Is Pilates Effective for Fat Loss

Filed Under Fat Loss

From the Reader Mailbag of How to Get Six Pack Abs

Question: Hi todd, thank you for the emails….they are very interesting indeed……quick question? i have recently started pilates in an effort to get slim but mainly toned? how efficient will my body be at burning fat after a few months pilates…..dont wanna do weights cos dont think bulky muscles are very attractive on a female……what do you think?

Answer: Thanks for your kind words. I hope you know what you’re getting into by asking me that question.. i’m kind of a no bullshit guy, so forgive me if I come off a little harsh,
it’s not personal

In short, if you’re sedentary, pilates will be good short term. Because it will stimulate your muscles to a degree, but the amount of time it takes for your muscles to adapt to the pilates classes is very short. So, you’re metabolism will increase a bit, but at around week 4, you’ll have maxed out the total caloric burn. Meaning, that’s about as high as your metabolism is going to get. Is it best for you? I don’t know, however, I did allow my clients to participate in pilates classes in addition to my program.

If you’re looking for short term 8-17 weeks losing 1-3 pounds per week, you’re not gonna find it with pilates. However, if you participate in the classes 3-4 days per week, and follow a fat loss diet (40-40-20 min. ratio of protein-carb-fat) without cheating, you can see decent fat loss progress in 6-8 months - 2-3 pounds of fat loss per month.

But my question comes in here: Why in the world would someone want to opt for a program that burns 2-3 pounds of fa-t per month, when they can burn it PER WEEK with in the same amount of time and effort? (I’m not trying to be facetious)

As far as pilates making you “slim and toned” - ouch…unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. The whole “slim and toned and bulky and lean” stuff is just marketing jargon to try to take your money.

It comes down to the fact that muscle is where fat is burned, and pilates isn’t going to even maintain your current levels of lean muscle mass if you’re on a calorie restrictive diet. I’m sorry, but it just won’t.

As far as weight training making you bulky….. if it was THAT easy, guys wouldn’t take steroids. So, you don’t have anything to worry about as far as that’s concerned. The next few times you’re at the gym, stop in to the weight room and look at all the skinny guys running around… ask them how long they’ve been working out, and how much weight they’ve gained… If they’re not trying to impress you (since you’re a girl and are honest, it won’t be much.

If you haven’t visited the website yet, go look at Tricia’s picture…. it was all done with weight training and diet - no cardio, no pilates, and no aerobics or spin classes… you can read her story there, too.

here’s the link:

How to Lose Belly Fat

I think we’ll both agree she doesn’t look bulky at all…

So, basically, I say hit the gym, and eat clean for the fastest results. Cardio is optional, but will likely speed things up if you’re training with weights.

And if you really enjoy the pilates classes, you can throw them into your program, too, but only as a supplement to your main fat loss program and to mix things up.

Good luck in whatever you decide to do, and thanks for your email

Todd Scott
Author, How to Get Six Pack Abs

P.S. If you have a burning fat loss question, and want to have it answered here, log on to the Lose Belly Fat homepage and sign up to the newsletter to be eligible to have your questions answered personally.

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