Should I Feel Sore After Pilates?

Pilates is designed in a way that it can be done by anyone. It is purposely a gentle form of exercise (low impact), yet it is also very challenging. This may make you wonder if you should feel sore after Pilates. As a corrective form of exercise, Pilates seeks to improve imbalances in strength, mobility, and flexibility through controlled, precise movements. This means that yes, you can feel sore as you work on those things, but no, Pilates shouldn’t hurt! 

Reasons Why You Might Feel Sore After Pilates

1. You’re new to exercise or just getting started again after a break from it. In this case, your muscles will be sore from new movements that your body isn’t used to.
2. You have an extreme imbalance from one side to the other, and the weaker side has had to work very hard to execute the exercise. These imbalances can be caused by repetitive activities or postures from your job, a sport, or hobbies. You can be born with imbalances. Perhaps you have had an accident or surgery that has caused an imbalance. In these cases, the weak side will have a more challenging time controlling the movements. Those muscles likely will be more tired and sore than the stronger side. 
3. You worked really hard! Some Pilates workouts are more flowing and faster-paced.  This is generally once you have more familiarity with the exercises, and you can do more exercises than you might in a slower-paced class.
4. You’ve tried out some new exercises or a progression that your body is new to, challenging your muscles in new ways. 
5. The teacher might slow things down and workshop a particular exercise. In this case, you might repeat the exercise several times while focusing on your form and technique.  

You will definitely feel the burn during some exercises (like your abs during the hundred), but it never lasts for long. That’s because in Classical Pilates we only do a maximum of ten reps of any exercise. In many exercises, we only do three to five reps. 

How Should You Feel After Pilates?

Because pilates is a combination of strength, mobility, and flexibility in each exercise, you should come away feeling great! Clients often say that they leave class feeling taller or more relaxed. Joseph Pilates knew this and wanted his clients to do Pilates every day. His clients would come to the studio for apparatus and mat work, and he would also assign them mat homework between visits. 

If you practice often enough, it will get to the point that you aren’t really sore after Pilates. I find that in my personal practice, I can’t always challenge myself as much as a teacher will challenge me. It’s after those classes that I may not feel like my muscles are sore until the next day when I go to work out or do Pilates that I feel the muscle soreness. 

Sore or not, you should never feel like you ran a marathon or did heavy squats. Remember, Pilates is meant to be gentle! If you do have soreness, it should never last any longer than 48 hours. If it does, or it is “bad” pain, it is advisable to investigate further with a doctor or other health professional like a physiotherapist to find out why.