Should You Do Pilates or Lift Weights

If you are trying to decide if you should do Pilates or lift weights? I say, do both! Pilates will improve your weight lifting, while the lifting will make you stronger in your Pilates. It’s a win-win! It’s easy to see the benefits of strength training (you get stronger!), but what does Pilates have to offer to your weight sessions? A lot. 

Improved Posture

One of the first things I became very aware of when I first started doing Pilates was my posture.  I started to notice if I was slouching or leaning off to one side when sitting or standing.   This started to spill over into my teaching of fitness, personal training clients, and my own personal strength training workouts in the gym. 

Posture is important when it comes to most exercises in the weight room. A good example would be squats and any hinging exercises, like deadlifts, bent over rows, and kettlebell swings. If you’re rounding forward through your upper spine or have excessive extension in the lower spine in a squat, it can cause back pain and potential injury. So when you’re aware of your posture and maintain a relatively neutral spine throughout the exercises, you’re going to move with more power, your core will be working to support you, and there is a lesser risk of injury.

Better Breathing

The second thing I became aware of was my breathing. I always knew that I should be breathing when I lifted weights, but wasn’t always great at it. Sometimes I held my breath (and still do sometimes!), but has made me more aware of it. Now I notice! Using your exhale can really aid you in getting through a difficult exercise. 

Total Body Awareness

Pilates has taught me body awareness at a deeper level than anything else I’ve found. Posture is a big one, but as I’ve been learning and teaching Pilates over the years, I’ve become more aware of the little things. Things like how my head position or where I am looking when I am doing an exercise impact things.   

Head

For example, your body tends to follow your eyes. So if your head is down and looking at the floor as you do a squat,  your body will be more bent over. If you look straight ahead, your back stays taller. The same thing goes for a kettlebell swing;  if you keep your neck and head in line with your spine, you won’t end up rounding your upper spine. 

Feet

As you tune into your body, you’ll notice that one side is more dominant. I’ve learned that I tend to put more weight into my right foot when standing, and I push harder with my right vs my left in many exercises in Pilates. It turns out that my right side is stronger than the left, and when I focus on working evenly through both sides the workout becomes a whole lot more difficult (in a good way). Concentration is key. 

Hands

The same thing goes for my hands. I allow my right hand and wrist to lift off of the mat in exercises where we’re trying to keep even pressure through both sides of the body. This happens partially because my mobility and range of motion of my right shoulder is not as good as it is on the right. When I focus on keeping my hand, wrist, and forearm pressing down into the mat on Pilates exercise, it actually gives me a stretch through my chest and helps with the range of motion. 

Taking that knowledge to the weightroom, holding the barbell for a front squat is much more difficult with a limited range of motion in my shoulder. Since I know this area of my body needs work, I do mobility, stretching, and rolling. I also spend time strengthening my back… All of which contributes to better posture. 

Core

Pilates does a lot of core-strengthening which is also helpful in your strength workouts. Finding good alignment and remembering to breathe well will help your core muscles to naturally engage. Take that into the weight room with you and your core starts to get more of a workout in each and every exercise you do!

Stretching and Mobility

It’s not a secret that most people will leave their strength training session before doing the final stretch and mobility work. I used to be the same, and I know the feeling of my muscles tightening up as the day goes on. Pilates teaches you the movements you need to stay loose after a workout. 

That’s your cooldown, but what about your warmup? I was taught to hop on the bike or treadmill to warm up before lifting weights. Now, though, I know the importance of a full-body dynamic warm up. This means moving all your muscles and joints to wake them up and get them lubricated before picking up your weights. Your body will be ready to go, and not feel stiff or creaky in the beginning. 

Do Pilates or Lift Weights with Me From Anywhere

If you do Pilates or lift weights and want to add the other to your routine to get all these benefits and more, there is an easy way I can support you. No, it’s not fitting another class into your schedule! It’s the Sweat With Melissa App, a monthly subscription that includes a new Pilates mat class and strength workout each month. You also have a whole library of past workouts to choose from! 
The monthly or yearly subscription makes it easy to take me on vacation with you, or to supplement your existing fitness routine when it fits your schedule. With options for beginners to the more experienced, Sweat With Melissa makes moving your body convenient, easy, and fun.