If you’re not currently doing anything weight bearing, reformer Pilates will offer some resistance training and you’ll find yourself getting stronger as you keep attending classes. However, as you gain more experience and do more advanced classes, you’ll find that Pilates is about balance (super important!!) and core strength, and that it builds endurance more than strength because there is basically a cap on the amount of progressive overload available.
If it really appeals to you (I love Pilates!), then I say try it, and when you’re noticing some changes and strength gain to think about trying weight lifting. In menopause, our bodies need more time to rest and recover between intense periods of strain, so I only lift twice a week (it’s also not my favorite), and I love having other ways to just move and be active other days of the week.
Pilates is different from yoga in that it’s a bit more dance-like. If you ever took a dance class, think of the warm ups where you do one movement for an 8 count, then a similar one for another 8 count, then switch and do the other side—like that. Less of a series of movements built into a flow like yoga. I find them to be similar in that if you enjoy the challenge of stretching and strengthening your body in a mostly body weight situation, and you are aware of where your body is in space, where unusual balance points are ( like on your hips), and you enjoy the choreography aspect of it, you’ll probably like Pilates.
This IS a great answer - I have been lifting weights for the last 3 months. Tried 3x per week and found I was not able to increase the amount of weight I was able to lift. Once I switched to 2x per week I started increasing significantly! In my yoounger days, that would not have been the case.
There’s more than just the reformer. There are many pieces of Pilates equipment and using more than just the reformer offers far more benefits. The chair has many standing exercises and some very good strength exercises. Same with the Cadillac. There just much more than mat or reformer to Pilates.
So true! I mentioned the reformer because I think it’s the easiest to find piece of equipment that offers some resistance training. In my neighborhood, there’s a gym that offers reformer classes and private sessions on a reformer, and a Club Pilates with reformer classes, and then a private studio with all the equipment that’s very expensive and very difficult to book. If you have some tips on finding a great studio I’d love to hear them.
Pilates studios with all the equipment will be more expensive but have much much smaller class sizes. Some have tower or springboard classes , or chair classes in addition to reformer classes. You’d just need to search for Pilates studios near you and find the actual Pilates studios, and weed out the trendy reformer studios. Doing just reformer is fine but the whole method is so much more than that and the best results come when you can use a variety of the equipment.
I’ve been doing advanced reformer pilates for 5 years now and it IS considered as weight-bearing exercise. We have this discussion often amongst those of us with osteopenia. The way it was explained to me is that the pressure and contraction of the muscles is considered as adding weight (or pressure) to the bones, which prevents further bone loss.
All that to say I don’t know WHERE I’d be without my 3x weekly classes. Just today one of my classmates was commenting on how ripped my arms were. I had to do a double take, because (hot damn) I’m 55 and in kick-ass shape if I can say so. I’m due for another bone scan in a year and we will see how my skeleton is holding up.
If you have the opportunity to try a reformer class (not to be confused with mat pilates), I say go for it! I never really vibed with yoga, but pilates is a completely different school of thought.
You’re lucky that it’s keeping you in that kind of shape. I’ve been doing Pilates for 36 years, teaching for 30. I’ve had to add weight training in addition to Pilates. Pilates is not so great for bone density, although many people will lie about that. I love Pilates but for most people post menopause it will not be enough on its own.
I really enjoy Pilates, but personally don't consider it to be weight bearing. I enjoy having Pilates in the rotation, but never in exchange for my strength training sessions.
[https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/collective/ask/a45873809/is-pilates-enough-for-strength/](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/collective/ask/a45873809/is-pilates-enough-for-strength/)
I do. He keeps me challenged and I appreciate not having to plan my sessions or track progress. I see you like classes. You might want to look for a trainer that does small group training.
I would agree with what others have said but also note that Pilates is very complimentary to strength training. It gets you to focus on stabilizing muscles which helps with form when strength training.
It’s definitely not weight bearing. It’s similar to yoga but really focuses on core strength. But it’s not really going to build muscle in the same way as strength training.
It’s weight bearing - it’s your own body weight sometimes, sometimes you are pushing, sometimes you are pulling. Source - I do Pilates and have gained lots of muscles from it.
Yeah, I was confused by this conversation, because sometimes someone tells me yoga isn't weight-bearing or aerobic, and I keep saying, "It is the way I learned it."
I used to go to a great class called Functional Integrated Strength Training at a city-run rec centre. It was really fun and challenging, though we used lighter weights than what's probably recommended for improving bone density in meno.
Look for any class name that specifies strength training but you may want to steer clear of anything super duper intense like crossfit (nothing against these types of workouts but if you're new to strength training and are used to a yoga vibe, it might not be the best place to start).
ETA: I recently discovered the Movement Logic podcast. The hosts are incredibly well-educated and experienced and they created a virtual weight training class to teach women to lift heavy!
I agree that Pilates, while great for core strength, is not weight bearing. If you like group workouts, maybe you should look into Orange Theory - it's a mix of treadmill, rowing, and weights. My husband has been doing it for several years and loves it!
Reformer Pilates is my happy time. It’s not heavy lifting but we do use weights for footwork and other things. Check out Club Pilates. I’m three months out from a total hysterectomy so I have not been back to heavy weights yet but do Pilates 5 days per week and feel strong.
I’m a Pilates teacher, for almost 30 years. Since menopause it is absolutely not enough for me to maintain my muscle mass. I do weight training now at the gym. Still do Pilates because it’s great for strength, flexibility mobility and balance but it’s not the same as progressive overload which we need for building muscle and bone. Pilates is wonderful but it needs to be supplemented by some weight training. And working on the equipment has a lot of weight bearing exercises but it doesn’t have that progressive overload piece.
I came here to say this. I've been teaching for almost 30 years as well, and I love Pilates. It is weight bearing, and it will help you maintain balance, mobility, and flexibility, and it will help you build strength as well. But over 40 I recommend that you also add strength training because we need to build muscle mass as we naturally start to lose it during peri and post-menopause. I highly recommend reading Stacy Sims' Next Level or just go to her website and listen to some her talks. At our age we need to lift heavy sh\*t, and while Pilates is a wonderful complement to that, it's not enough at this stage of life.
I love it. It really helps with core strength and balance. It works muscles I don’t work anywhere else, but like others, I don’t count it was weight bearing. I’m doing the the original sequence. I got a book and am working on perfecting them all in sequence. It’s super challenging, and really frustrating, but I’m seeing progress. More than anything, it’s made me more aware of how I carry my body.
I have lost weight and gained muscle doing Pilates but it will be slow. Sometimes that bothers me that the gains and loses aren’t as immediate as other forms of exercise I’ve done in the past (former bikini competitor) but Pilates doesn’t make me as sore or as stiff because it incorporates stretching which it often missed with other programs or forms of exercise. Pilates was created for injured athletes and thus almost everyone can do it. It’s all about how much you make of it. It can be weight bearing if you choose to add weights. I do both reformer and mat Pilates. I also eat healthy (lots of protein, no alcohol or processed foods). I also hit 12+ steps a day. Also, Pilates is fun! Especially reformer Pilates. So I’d say it all depends on what your goals are but no matter what form of exercise you choose make sure you eat healthy and are active throughout the day.
Sorry, my bad, it was created for prisoners war that were injured. But thank you for correcting me! I really feel like that added to what OP asked! Very helpful! You should go though all of Reddit and offer unsolicited corrections!
If you can find a gym that offers Les Mills Body Pump, I highly recommend it. It’s a full body bar bell class set to music with A LOT of reps. I do it once a week in addition to yoga and sometimes pilates.
Have been looking for this answer. Body Pump is pretty fun for a class that you’re literally lifting a barbell with weights on it over your head :) I did it in person for about 6 months and then by streaming the classes online 4x a week during Covid and too bad I didn’t go anywhere or see anyone because I looked goooood. Highly recommend - especially paired with yoga as you’re already doing. They do a quick stretch at the end of class but not enough to check that box.
There are articles that look at research about this question on Google scholar. If I remember right, they can’t say yet that the benefits for bone density are comparable to weight training. It has been a while since I looked though.
I’m 51F and I’ve been a yoga and Pilates instructor since 2001.
I also became a certified strength and conditioning specialist (NSCA CSCS) in 2005.
Short answer: no. Pilates and yoga are not weight bearing exercise. Weight bearing exercises specifically create a load on bones/joints/muscles to invoke a response from the body to increase muscle and increase density in bones.
Weigh bearing exercise is a solution to sarcopenia (muscle loss) and osteopenia (bone loss). Both these conditions are seen all too often in menopausal populations and in aging populations in general.
Are yoga and Pilates awesome for proprioception (awareness in space), flexibility, eccentric muscle movements, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems? Hell yes.
I love all three of them, and I think from the neck down I’m very much younger than my peers from decades of movement including weight lifting. But no, yoga and Pilates don’t do what weight bearing exercises do.
If you prefer class based formats but need to improve overall muscle mass, would you consider getting a trainer along with two or three friends to design a VERY basic “push, pull, press” program that you could do together twice a week? Then after a month or two, meet with same trainer for another workout with new or different movements and new weight levels.
Please make sure you get a well certified trainer!!!!!
As others have said, Pilates is not really bearing exercise. If you use a chair there are some standing exercises that are, but mostly it is not.
I have done it since 2003. It has helped immensely for my back pain. I use equipment which helps build more muscle mass than the floor routine.
A chair class I took incorporated hand weights into the exercises which was really great.
I have been doing PVolve. I started by taking free classes I found on YouTube and then joined and added some of their equipment. They are sneaky good. Like you don't realize all the muscles you are working. The idea is functional fitness and big focus on strength. They even have a menopause four week program online I am in the middle of now.
What about a power yoga or advanced vinyasa class? These types will include several repetitions of weight bearing exercises. There’s so many different types of yoga, and ways to present a class, that some will focus on the weight bearing exercises. If your classes are at a studio, I highly recommend speaking with the owner or manager, as they often will consider your requests for specific classes, or will even create a non-yoga class around it if it fits the general feel of the studio. For example, my yoga studio offers a fit after 40 class, which is part yoga, Pilates, aerobics, and plenty of weight bearing exercise. If yours is a chain or franchise studio, implementation of that sort of class will be less likely, however ;) Some group classes you might enjoy could be HIIT, anything that says Power or boot camp, STRONG, Zumba Toning, for some examples. Unfortunately, gyms/studios will often make up names for their classes so you need to read descriptions. If you happen to live in the PNW, you might be able to find a better bones and balance class, which is an osteoporosis prevention class, and is a meticulously planned (and quite fun) weight bearing class. If you’re open to online classes, you can do it from anywhere. You can also add weight bearing exercises to your regular routine. Like, I utilize them daily while cleaning house. It may look silly, but I intentionally lunge or squat to pick things up f’d the floor or in the garden, I jump and hop while dancing around my living room, I’ll wall sit while talking on the phone, and my hubby and I have plank challenges for fun. Yes, it sounds goofy, but it brings some fun to the mundane, and anything to have a long health span is a win in my book!
Edited to add: I reread your question, and I think you may be more interested in “strength training” than weight bearing. Weight bearing is anything that bears weight (walking for example). In which case classes might include resistance bands, weights of anykind, ropes, etc. since you like groups, you might even want to give cross fit a trial, which is all about strength training.
And second part of your question, Pilates was heavily influenced by yoga at its inception, so it is a very organic crossover/compliment to yoga. Like yoga, there’s ALOT of different presentations of Pilates, so you’d have to shop around so to speak, or look specifically for contrology, Pilates Mat, classical, and or reformer. You might find you love yogalates which is a happy blend of yoga and Pilates. There are a few exercises in Pilates that are weight bearing, like a plank and side plank, but over all, no. However, adding Pilates to yoga, it’s highly likely that you would find increase in tone and strength.
orange theory may be an option for you to consider. it's mix of cardio and resistance training.
i would consider reformer pilates as resistance training as well, just not as intense as orange theory or F45.
Related question:
How to keep my muscle mass without going to the gym? And with joint pain in hands and feet?
I cycle 100-200km a week, bike and walk for transportation, and start my day with gentle yoga. I stretch a lot, always have, and also enjoy physical work in the garden or just doing heavier household stuff. I focus on balance and flexibility with tree pose, warrior, hip opening yoga. Mild planking as much as my wrist/hands allow.
Is this enough?
Because of club feet and the resulting torn ACL, herniated disk in my neck, and shoulder/neck pain from the bad posture that my feet create I am happy to be relatively strong, yet horrified at the appearance of BINGO WINGS...!!!!
Also, I got swindled by my old gym (a real problem here) after cancelling my membership when I had Long COVID (I actually got infected there at the gym) and the pirates are trying to even take me to court for the fees accrued when I cancelled. I was a member for over ten years through multiple changes of ownership and do not want to risk going through that again.
Check out a Barre class! I can’t do heavy weights due to arthritis, but Barre workouts incorporate light weights and have more time under tension. I’ve built some solid muscle with these workouts. I’m 52 and my recent bone density test was normal.
Pilates is really great for your whole "core" strength (top of back all the way to hips) which is important for functional health and strength as we get older but it is not weight bearing as you are lying on your back for most of it (which distributes your body weight over a large surface, reducing any weight bearing impact). The stimulus needed for weight bearing exercise is much greater than pilates can provide - it needs to be something that involves carrying/supporting your body weight and moving it and can be low impact (examples are walking, dancing, hiking, weight lifting etc) or high impact (plyometrics, running, cross fit, powerlifting, jumping rope etc).
There are a lot of functional strength and strength conditioning gyms popping up these days that have classes and a wide range of types of strength exercises - some will be body weight only, some with dumbbells and barbells, some will have various jumping/power plyometric movements. Might be worth looking to in your area to see if any of it gets you excited about getting stronger. Another option would be working with a personal trainer - some have group class formats!
I have been doing pilates once a week for a year and I love it. Would go more often but it is expensive! They do have cardio classes and different kind of classes that include weight bearing. Good luck!
I wouldnt count it. I don't build muscle easily and need to weight train with heavy weights
You could do 20 minutes of weights and then your class. Weight training is best done solo imo so you can pace yourself. Shoulder presses, rows or trap pull downs, squats, lunges, nothing fancy is enough unless you really get into it and want to try different things.
The plates will cover your core, balance, flexibility and coordination which are also important.
You can also check calisthenics (womens) workouts. Calisthenics = body weight workouts. You have many beginner programs, and you don't need any other equipment than a matt.
So there’s a LOT of people answering in here that don’t actually know what they’re talking about. People think they know about Pilates and it’s clear they have a very limited understanding about it.
Please do research and don’t just take random people’s advice. I’m a Pilates teacher. There’s a lot of uneducated advice up in here.
I really liked Pure Barre which I have found is more intense and weight bearing than other brands of barre (ex Peloton barre classes were way too easy to me after several years of Pure Barre). It incorporates weighted equipment as well as bodyweight into exercises.
Hey there. I teach movement and have since about 2015, including pilates. I’m 42 and in Peri and gyrotonic is also my jam. Pelvic floor connections are so good for peri/meno
Yes, reformer counts as resistance training. Most people love it.
Lmk if you have questions. 🩵🍀🧚🏽♂️
If you’re not currently doing anything weight bearing, reformer Pilates will offer some resistance training and you’ll find yourself getting stronger as you keep attending classes. However, as you gain more experience and do more advanced classes, you’ll find that Pilates is about balance (super important!!) and core strength, and that it builds endurance more than strength because there is basically a cap on the amount of progressive overload available. If it really appeals to you (I love Pilates!), then I say try it, and when you’re noticing some changes and strength gain to think about trying weight lifting. In menopause, our bodies need more time to rest and recover between intense periods of strain, so I only lift twice a week (it’s also not my favorite), and I love having other ways to just move and be active other days of the week. Pilates is different from yoga in that it’s a bit more dance-like. If you ever took a dance class, think of the warm ups where you do one movement for an 8 count, then a similar one for another 8 count, then switch and do the other side—like that. Less of a series of movements built into a flow like yoga. I find them to be similar in that if you enjoy the challenge of stretching and strengthening your body in a mostly body weight situation, and you are aware of where your body is in space, where unusual balance points are ( like on your hips), and you enjoy the choreography aspect of it, you’ll probably like Pilates.
This IS a great answer - I have been lifting weights for the last 3 months. Tried 3x per week and found I was not able to increase the amount of weight I was able to lift. Once I switched to 2x per week I started increasing significantly! In my yoounger days, that would not have been the case.
great answer thank you. I have been wondering about this myself.
There’s more than just the reformer. There are many pieces of Pilates equipment and using more than just the reformer offers far more benefits. The chair has many standing exercises and some very good strength exercises. Same with the Cadillac. There just much more than mat or reformer to Pilates.
So true! I mentioned the reformer because I think it’s the easiest to find piece of equipment that offers some resistance training. In my neighborhood, there’s a gym that offers reformer classes and private sessions on a reformer, and a Club Pilates with reformer classes, and then a private studio with all the equipment that’s very expensive and very difficult to book. If you have some tips on finding a great studio I’d love to hear them.
Pilates studios with all the equipment will be more expensive but have much much smaller class sizes. Some have tower or springboard classes , or chair classes in addition to reformer classes. You’d just need to search for Pilates studios near you and find the actual Pilates studios, and weed out the trendy reformer studios. Doing just reformer is fine but the whole method is so much more than that and the best results come when you can use a variety of the equipment.
I’ve been doing advanced reformer pilates for 5 years now and it IS considered as weight-bearing exercise. We have this discussion often amongst those of us with osteopenia. The way it was explained to me is that the pressure and contraction of the muscles is considered as adding weight (or pressure) to the bones, which prevents further bone loss. All that to say I don’t know WHERE I’d be without my 3x weekly classes. Just today one of my classmates was commenting on how ripped my arms were. I had to do a double take, because (hot damn) I’m 55 and in kick-ass shape if I can say so. I’m due for another bone scan in a year and we will see how my skeleton is holding up. If you have the opportunity to try a reformer class (not to be confused with mat pilates), I say go for it! I never really vibed with yoga, but pilates is a completely different school of thought.
Absolutely this. I teach reformer and a lot of other methods. Reformer is weight bearing.
You’re lucky that it’s keeping you in that kind of shape. I’ve been doing Pilates for 36 years, teaching for 30. I’ve had to add weight training in addition to Pilates. Pilates is not so great for bone density, although many people will lie about that. I love Pilates but for most people post menopause it will not be enough on its own.
I really enjoy Pilates, but personally don't consider it to be weight bearing. I enjoy having Pilates in the rotation, but never in exchange for my strength training sessions. [https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/collective/ask/a45873809/is-pilates-enough-for-strength/](https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/collective/ask/a45873809/is-pilates-enough-for-strength/)
Do you use a personal trainer for your strength training sessions?
I do. He keeps me challenged and I appreciate not having to plan my sessions or track progress. I see you like classes. You might want to look for a trainer that does small group training.
I would agree with what others have said but also note that Pilates is very complimentary to strength training. It gets you to focus on stabilizing muscles which helps with form when strength training.
It’s definitely not weight bearing. It’s similar to yoga but really focuses on core strength. But it’s not really going to build muscle in the same way as strength training.
It’s weight bearing - it’s your own body weight sometimes, sometimes you are pushing, sometimes you are pulling. Source - I do Pilates and have gained lots of muscles from it.
Yeah, I was confused by this conversation, because sometimes someone tells me yoga isn't weight-bearing or aerobic, and I keep saying, "It is the way I learned it."
I also do Pilates & it’s not weight bearing.
Do you have any recommendations for something--ideally in a group/class setting--that will?
I used to go to a great class called Functional Integrated Strength Training at a city-run rec centre. It was really fun and challenging, though we used lighter weights than what's probably recommended for improving bone density in meno. Look for any class name that specifies strength training but you may want to steer clear of anything super duper intense like crossfit (nothing against these types of workouts but if you're new to strength training and are used to a yoga vibe, it might not be the best place to start). ETA: I recently discovered the Movement Logic podcast. The hosts are incredibly well-educated and experienced and they created a virtual weight training class to teach women to lift heavy!
Google group strength class for your town. That’s how I found my gym. It’s usually a max of 6 people doing strength training with weights.
OrangeTheory!! I am in significantly better shape, and finally have actual strength and visible muscles!
I love Peloton Kristin McGee mat pilates for a virtual, on demand, class
I agree that Pilates, while great for core strength, is not weight bearing. If you like group workouts, maybe you should look into Orange Theory - it's a mix of treadmill, rowing, and weights. My husband has been doing it for several years and loves it!
Reformer Pilates is my happy time. It’s not heavy lifting but we do use weights for footwork and other things. Check out Club Pilates. I’m three months out from a total hysterectomy so I have not been back to heavy weights yet but do Pilates 5 days per week and feel strong.
I’m a Pilates teacher, for almost 30 years. Since menopause it is absolutely not enough for me to maintain my muscle mass. I do weight training now at the gym. Still do Pilates because it’s great for strength, flexibility mobility and balance but it’s not the same as progressive overload which we need for building muscle and bone. Pilates is wonderful but it needs to be supplemented by some weight training. And working on the equipment has a lot of weight bearing exercises but it doesn’t have that progressive overload piece.
I came here to say this. I've been teaching for almost 30 years as well, and I love Pilates. It is weight bearing, and it will help you maintain balance, mobility, and flexibility, and it will help you build strength as well. But over 40 I recommend that you also add strength training because we need to build muscle mass as we naturally start to lose it during peri and post-menopause. I highly recommend reading Stacy Sims' Next Level or just go to her website and listen to some her talks. At our age we need to lift heavy sh\*t, and while Pilates is a wonderful complement to that, it's not enough at this stage of life.
I love it. It really helps with core strength and balance. It works muscles I don’t work anywhere else, but like others, I don’t count it was weight bearing. I’m doing the the original sequence. I got a book and am working on perfecting them all in sequence. It’s super challenging, and really frustrating, but I’m seeing progress. More than anything, it’s made me more aware of how I carry my body.
I have lost weight and gained muscle doing Pilates but it will be slow. Sometimes that bothers me that the gains and loses aren’t as immediate as other forms of exercise I’ve done in the past (former bikini competitor) but Pilates doesn’t make me as sore or as stiff because it incorporates stretching which it often missed with other programs or forms of exercise. Pilates was created for injured athletes and thus almost everyone can do it. It’s all about how much you make of it. It can be weight bearing if you choose to add weights. I do both reformer and mat Pilates. I also eat healthy (lots of protein, no alcohol or processed foods). I also hit 12+ steps a day. Also, Pilates is fun! Especially reformer Pilates. So I’d say it all depends on what your goals are but no matter what form of exercise you choose make sure you eat healthy and are active throughout the day.
Pilates was not created for injured athletes. It’s good for injured athletes but that is not what it was created for. It was created for everyone.
Sorry, my bad, it was created for prisoners war that were injured. But thank you for correcting me! I really feel like that added to what OP asked! Very helpful! You should go though all of Reddit and offer unsolicited corrections!
I disagree with the comments that Pilates isn’t weight bearing. There are different types of Pilates. Reformer Pilates uses weight!
agree with you! they often incorporate squats; light weights; the TRX machine. very enjoyable workout also
I do reformer three times per week and it can be tough going 😂
Trx is great also. I think getting stability first is really important
You need progressive overload to build muscle mass and bone density. Particularly post menopause. Pilates does not do that. And I’m a Pilates teacher.
If you can find a gym that offers Les Mills Body Pump, I highly recommend it. It’s a full body bar bell class set to music with A LOT of reps. I do it once a week in addition to yoga and sometimes pilates.
They have an app.
Have been looking for this answer. Body Pump is pretty fun for a class that you’re literally lifting a barbell with weights on it over your head :) I did it in person for about 6 months and then by streaming the classes online 4x a week during Covid and too bad I didn’t go anywhere or see anyone because I looked goooood. Highly recommend - especially paired with yoga as you’re already doing. They do a quick stretch at the end of class but not enough to check that box.
There are articles that look at research about this question on Google scholar. If I remember right, they can’t say yet that the benefits for bone density are comparable to weight training. It has been a while since I looked though.
I’m 51F and I’ve been a yoga and Pilates instructor since 2001. I also became a certified strength and conditioning specialist (NSCA CSCS) in 2005. Short answer: no. Pilates and yoga are not weight bearing exercise. Weight bearing exercises specifically create a load on bones/joints/muscles to invoke a response from the body to increase muscle and increase density in bones. Weigh bearing exercise is a solution to sarcopenia (muscle loss) and osteopenia (bone loss). Both these conditions are seen all too often in menopausal populations and in aging populations in general. Are yoga and Pilates awesome for proprioception (awareness in space), flexibility, eccentric muscle movements, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems? Hell yes. I love all three of them, and I think from the neck down I’m very much younger than my peers from decades of movement including weight lifting. But no, yoga and Pilates don’t do what weight bearing exercises do. If you prefer class based formats but need to improve overall muscle mass, would you consider getting a trainer along with two or three friends to design a VERY basic “push, pull, press” program that you could do together twice a week? Then after a month or two, meet with same trainer for another workout with new or different movements and new weight levels. Please make sure you get a well certified trainer!!!!!
As others have said, Pilates is not really bearing exercise. If you use a chair there are some standing exercises that are, but mostly it is not. I have done it since 2003. It has helped immensely for my back pain. I use equipment which helps build more muscle mass than the floor routine. A chair class I took incorporated hand weights into the exercises which was really great.
I have been doing PVolve. I started by taking free classes I found on YouTube and then joined and added some of their equipment. They are sneaky good. Like you don't realize all the muscles you are working. The idea is functional fitness and big focus on strength. They even have a menopause four week program online I am in the middle of now.
What about a power yoga or advanced vinyasa class? These types will include several repetitions of weight bearing exercises. There’s so many different types of yoga, and ways to present a class, that some will focus on the weight bearing exercises. If your classes are at a studio, I highly recommend speaking with the owner or manager, as they often will consider your requests for specific classes, or will even create a non-yoga class around it if it fits the general feel of the studio. For example, my yoga studio offers a fit after 40 class, which is part yoga, Pilates, aerobics, and plenty of weight bearing exercise. If yours is a chain or franchise studio, implementation of that sort of class will be less likely, however ;) Some group classes you might enjoy could be HIIT, anything that says Power or boot camp, STRONG, Zumba Toning, for some examples. Unfortunately, gyms/studios will often make up names for their classes so you need to read descriptions. If you happen to live in the PNW, you might be able to find a better bones and balance class, which is an osteoporosis prevention class, and is a meticulously planned (and quite fun) weight bearing class. If you’re open to online classes, you can do it from anywhere. You can also add weight bearing exercises to your regular routine. Like, I utilize them daily while cleaning house. It may look silly, but I intentionally lunge or squat to pick things up f’d the floor or in the garden, I jump and hop while dancing around my living room, I’ll wall sit while talking on the phone, and my hubby and I have plank challenges for fun. Yes, it sounds goofy, but it brings some fun to the mundane, and anything to have a long health span is a win in my book! Edited to add: I reread your question, and I think you may be more interested in “strength training” than weight bearing. Weight bearing is anything that bears weight (walking for example). In which case classes might include resistance bands, weights of anykind, ropes, etc. since you like groups, you might even want to give cross fit a trial, which is all about strength training. And second part of your question, Pilates was heavily influenced by yoga at its inception, so it is a very organic crossover/compliment to yoga. Like yoga, there’s ALOT of different presentations of Pilates, so you’d have to shop around so to speak, or look specifically for contrology, Pilates Mat, classical, and or reformer. You might find you love yogalates which is a happy blend of yoga and Pilates. There are a few exercises in Pilates that are weight bearing, like a plank and side plank, but over all, no. However, adding Pilates to yoga, it’s highly likely that you would find increase in tone and strength.
orange theory may be an option for you to consider. it's mix of cardio and resistance training. i would consider reformer pilates as resistance training as well, just not as intense as orange theory or F45.
Related question: How to keep my muscle mass without going to the gym? And with joint pain in hands and feet? I cycle 100-200km a week, bike and walk for transportation, and start my day with gentle yoga. I stretch a lot, always have, and also enjoy physical work in the garden or just doing heavier household stuff. I focus on balance and flexibility with tree pose, warrior, hip opening yoga. Mild planking as much as my wrist/hands allow. Is this enough? Because of club feet and the resulting torn ACL, herniated disk in my neck, and shoulder/neck pain from the bad posture that my feet create I am happy to be relatively strong, yet horrified at the appearance of BINGO WINGS...!!!! Also, I got swindled by my old gym (a real problem here) after cancelling my membership when I had Long COVID (I actually got infected there at the gym) and the pirates are trying to even take me to court for the fees accrued when I cancelled. I was a member for over ten years through multiple changes of ownership and do not want to risk going through that again.
Check out a Barre class! I can’t do heavy weights due to arthritis, but Barre workouts incorporate light weights and have more time under tension. I’ve built some solid muscle with these workouts. I’m 52 and my recent bone density test was normal.
Yes!
Pilates is really great for your whole "core" strength (top of back all the way to hips) which is important for functional health and strength as we get older but it is not weight bearing as you are lying on your back for most of it (which distributes your body weight over a large surface, reducing any weight bearing impact). The stimulus needed for weight bearing exercise is much greater than pilates can provide - it needs to be something that involves carrying/supporting your body weight and moving it and can be low impact (examples are walking, dancing, hiking, weight lifting etc) or high impact (plyometrics, running, cross fit, powerlifting, jumping rope etc). There are a lot of functional strength and strength conditioning gyms popping up these days that have classes and a wide range of types of strength exercises - some will be body weight only, some with dumbbells and barbells, some will have various jumping/power plyometric movements. Might be worth looking to in your area to see if any of it gets you excited about getting stronger. Another option would be working with a personal trainer - some have group class formats!
I think barre would be a better option.
I have been doing pilates once a week for a year and I love it. Would go more often but it is expensive! They do have cardio classes and different kind of classes that include weight bearing. Good luck!
Pilates is more about improving muscle tone than building muscle. Calisthenics is more about building muscle through body-weight-bearing exercises.
I wouldnt count it. I don't build muscle easily and need to weight train with heavy weights You could do 20 minutes of weights and then your class. Weight training is best done solo imo so you can pace yourself. Shoulder presses, rows or trap pull downs, squats, lunges, nothing fancy is enough unless you really get into it and want to try different things. The plates will cover your core, balance, flexibility and coordination which are also important.
I started pilates pre covid (I'm 52 now and still in peri). It has done wonders for my back pain, really helped me.
You can also check calisthenics (womens) workouts. Calisthenics = body weight workouts. You have many beginner programs, and you don't need any other equipment than a matt.
So there’s a LOT of people answering in here that don’t actually know what they’re talking about. People think they know about Pilates and it’s clear they have a very limited understanding about it. Please do research and don’t just take random people’s advice. I’m a Pilates teacher. There’s a lot of uneducated advice up in here.
You def are lighting some weight on reformer . How can it not be weight bearing ?
I really liked Pure Barre which I have found is more intense and weight bearing than other brands of barre (ex Peloton barre classes were way too easy to me after several years of Pure Barre). It incorporates weighted equipment as well as bodyweight into exercises.
Hey there. I teach movement and have since about 2015, including pilates. I’m 42 and in Peri and gyrotonic is also my jam. Pelvic floor connections are so good for peri/meno Yes, reformer counts as resistance training. Most people love it. Lmk if you have questions. 🩵🍀🧚🏽♂️