This is a picture of southern California trainer Lauren Brooks. She has the quintessential “Pilates Body.” Want to guess how Lauren got these long, lean muscles and low body fat? I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t with Pilates or yoga. You see, Lauren practices and teaches heavy strength training techniques using kettle bells, Olympic lifts, and other basic “manly” lifts.
I get asked at least once a week, “How can I get a Pilates body?” I usually respond by asking, “Can you put your legs behind your head?” There is no correlation, but at least now I have their attention. Pilates has been marketed as an activity that will not only give you a lean, muscular core but will also actually lengthen muscles and give one a ballet dancer’s body. Not true. This myth is partly due to the fact that Pilates has been practiced by dancers to promote range of motion and functional flexibility for dancing. It’s easy to look at these bodies and forget that they dance eight hours a day and eat bean sprouts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Let’s look at the claims. First, your muscles attach to bones at each end and as far as I understand, those don’t change length after your teenage years. If your femur bone is 20 inches in length, no amount of stretching will change that. This means your thigh muscles will be no longer than 20 inches in length no matter what you do. Secondly, a lean and muscular midsection is a result of low body fat levels in the abdominal area. Pilates is very beneficial for flexibility, but it falls short in the fat burning category.
Since we have established that it is impossible to actually lengthen your muscles, let’s talk about how to change the way your muscles look. Muscles, like fat cells, only change in two ways: they get smaller or they get bigger. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, you want to make your muscles bigger. Now before you conjure up visions of a professional wrestler, remember that muscle takes up very little space in relationship to fat. The larger your muscles, the faster your metabolism. Thus the more calories you will burn resulting in lower levels of body fat. The only way to make your muscles grow is high intensity strength training. Lauren is a perfect example. She lifts very heavy weights for low reps and she is tiny.
“But I feel long and lean after my Pilates class.” Great! That’s how activities like Pilates are supposed to make you feel. I am not asking you not to do Pilates or any other mind/body activity. I think these activities are fantastic for flexibility and relaxation. I just want you to be realistic about why you do it and the results that you can expect.
Until next time,
Rick Mayo
16 comments:
Excellent piece of writing by Rick. I would like to point out the essential key to one of Rick's most important points about how Pilates is marketed.
" Pilates has been marketed as an activity that will not only give you a lean, muscular core but will also actually lengthen muscles and give one a ballet dancer’s body. Not true. This myth is partly due to the fact that Pilates has been practiced by dancers..."
These dancers that take up Pilates training were born with long graceful limbs and slender bodies, that is why they have been selected to be dancers. To claim that Pilates has made them look that way could not be more wrong. Long hours of dance training and dieting make a comparatively small effect on the dancer's appearance. Also many quite high level dancers do a lot less diet and exercise than you might imagine. We all must be careful not make similar illogical claims as we market our training. That said, when females ask me if kettlebells or heavy weight training will make them huge and muscular, I say, "Yes, it will, just like this woman." And I point to a photo of Lauren Brooks. Thanks. - E
I'm pretty sure -everyone- knows that you can't build longer muscles with strength training and if they don't... well that's another story.
The point of pilates is that it strengthens your muscles WITHOUT making them bunched and bulging like other forms of strength training that have no emphasis on flexibility. No one actually says your muscles will get longer: don't take things so literally.
Like Eric mentioned in his post before you, the marketing for Pilates does promote the idea that doing Pilates will give you longer, leaner muscles. I have some material in hand that clearly states just that. We have been in business for over 18 years and questions about Pilates and the benefits do come up often. Just responding to feedback from clients. Additionally, I really don't like spinal flexion and extension (Pilates based movements) for back health. Check out Dr Stuart McGill's work and I think you'll agree.
Thanks
Pilates may get some people stronger. It depends on where the trainee is starting from. In my observation the slowness of Pilates training has indeed made some dancers more stable, and therefore more capable as dancers. Making people stronger without increasing muscle size is in no way unique to Pilates. Since ancient times various physical training systems and natural activities have accomplished the same thing.
This knowledge has been lost in mainstream culture to a surprising degree. In modern times we find Pavel Tsatsouline's courses explaining quite plainly techniques of strength training without increasing muscle size. We also see thousands of his students using this information with excellent results.
Although Pilates can be beneficial when done correctly, it does not compare at all to Tsatsouline's kettlebell system or other strength training techniques. And yeah, misleading as it is, MANY Pilates practitioners very literally spell out the muscle lengthening claim, in their ad copy.
Eric,
Great comments! I mentioned Dr Stuart McGill in my response to a previous comment. Guess who has the strongest core he has ever tested in his lab? Amongst all of the NBA players, NFL teams and current UFC title holders, Pavel was the srongest ever recorded. There's another feather in the RKC cap!
Great comment! I was simply providing an elementary example of how Pilates will not permanently change the length of a muscle.
I have to disagree with you. After my first pilates session, my lower back pain eased up and I could actually bend over without any pain. There was also a study on the benefits of flexion and extension exercises on soldiers with acute back pain . here's the link
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8553118
Some studies can be misleading, as the flexion/extension group was only compared to those who did no movements at all. Check out all of the now wide spread research from Dr Stuart McGill. Thanks for the comment.
I totally agree and with pilates you also become much cordinated.
I have seen personally, the results for Pilates. It is not a myth ladies and gentlemen. Pilates will help you sculpt a long lean body.
Hey! An anonymous person who doesn't buy into hype of mediocrity. However, pilates does deliver and produces long, lean bodies on those who have long, lean bodies. That's pretty much about where the magic stops. Definitely not a one stop shop and takes too much time and money to reach any goal on its own. Slow and steady isn't bad, but shouldn't rape your pocketbook. Most of us need that money for sound, individualized nutrition. Just saying that's it's not that economical.
I think you hit the nail on the head with "produces long, lean bodies on those who have long, lean bodies." It does NOT produce a different body type due to the activity. Also, you are absolutely correct about nutrition- it WILL produce dramatic results once you find the right strategy. I like the economical slant- never thought of it that way. Great comment!
No offense, although the women in this photo clearly has trained hard and has an awesome physique, this is NOT a Pilates body. Her fascia looks tight as is common with weight training. Her posture and problem movements don't look fluid. She is fit and beautiful but Pilates also develops excellent posture, control, and grace - and less choppiness. She would be even MORE fantastic if she added Pilates into her workout.
I agree that the claim of Pilates "lengthening" muscles has been false...or should I say, misunderstood. As a Pilates instructor who was not a dancer but a runner (also lifted weights) I noticed a big difference in my strength and muscle shape. I do think it prevents overworking certain muscles that makes them bulky. I haven't done research but this is my experience after 12 years of teaching. I wrote an article about it here, as I was tired of hearing the "lengthening" claim: http://www.urbanwellness.com/blog/movewell/does-pilates-really-lengthen-your-muscles/. What's wrong with flexion/extension of the spine? Isn't that what the spine is designed to do? Pilates or no Pilates, I think Lauren Brooks looks amazing.
The photo is not a picture of a stereotypical "Pilates body"!!
Her midsection is strong yes but its chunky and thick, this doesnt happen with Pilates training. Her arms are not as slim and defined as they would be with serious Pilates training. The article claims Lauren uses heavy weights in her training, this is clear to see. Although she looks fit and healthy Pilates would improve her shape even more.
I have 12 years experience as a full time instructor so i have seen (both personally and with clients) the shape and tone Pilates will give without bulkiness or looking too ripped.
Ofcourse muscles cant actually be lengthened but Pilates GIVES THE IMPRESSION of longer muscles when compared to other training methods that can shorten/bulk out muscles. You have also forgotten the posture benefits. If someone improves their posture they APPEAR taller/longer. So Pilates does actually make a person look "longer" and it will definitely not make muscles shorter/tighter/chunkier like some other training methods can.
Hey Ami- I'm curious as to what a "typical" Pilates body looks like? I've seen them in all shapes and sizes regardless of the training method. I don't like claims that mislead what someone will look like despite their starting point. We conduct over 50,000 personal training sessions a year (for 20 years) out of our facility and I have never seen someone muscles get shorter/bulkier by accident. Also, I have never seen any fat loss (the real key to changing appearance) benefit to doing Pilates. Thanks for the comment, but I wholeheartedly disagree :).
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