Pilates Disadvantages
Your fitness routine may have started to feel a little on the stale side. So why not join a new type of class – this way your routine will begin to feel fresh once more.
Pilates certainly can be a great way to expand on those fitness horizons, irrespective you use a reformer or a mat during classes.
It’s a particularly versatile pursuit. Yes, you can do pilates in a studio or gym but there’s no real need to. Instead, you might prefer to join in with a virtual or streaming online class.
For sure, there are lots of benefits to taking up Pilates.
There’s no equipment required, though you can invest in equipment if you wish.
As mentioned, you can do your Pilates in a studio or a gym. But if you prefer you can take a virtual online class – a streaming class in the comfort of your own home.
And there are many more benefits as well.
But, as with all sports, or keep-fit pursuits, there are downsides as well.
As stated, Pilates is easy to do either at home or in a studio. With frequent practice, you’ll build a rock-solid core while your mobility and flexibility will greatly improve. You’ll look and you will most likely feel a lot better, given a bit of time.
Nevertheless, for beginners, the more advanced movements can carry some risk of injury. And regardless that the workouts can be very challenging, there are other ways that are far better if you wish to burn calories to lose weight.
Pilates Disadvantages
If you love Pilates then you’re maybe thinking that there can’t be any downsides. It’s all beneficial.
There’s no doubt that Pilates can provide an excellent workout but that’s not to say it’s an excellent workout for everybody.
Folks that suffer from arthritis or osteoporosis don’t tend to think that Pilates is the be-all and end-all.
Anyhow, let’s look at the disadvantages of Pilates now.
1. There’s no cardio involved which some people firmly believe is required for steady weight loss.
If you’re doing Pilates for weight loss then sorry to say but there are better ways, more rapid ways to lose weight than through Pilates.
As an anaerobic exercise form, Pilates doesn’t do too much to help you to lose weight.
WebMD has a fitness calculator, and if you were to use it, you could, or perhaps would find out that for someone that weighs 150 pounds will likely burn 218 calories during an hour-long Pilates class.
Now, let’s say you were to jog for the same amount of time – one hour. How many calories do you think you’d burn?
According to the fitness calculator, your total caloric burn would amount to 476 calories, which is more than double.
The tool is fun to use so here’s another example:
Bicycling – well, mountain biking – again for 1 hour. Individual is 150 lbs. How many calories burned do you think?
More than jogging. 578 calories burned.
Yes, Pilates can help to build muscles. Yes, Pilates can help to strengthen muscles. But what Pilates fails to do is to provide you with a superior form of cardiovascular workout.
If you want cardio, think about running, consider swimming, or get involved in Zumba classes, all of which are anaerobic forms of exercise.
2. Pilates Disadvantages – Want to build muscle mass? Want to get ripped? Pilates is not for you.
If you’re looking to add on muscle mass and muscle definition then look to weightlifting as a way to achieve your goal.
Pilates does complement weightlifting and bodybuilding but you are not going to pile on the pounds and get tremendously ripped looking muscle definition through this practice alone.
If you wish to tone your muscles, to shape your muscles, yes, Pilates is a perfect choice. Just not for building muscle mass.
3. Joseph Pilates is the creator of Pilates (hence the name). Modern-day Pilates is not quite the same ‘vehicle’ as it once was.
When Joseph and his wife Clara first introduced Pilates as a pursuit in their New York ‘Body Conditioning Gym” back in the 1920s, the moves, just as in yoga, were very precise and the mind was very focused.
Modern-day Pilates is not the same practice as it was back in the 1920s. Over the years, a lot of ‘stuff’ has been added and some traditionalists would argue that the pursuit is diluted in comparison to what it once was.
Of course, any exercise program is going to alter over many years. It’s to be fully expected. But for those that are perfectionists, today’s Pilates simply will not do.
4. Pilates Disadvantages – In need of physical rehab? Pilates may not cover all your needs.
Many folks say that Pilates is excellent if you are in need of physical rehabilitation. For sure, when done correctly, Pilates can work well in terms of rehab.
Joining any Pilates class because you are in need of physical rehabilitation is not going to work. Well, it may, but if you’re looking for top-notch results, it’s very likely you’re going to be disappointed.
Instead, you’ll want Pilates exercises that are customized – designed with your specific needs in mind.
5. Want quick results? You can forget Pilates.
Frustration is often part of the game for those that are green when it comes to Pilates. Folks join a class with full expectation of a miracle occurring – some physical transformation, whether it be to lose weight, build muscle mass (which doesn’t ever happen with Pilates), or develop muscle tone or flexibility.
Sure, you will, if you keep up the classes, see the results you may want to see, but it’s going to take quite some time so patience is a necessity.
6. Disadvantages of Pilates – To do it right you need to focus!
If you have a few minutes during your lunch break or you can spare a little time before collecting the kids from school or doing dinner, then don’t bother trying to fill those few minutes with some Pilates.
All Pilates exercises call for a high level of focus if you want to perform those exercises at a peak level. If you have regular interruptions, constant distractions – the kids, the phone, the spouse, the whatever… those interruptions and distractions are going to get in the way of a decent Pilates workout.
7. Good to calm down, not so good at helping you to release frustration.
Everyone is different and everyone reacts differently to different things in life. But the general rule here is that Pilates is very good if you want to feel calm afterward. Pilates is not so great if you want to shed frustration.
If you feel angry about something, deeply frustrated by something, then Pilates is perhaps not going to help with that.
Instead, you may want to turn your attention to something much more physical. Some people like a long walk. Some go for a run. Some do boxing. Some swimming. But Pilates? Maybe not.
8. Disadvantages of Pilates – Any exercise can result in injury; Pilates is no different.
Sustaining an injury during a nice, slow-motion movement is not something you’d think possible. But it is possible, much more so if posture is incorrect, and movement is not slow and steady. Plus, there has to be plenty of focus as well.
If the exercises are rushed or the incorrect posture is used, well, you may not come away with merely the tweak of a muscle or two.
9. An ache here, a pain there – Pilates is not a daily exercise regime.
Leading on from the prior point, and once again, you might not be thinking that Pilates can lead to aches, pains, and strains. But you would be wrong.
Next-day exercise pain is part and parcel of the Pilates game. It can take a day, maybe two, perhaps longer to achieve sufficient recovery before you’re able to partake once more.
If you’re in need of a daily exercise regimen because you really want to get stuck in, due to the standard aches, pains, and strains that come with the exercises, Pilates is likely not the right candidate for you.
10. Pilates Disadvantages – Expensive classes.
It’s a pursuit that was originally designed for everyone, no matter about physical condition, irrespective of age, and not dependent on background either.
But these days, classes can prove to be costly. While many more people would love to get involved in Pilates classes, Pilates is no longer for everyone because not everyone is able to afford it.
So, Ask Yourself: Is Pilates Right for Me?
Yes, Pilates is not all up-side with no downside. There’s quite a bit of both. But the downside is not nearly enough to put off over 9 million people in the US doing Pilates on a regular basis. It’s not enough to put off the 70% of individuals in the UK that would rather do Pilates than yoga.
So, how about you? Are you a total believer in Pilates? A true Pilates convert? Or perhaps you’re here reading this article because you’re still on the fence.
Entirely your call and irrespective of whether you’re a true believer or a fence-sitter, I wish you the very best with (or without) Pilates as a large part of your life!
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