Pilates is a form of exercise that consists of controlled and steady movements. It also gives emphasis on breathing, alignment, and core-building or otherwise referred to as the ‘powerhouse’. Developed by renowned fitness expert Joseph Pilates, the program has gained prominence as it improves coordination, stability, and balance over time. To maximize the exercise’s benefits, it can be combined with other workouts – seven of which we will explore below.
Yoga
Yoga is an ancient meditative practice that is recognized as one of the best ways to achieve a state of mental and physical harmony. It predominantly focuses on concentration, physical poses, and deep breathing. Most of the poses in yoga and pilates involve supporting body weight and utilizing various muscles in your body. Both are excellent for your physical and mental wellbeing when paired together. Yoga also strengthens your muscles and joints and improves flexibility to help you carry out your pilates sessions with ease.
HIIT
An acronym for High-intensity Interval Training, this program is excellent for burning calories quickly. It focuses on large muscle groups and transitions rapidly from short breaks to intense exercise. The combination of the two is designed to boost your metabolism through an increased oxygen intake, aiding with weight loss. As pilates mainly targets your core,combining it with HIIT will enable you to get a better full-body workout.
Weight training
Both pilates and weight training improve overall strength. They are beneficial for your health and even more so when utilized together. They enhance your muscular endurance and improve core strength, helping you do repetitive tasks for a longer time.
Functional training
Functional training is strengthening exercises that prepare your body for daily activities. It contains multi-joint movements involving your hips, spine, knees, wrists, elbows, and shoulders. This builds strength and improves range of motion. The workout will improve your balance, strength, control, and flexibility when combined with pilates.
Crossfit
Pilates is an excellent complimentary training if you wish to opt for crossfit. The latter is a very intense workout that utilizes several large muscle groups. Pilates, in contrast, targets smaller muscle groups. When combined, the smaller stabilizing muscles will be strengthened, allowing them to cope when the larger ones are targeted with high intensity. This will reduce the risk of injury.
Aerobics
This cardio exercise incorporates rhythmic aerobic exercise with strength and stretching routines to improve overall fitness. By combining it with pilates, you can burn more calories and build leaner muscles. It also greatly improves your cardiovascular fitness and flexibility and helps tone your body.
Sports
Pilates helps strengthen your core and abdominal muscles, and this makes it an excellent companion for sports and is frequently used for rehabilitation. Most sports require quick movements and reflexes that can result in a great amount of strain on core muscles. By doing pilates classes, the muscles will become more resilient, and you can avoid straining or tearing them.
Pilates is a highly beneficial exercise routine that can be easily combined with any of the above workouts to improve physical well-being. A balanced and carried workout regime can help maintain your muscle tone and increase your flexibility overall. It is not necessary to combine all seven of these activities with pilates but consider mixing it up for a good variety.
