Body Weight Exercises in Pilates

I know that I am guaranteed to hear several groans when I announce that it is time for pushups, burpees, or planks. Why? Because doing body weight exercises in Pilates (or any workout) is darned hard! It is surprising when you realize that these exercises are about holding up or moving your own body – no extra equipment needed. 

Mastering Body Weight Exercises in Pilates Mat Workouts

Push-ups are the final exercise in the Classical Mat Pilates sequence. Each exercise in the series helps to prepare your body for the next. Alignment, strength, and mobility are practiced so you are ready for the big finale of the push-up. 

Given its end-position in the sequence, you can guess that push-ups are hard! You might not be  ready for that push-up on day one of Pilates, and it can take months of practice to learn the technique, form, and choreography of each exercise that precedes it. But oh, it sure is worth it when you complete a full, controlled push-up! 

Mat work as a whole can be very difficult. Just like the push-up, all mat exercises utilize body weight to challenge you. After all, you have nothing to help you but your own muscles. As you become more aware of how to hold and align your body, bodyweight exercises in Pilates will become easier. This is because you will be using more muscles to stabilize you. 

That is why we always say that Pilates is a full body workout. A push-up is not “just” a shoulder and chest exercise; if you are in a solid plank position, you are also going to also be working your core, glutes, and legs as you push up and down. Pretty amazing, if you ask me. 

How the Reformer Affects Your Form

I like the Reformer because it has the ability to make certain movements harder and easier. The springs will make it harder: they force you to figure out within your body how to find alignment and get the equipment to move with control. 

On the other hand, there could be exercises that you just cannot do well on the mat. The apparatus will help you find the proper positioning, and to “connect” to the muscles you need to execute the exercises. It also helps you to “disconnect” from the muscles that you may automatically go-to, but are impeding you from doing the movements properly. As you build strength with the assistance of the equipment, you will find that the same movements become doable on the mat. 

All of the apparatuses, including the reformer, are part of the Pilates system that began with only mat exercises. The apparatuses were designed by Joseph Pilates to help solve problems that he had with teaching certain exercises to his clients. Whether it be due to an injury, surgery, or just not being aware of how to move their bodies, the tools helped Pilates’ clients learn his method so they could move better through their days. 

Body Weight Exercises All Day, Every Day

Every day, we do body weight exercises without even thinking about it; sitting is a squat, walking up stairs means balancing on one foot, and getting out of bed is a sit up. Why wouldn’t we want to get stronger at these every day movements, and prevent injuries? 

As you get stronger and more controlled, it becomes satisfying to execute those once-difficult exercises with ease and grace. Think about gymnasts, Cirque du Soleil performers, dancers, and martial artists. Their sports use primarily body weight and the practice of specific movements. The same is true of Pilates on the mat. And like those sports, as you get stronger and more controlled in Pilates, you progress and increase the difficulty. 

If you ask me what my favourite type of Pilates is, I don’t know if I can answer that! I began with only mat, but then discovered the reformer and fell in love. The other apparatuses soon followed. Once the “novelty” of the apparatus wore off, I soon realized how one type of Pilates helps the other, and it makes me just want to do more of it all! 

Read: Should I Do Mat or Apparatus Pilates?

During the pandemic closure, I started doing mat Pilates daily, supplemented by the apparatus a couple times a week. After a few weeks, I was feeling stronger than ever – all thanks to learning to use my own body weight to challenge me. 
Are you ready to embrace body weight exercises in Pilates or personal training? Let’s talk! And if you aren’t comfortable coming into the studio, check out my App that has new classes added each week.