Is Pilates strength training?
By the TrueMe team · Updated · How we write these guides
The short answer
It can be. The CDC counts muscle-strengthening activity as working all major muscle groups to the point where it is hard to do another repetition without help, on at least two days a week. A Pilates session that does that counts; a gentle, stretch-focused one usually does not. Pilates trains strength and endurance with bodyweight, but it is harder to keep adding load than with weights.[1][2]
In short
- It counts when every major muscle group works and the last repetitions feel hard.
- Research shows modest, inconsistent strength gains and little evidence of added muscle.
- Weights make it easier to keep progressing; Pilates adds control, balance and low impact.
- Progressing your Pilates moves, or adding weights, covers the CDC’s two strength days.
What counts as strength training?
The CDC’s test: muscle-strengthening activity on two or more days a week, working all major muscle groups, to the point where it is hard to do another repetition without help.[1][2]
Its examples include lifting weights, working with resistance bands and bodyweight exercises such as push-ups and sit-ups. The major muscle groups are the legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms.[1][2]
Does Pilates meet that test?
A demanding session does; a gentle one usually does not.
Counts
Squats, lunges, push-ups and leg work done slowly enough, and for long enough, that the last repetitions are hard.
Probably does not
Breathing, stretching and small mobility movements. They are useful, but they do not load your muscles enough.
Depends
Classic mat core work can work your abdomen hard but leave your legs, chest and arms under-worked.
Does Pilates build muscle?
It improves strength a little in some studies, and there is little evidence that it adds muscle mass.
In adults over 60, one meta-analysis found a moderate strength improvement compared with no exercise; another found no clear improvement compared with control groups and no difference from other exercise. Very low quality evidence suggests Pilates can improve muscular endurance.[3][4]
In adult women, a 2026 meta-analysis found no pooled change in handgrip strength or lean body mass, though individual studies reported gains in strength and endurance.[5]
In adults with overweight or obesity, Pilates did not change lean body mass. In the same group of people, a separate meta-analysis found resistance training added about 0.8 kg of lean mass on average compared with no training.[6][7]
Pilates vs weights
Weights make it easier to keep getting stronger and to add muscle; Pilates is gentle on joints and trains balance and control. They work well together.[7][6][3]
| Pilates vs weights | Pilates (mat or wall) | Weights |
|---|---|---|
| Resistance | Your bodyweight, or springs on a reformer | Weights you can add in small steps |
| How you progress | Harder version, slower lowering, longer sets, one leg | More weight, more sets or more repetitions |
| Muscle mass | Little evidence of gains in studies | Lean mass gains in studies |
| Balance and control | A focus of every session; evidence for balance in older adults | Depends on the exercises chosen |
| Equipment | A mat or a wall | Dumbbells, bands or a gym |
How to make Pilates count as strength training
Work every major muscle group, and progress each move until the last few repetitions are hard.[1]
Use the harder version
Every move in our library has one. Switch when the standard version feels easy for every repetition.
Slow the lowering
Take three or four seconds on the way down. It makes the same move harder without equipment.
Step further back
In wall push-ups, every step your feet take away from the wall adds load.
| How to make Pilates count as strength training | Wall Pilates moves that work it |
|---|---|
| Legs and hips | Wall squat, supported reverse lunge, wall sit, glute press |
| Abdomen | Wall marching, wall knee drives, wall roll down |
| Back and shoulders | Wall angel, standing wall rotation |
| Chest and arms | Wall push-up |
A week that covers both CDC targets
Two or three Pilates strength sessions plus about 150 minutes of brisk walking covers the CDC’s weekly guideline for adults.[2]
Sources
Every source was read before it was cited. Where studies disagree, we say so.
- [1]What counts as physical activity for adultsUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- [2]Adult activity: an overviewUS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- [3]Pilates improves physical performance and decreases risk of falls in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysisFernández-Rodríguez and colleagues. Physiotherapy, 2021
- [4]Effects of Pilates exercises on strength, endurance and muscle power in older adults: systematic review and meta-analysisOliveira and colleagues. Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 2024
- [5]Effects of Pilates programs on body composition, flexibility, muscular strength, balance and more in adult women: a systematic review and meta-analysisBajčetić and colleagues. Sports, 2026
- [6]Pilates for overweight or obesity: a meta-analysisWang and colleagues. Frontiers in Physiology, 2021
- [7]Resistance training effectiveness on body composition and body weight in individuals with overweight and obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysisLopez and colleagues. Obesity Reviews, 2022
This guide summarises published research and public health guidance. It is not medical advice: if you have pain, an injury or a health condition, ask a doctor or physical therapist what suits you.
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