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Pilates is a powerhouse when it comes to burning fat and building muscle. There are hundreds of Pilates moves that will target specific muscle groups to get you into shape. Different classes available offer sequences that will help you to reach your fitness goals, whether you want to lose weight, tone your abs, or build your buns!
If practiced consistently, Pilates has been proven to assist you on your weight loss journey. After just a few moves, you will notice that your heart rate increases and you start to break a sweat, two indicators that your calories are starting to melt.
Over time, you will also see an increase in lean muscle mass and a change in your body composition as stored fat is replaced by new muscle fibers.
A 2021 study found that Pilates dramatically reduced body weight, improved Body Mass Index (BMI),and reduced body fat percentage in adults with obesity (1). Below you will find the top three poses that will help to get you into shape and support your weight loss goals.
Which Pilates moves are the Best Fat Burners?
1. Plank
The Pilates plank position is the best move for toning your abdominals, while also using practically every muscle in your body. It’s like a full body workout in one exercise.
How to do a Plank:
1. Start on your hands and knees in a tabletop position. Shift your weight forward over your wrists and press through your fingers to protect your hands.
2. For a supported plank, keep your knees grounded. Align your knees, hips, and shoulders in one straight line. To do this you’ll have to hold your core in strong and activate your gluteal muscles.
3. If you want to progress to a full plank, tuck your toes and straighten out your legs. Make sure your ankles are now in alignment with your knees, hips and shoulders too.
4. Hold it here and breathe deeply.
Variations:
Once you’ve mastered the full body plank, try some of the fun variations that target other muscles. The one arm side plank will work your obliques. While holding the side plank, you can try the one-legged plank to tone your lower abdominals. If you think they are all easy, add a Pilates pushup to your plank and that will get your arms working too.
2. Swimming
If you are ready for another full-body burner, it’s time to go swimming on land. This move will tone your gluteal muscles, while also giving your arms, legs and core the workout they deserve.
How to do Swimming:
1. Lay on your stomach with your forehead down, arms stretched forward, and legs stretched long.
2. Lift your chest, head, arms, and legs in one go and start to pulse the arms and legs up and down. While pulsing, make sure you are alternating the right and left arms and legs without touching your hands or feet to the mat.
3. Keep swimming as you count down from 10to 1. Try to swim a little longer each time you practice this move.
Variations:
Once you know how to swim forward by pumping the arms up and down, try a sideways swim with a criss-cross move for the arms and legs.Criss-cross the arms over one another and criss-cross the legs at the same time.
3. Leg Pull Up
This one is positioned as a reverse plank. A super move for your arms, core, gluteal muscles, legs, and all! Challenge yourself to a few rounds of these pull-ups.
How to do Leg Pull Ups:
1. Sit on the floor and place your hands behind you, fingers facing toward your body and legs extended long.
2. Press into your heels and lift your hips off the floor. This will open the front side of your body.
3. Hold it here and breath deeply, embracing your reverse plank and feeling your active muscles.
4. To add on the leg pull-ups, practice lifting one leg up toward the sky, then set it back down. Swap sides. Repeat this movement, alternating the legs each time to find the ultimate tummy toning and glute loving move.
How long do I need to work out?
For the best weight loss results, you’ll need to rely on consistency. Practicing a few moves everyday is the best way to shape up your body. To burn some fat and lose weight, try these three moves daily, ideally repeating each move three times, for a total of one minute each repetition.
Not only does Pilates help you to lose weight, but you’ll find that your flexibility, balance, coordination, and posture improve overtime too.
Source:
1. Wang, Y., Chen, Z., Wu, Z., Ye,X., & Xu, X. (2021). Pilates for overweight or obesity: A meta-analysis. Frontiers in Physiology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.643455