“Pilates Princess”, “Pilates esthetic”, “Pilates princess esthetic”… On social networks, many trends linked to Pilates are emerging. With more than 39 million posts, this lifestyle is illustrated by flirty sports outfits, flare pants, crop tops and tight vests (often pink or nude). This dress code is accompanied by a healthy but also rather luxurious lifestyle, with numerous gadgets and decor worthy of Hollywood villas (before the dramatic fires that ravaged California).
Above all, this activity is often sold as “losing weight” thanks to content producers who display their slim and slender silhouette in numerous slimming challenges. However, this is in no way the primary objective of Pilates.
The real benefits of Pilates
Whether you do it on a reformer machine, on a mat or even against a wall, Pilates remains first and foremost “work to improve posture,” says Margaux Parmentier, coach at Riise, a Pilates studio in Paris. . It is in this sense that Joseph Pilates, creator of the method, thought of this physical activity. Indeed, Pilates allows you to stand straighter, thanks to constant engagement of the center of the body.
Unlike bodybuilding, this practice consists of “performing numerous repetitions on the same movement and the same muscle,” explains the coach.
Whether using body weight or the resistance of the Reformer machine, the objective is to “work the deep muscles of the body through controlled movements”, to the rhythm of what we call “Pilates breathing”. on which we engage each movement.
“No”, Pilates as such does not make you lose weight
Pilates has become more popular over the years, notably thanks to celebrities or models such as Gigi Hadid or Lori Harvey who have shed more light on the discipline thanks to their powerful audience. However, because of the lifestyle to which it is (wrongly) affiliated on social networks, the labels “luxury” and “reserved for thin and slender women” stick to Pilates, sometimes making certain people less legitimate to practice. this activity.
But this is wrong, since “Pilates is aimed at everyone whatever their level of experience”, adds Margaux Parmentier before continuing: “there is no age, sex, or of required weight”. This specifies in particular that “the weights, resistances and all other tools used during the session can be adapted to each person’s level”. Moreover, to avoid any comparison, some courses at Riise are done in the dark.
And despite the many slimming challenges that we can see with Pilates, the coach warns: “this is not what will make you lose weight or achieve the body of a model”. On the other hand, Pilates is an excellent way to strengthen all the muscles in your body (legs, back, arms, buttocks, abdominal muscles), or even gain joint flexibility.
But how do Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and other famous Pilates practitioners display such a line? It is clear that these celebrities “complement the practice of Pilates with other sports”, says the coach. Namely, several cardio sessions to keep your body fat low, weight training to work the superficial muscles of the body and certainly a dietary rebalancing that is adapted to them.
