Is Pilates Twice A Week EnoughYou need effective Pilates exercises to strengthen your core and body.
Moreover, having the proper Pilates workout schedule can be a huge determiner of your results. However, you must have asked yourself …
How much Pilates per week should I do?
You may have even considered joining your local Pilates classes to optimize your Pilates sessions. However, a Pilates class is not a viable option for everyone.
No need to worry though, we researched a realistic Pilates workout schedule that you can include in your exercise routine even without Pilates classes.
You can do these exercises with your Pilates instructor, during group classes, or even in your private sessions at home.
How Much Pilates Should I Do Per Week?
”Pilates is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit.” Joseph Pilates, the founder of the Pilates practice we know today, famously said.
Joseph Pilates was a Pilates teacher and a firm believer in fitness goals. Thus, here is the answer to your burning question using his teachings and advanced research:
First things first: quality matters more than quantity. It will not help you much if you do Pilates 5 times a week, but your workouts are not challenging and are a series of cakewalks.
Make sure that your workout sessions are as challenging as possible. Obviously, the more you do a workout, the easier it will become over time.
So make sure to reflect on your Pilates workouts every now and then when they get too ‘easy’ and think of ways you can make them more challenging.
As for the optimal frequency, you should do Pilates per week, and the minimum sweet spot is 3 times per week. Though, the frequency that will make you see the best results is four to five times a week.
However, be mindful that the best schedule is one that you can keep up with. You do not only want to be consistent, but you also want to make sure that your entire experience is more joyful than worthy of making you want to pull your hair out.
The frequency at which you do Pilates also depends on your goals. Some fitness goals can include:
● General fitness
● Cross-training/fitness
● Rehabilitation from an injury/illness
If you want to improve your general fitness, then doing Pilates two to three times a week will do the job. Also, keep in mind that bodies vary and need variety when it comes to fitness, so mix your Pilates routine up!
If you are using Pilates as a part of your cross-training/fitness routine, the amount of times you do Pilates per week will depend on:
● Your athletic goals
● Current movement patterning
● Your training/competition/performance cycles
● The time you have available
Keep in mind that doing Pilates once/twice a week will improve performance and make movement more efficient. It can also organize your body to the demands of the sport.
If you want to do Pilates because you are rehabilitating from an injury or illness, you have to be mindful of the effect your exercises will have on your whole body – not just the injured/damaged body part(s).
Take your time and increase your frequency as rehabilitation goes on, as, in the beginning, you will be managing pain and making the proper support and patterning available. You will then have to create stamina and strength in new patterns.
Will I See Results If I Do Pilates 3 Times a Week?
If you wish to achieve whole-body fitness with Pilates, 3 times a week is the goal.
If you stick to this frequency, then eventually changes in the brain will be made by constantly practicing Pilates and concentration during each session.
Eventually, you will better develop your strength and stamina in the particular way Pilates promotes. This is what to expect from doing Pilates 3 times a week results.
Will I See Results If I Do Pilates Twice a Week?
If you do Pilates once a week, you will not develop the strength and stamina you need to sustain or make structural changes.
You will feel great after every session, BUT (and this is a big but) it won’t be easy to hold onto the results that you achieve. This, though, will not be a problem when you do Pilates twice a week.
When you do Pilates twice a week, you can expect to maintain your results from the sessions you have had previously and build on relationships that have been built, so you don’t have to reconnect constantly.
Pilates twice a week results will also include the exercise being more familiar to you. This means you will have to focus less on doing the exercises and more on how to do them for the best results. This is amplified with Pilates 3 times a week results.
Can I See Results From Pilates After 30 Sessions?
After a month of doing (or more depending on frequency), you will have done 30 sessions of Pilates. What can you expect after? The following are the Pilates results after 30 sessions you should expect.
After 30 sessions of doing Pilates, you can expect to gain greater mobility and flexibility and feel more comfortable in your skin.
Expect to be more flexible as your spine will be elongated and you will have greater balance. Prepare to be able to reach more items and to be able to touch your toes.
The following is a list of even more Pilates results after 30 sessions you can expect.
Endurance
Pilates is not as ideal as cardiovascular exercise when it comes to improving your endurance levels. Still, you will gain a lot of endurance benefits from including Pilates into your routine.
Doing Pilates regularly will improve your muscular endurance by enhancing posture, joint movement, and balance.
After doing 30 sessions of Pilates, your leg, hip, and back muscles will get stronger, and in turn, you will be able to run better and for longer.
Soreness
When you begin your Pilates journey, you can expect a lot of soreness after finishing your first session.
You can also expect muscle soreness the day after as well, and it might be more intense than the soreness you experienced after your workout.
Don’t worry, though, as this is a good thing. Post-workout soreness means that your muscle fibers are repairing themselves from the workout you put them through. However, they will fully recover, and the muscle you exercise will grow and become stronger.
Just make sure not to overexert yourself as that can be dangerous. Over time soreness will lessen, and you will be able to have longer/more intense workouts as it will take more to make you sore.
Muscle and Strength
Pilates is a form of bodyweight muscle-building exercise. That basically means instead of using dumbbells/barbells/external weights to build muscle, you use your own body weight.
You can not expect to be super chiseled after 30 sessions, but you can expect better function and slightly better tone in your muscles.
As time goes on, you can expect to possess a more defined and athletic body. Keep in mind if you want HUGE bulging muscles, then Pilates might not be for you.
Weight Loss
Though Pilates is not the best calorie-burner exercise, they are a great supplement to a healthy diet when trying to lose weight.
Do not expect to lose weight from Pilates while being in a calorie surplus. Though, you can expect Pilates results after 30 sessions (before / after) to include some weight loss if you eat healthily during that period.
Conclusion
This article shows that doing Pilates 3 times per week is the minimum optimal amount, but the best is doing them 4 to 5 times a week.
Though answering the question “how much Pilates should I do per week”, takes into other factors like what your goals are and your current health situation. Just know that doing Pilates once a week is better than not doing them at all, but that is not ideal as you will not see as many results from doing Pilates twice or more times per week.
Seeing excellent results from Pilates can take time, but the results you will see after just thirty sessions should be enough to motivate you to carry on.
Whether you are looking for a more toned and athletic body, more endurance, looking to lose weight, or to generally be more fit, Pilates is for you! Pilates for the win!