do with becoming bulged and a gym junk, there’s no debate that strength training is the superior option compared to pilates.

This is possible because, to stimulate the muscle to grow and stay active, they need to be placed under load, specifically, and an increase in load.

In fact, strength training involves lifting weights or using resistance to progressively overload your muscles. This is what would trigger muscle hypertrophy, which is the process by which muscle fibres grow in size and strength. For doing so, you may use dumbbells, resistance bands, barbells, or bodyweight exercises; what matters is the intensity and the gradual increase in load, which can not be done only via body weight.

On the other hand, Pilates focuses on control, alignment, and core stability. Some small muscle initially would be place under an increase form of load, and yes, they would get stronger, but, once you reach the max setting of you reformal machine, or the max weight in your mat pilates training, there would no be any extra stimulus for your muscle mass to increase, because all off that doesn’t provide enough resistance to stimulate hypertrophy.

Bone Density: Strength Training is More Effective

Bone density is one of those hot topics in the realm of longevity. Bone density, especially in women who have reached menopause it is a real concern. In fact, women who are past 2 years of menopause, on average, lose about 25% of their bone mass, which does leads to higher chance of osteoporosis, osteopinia and bone fracture.

So, one of the most powerful tools we have for maintaining or improving bone density is strength training, especially weight-bearing, high-impact, or resistance-based movements.

The reason why this is a fact lies behind the bond’s response to mechanical load. When we lift weights, our bones, like the muscles, experience stress, a positive stress, which stimulates osteoblast activity. Osteoblasts are simply the cells responsible for laying down new bone tissue. While we age, this process slows down, due to metabolism changes, and an external stimulus, such as impact load (jumping literally with weights on), leads to stronger, denser bones. It is simply a cause-and-effect relationship.

Regarding Pilates, particularly on the mat or even when using a reformer machine, it is low-load and low-impact. This characteristic, as just explained above, doesn’t apply to the kind of mechanical force needed to drive fundamental improvements in bone mineral density.

Neuromuscular Control: This is Where Pilates Shines

While I am sharing this fact about strength training, I want to make sure that this blog post doesn’t pass as a message against Pilates. In fact, if there’s one area where Pilates truly excels, it’s neuromuscular control. Neuromuscular control is the ability of your nervous system to efficiently coordinate muscle movements. Basically, the ability to switch on a muscle when needed.

If we break down pilates in its practice, we can see that in a session, we do controlled movement with a strong focus on alignment, breath, and core engagement. This type of mindful movement is what can help in retraining the brain-muscle connection, which would lead you to improve coordination, proprioception, balance, and posture. And here is a short list of who would benefit from it:

• Recovering from injury.
• Dealing with chronic pain.
• Develop better movement awareness.

That said, even strength training improves neuromuscular efficiency, especially when doing functional movement under load, like squats, but it’s typically more gross motor-focused. The fine control and subtle activation required in Pilates make it unique for developing stabilising muscles and corrective movement patterns.

So, Which One Should You Choose?

As expressed at the start of the blog, if you have to choose between the two, as you may have limited time to dedicate to fitness and or limited budget to pay for a class or a trainer, you should choose based on your fitness goal. Do you want to improve your neuromuscular control at the expense of low bone mass and the increased risk of losing bone mass (especially if you are past your 40s), then go for Pilates. On the other hand, if you want to guarantee that your body can keep up with the slowing of metabolism and can maintain its functionality in the long term, strength training is the way to go.

In summary:

• Use strength training to build muscle, strengthen bones, and increase metabolic function.

• Use Pilates to refine your movement, stabilise your joints, and enhance your core control.

And if you can do both, go for it.

Together, they complement each other beautifully. And if it helps, think of strength training as your foundation, and Pilates as your refinement.

How often should you train then?

This is a common question that people ask all the time. The answer depends on what you are aiming for and what your needs are.

If we simplify the case scenario, and we look at someone who has great mobility (not flexibility, but mobility) and does aim to build muscle strength and bone mass, they should train between 3 to 5 days a week with strength training. If they want to incorporate some pilates, then stick to the minimal 3 days of strength and add 1 or 2 sessions of pilates. 1 or 2 days of rest are a must, because the body during those days is recovering, and that’s where the real build-up of muscle comes in.

Strength training at Melbourne Massage and Treatment

At Melbourne Massage and Treatment, here in Fitzroy North, I offer Fitness classes that are ideal for those who want to learn how to use weights and get into weight training. You don’t have to be only a first starter, but can also be someone who has done this for a while, and keeps ending up on the injury side of things. Specific to those types of presentation, that’s where we may start with a Myotherapy session, to address the cause of the pain and reduce initial discomfort, and from there build up a series of short and long-term goals to achieve to improve your presentation.

So do not be hesitant about learning more about weight training and strength programs. Book now your initial consultation and get ready for a transformative wellbeing journey. And if you have any questions, please use the form below to reach out to me.

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FAQ: Pilates VS Strength Training

FAQ – Strength Training vs Pilates