I regularly get asked how often you should practice Pilates. Well, that’s going to depend on your current fitness level and your goals. But before we get into that, here’s what Joseph Pilates had to say:
In 10 sessions, you feel better, in 20 sessions you look better, and in 30 sessions you have a completely new body.
Joseph H. Pilates
This is a quote of Joe’s that you see used often, but the problem with it is it’s missing a timeline. Doing Pilates 30 times over 10 years will not give you a completely new body, and attempting 10 sessions in a row to start out is asking a lot. That being said, you’re completely safe to do a small bit of Pilates homework each day as you get started. Then as you become more familiar with the mat work, you can definitely incorporate Pilates into your life most days of the week.
Pilates Every Day?
I find that I feel best when I do a little bit of Pilates every day, though that doesn’t always mean a full workout. You might find that just ten minutes of Pilates can help loosen up tight muscles after a long day at your desk, a ski day, or a run. Other days, Pilates might be your main workout. The more you do Pilates, the better of a workout Pilates becomes because you’re more aware of how you move. As you gain control and precision, you will “feel” the exercises more and definitely break a sweat.
I recommend doing a full Pilates workout two or three times a week. It’s manageable for most people’s schedules, and so many of my clients comment how great they feel the next day after a session. By day three though, they start to feel a bit tight and need to come back. Doing mat work at home is a great way to supplement your time in the studio, where you can use the various apparatuses. It all works so well together, however you decide to schedule your sessions.
Little Changes Add Up
It’s the clients I see those two to three times a week, though, that make impressive progress. It’s fun to watch them as they improve. Sometimes changes are tiny, like it becomes easier to keep your heels together in frog. I find people don’t notice the small changes until it all comes together and they one day pop into an amazing teaser, finally seeing how much stronger they’ve become.
I had one woman excitedly announce that she surprised herself that day by doing a flat-footed squat to the ground. She shared how she had never been able to do that, even though she could do 100 chair-squats with no problem. Then one day, she was squatting down to show her child something and realized her feet were flat and her bum was at the ground. She was wildly proud.
If You Aren’t Seeing Changes
Over the years, I’ve come across some people who say they enjoy Pilates but didn’t ever get results. This always reminds me of two ladies at a studio I used to work at. They would say the same thing, and even added a third weekly session in hopes of getting better results. But when it came down to it, they’d only show up once a week or leave partly through the session because they weren’t feeling well. Seeing changes takes commitment and follow-through. If you aren’t getting the results you want, you may need to be honest about how much you’re doing… or you may need guidance to ensure you’re doing the exercises correctly.
So, back to that timeline. If you do 2 classes a week, you’ll feel better in five weeks, look better in ten, and have a whole new body in fifteen. Now imagine if you practiced Pilates three times a week! How often should you do Pilates? Maybe doing that math will help you decide.