Pilates guide
Pilates was developed by a physical culture teacher, Joseph Pilates, and later adopted by dancers: from the late 1930s, New York dancers trained with him and sent him their injured colleagues. Today, small studies in dancers suggest Pilates can build trunk endurance, alignment and flexibility. A review of those studies, in a PhD thesis, found it may be ineffective for balance and jump height, and no trial has tested it for dance injuries.
So use it alongside strength and jump training, not instead of them, and keep it in the middle of your range if your joints are bendy.
This guide covers what dancing asks of your feet, hips, back and trunk, what the Pilates studies in dancers found, turnout, hypermobility, injuries and eating enough, which moves to start with and which to change, and a 25-minute mid-range class.
Joseph Pilates began as a teacher of physical culture. From the late 1930s, New York dancers such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham trained with him, and his mat work took shape while he taught at a dance camp in the 1940s.
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Across 14 small studies of Pilates in dancers, reviewed in a PhD thesis, Pilates generally helped muscular endurance, posture, alignment and flexibility, but the review found it may be ineffective for balance and jump height. In a 12-week pilot trial in 22 hip-hop dancers, tummy strength improved and jumps barely changed.
No trial has tested Pilates for dance injuries. The one injury prevention trial in professional ballet used a broader strength programme, and across sports, strength training cut injuries to under a third while stretching did nothing.
Most dance injuries are overuse injuries of the legs, with the foot and ankle the commonest site. Mat Pilates does little for the feet, so add calf raises, toe work and balance.
In pooled studies, injured dancers forced more turnout beyond what their hips gave than uninjured dancers. Pilates hip work helps you control turnout from the hip, in the middle of your range (our reading).
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Missed or irregular periods are a key sign of not eating enough for your dancing, and more food and a lighter workload come first. See a GP if you've missed 3 periods in a row or your periods haven't started by 15.
Joseph Pilates, born in Germany in 1883, "began his career as a proponent and teacher of 'physical culture'", the Pilates Method Alliance says. His ideas were shaped by his father's fitness and sport, his work with injured soldiers in the First World War, and influences that included modern dance. He worked in England as a circus tumbler before the war.
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In New York, Pilates "developed a reputation for his ability to 'fix' dancers' injuries", and Balanchine, Graham and Hanya Holm "studied with 'Uncle Joe' and referred injured colleagues to him". Ted Shawn invited him to the Jacob's Pillow dance camp, where he taught from 1942 to 1947 and his signature mat exercises developed. Several dancers became the first generation of Pilates teachers, and by the mid-1960s modern dance choreographers were adding mat exercises to their warm-ups.
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Injury rates are under 5 per 1,000 hours of dancing in every study, but most injuries come from overuse. In ballet, the legs account for 66% to 91% of injuries and the foot and ankle for 14% to 57%; in two ballet companies, ankle impingement led the problems needing medical attention and ankle sprains the ones that stopped dancers dancing, mostly from pointe work and jumps. The hip and groin account for about 17% of injuries, and about 73% of dancers have low back pain in a year.
A previous injury is the most consistent link, along with poor coping skills, overload and, in some studies, hypermobility. These are associations, not proof of cause.
Controlled trunk work, hip control lying on your side and in bridges, back extension, and on a reformer, footwork against springs. In the studies it helped endurance, alignment and flexibility. What it doesn't give is heavy leg work, landing practice, jump power or fitness for long rehearsals, which is where strength and conditioning helps dancers.
A systematic review in a 2025 PhD thesis found 14 studies of Pilates in dancers (12 separate studies, as three papers report one), with 1 to 38 dancers each and mixed quality. It concluded that they "generally supported the effectiveness of Pilates in dancers with respect to muscular endurance, posture, alignment, and flexibility", but that Pilates "may be ineffective with respect to balance and vertical jump". Only one study compared Pilates with another kind of exercise.
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In a pilot trial, 22 hip-hop dancers were randomised to 12 weeks of classical mat Pilates (two hours a week) or their usual activities. Tummy strength and endurance tests improved with Pilates, jump height changed trivially and balance didn't change. The authors say the results "do not establish efficacy".
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In 18 Latin dance students, 12 weeks of reformer Pilates improved movement and judged technique more than usual training. In 20 college dancers, adding two Pilates classes a week for 14 weeks went with fewer posture faults and better tummy strength. Both are small, and the second had no comparison group.
None of the Pilates studies counted injuries. In a 2026 review of treatment for injured dancers, most studies of Pilates and core work were case reports, and high-level evidence was described as limited.
In one professional ballet company, dancers who did three 30-minute strength sessions a week for at least 4 weeks (side planks, bridges, bird dogs, dead bugs, Nordic hamstring lowers, calf and foot work, lunges and balance) were injured 82% less often than controls, but only 11 of 20 kept it up. A 2026 review of 8 dance prevention studies couldn't judge whether programmes work. Across sports, strength training cut injuries to under a third.
Across 36 studies, strength and conditioning raised dancers' leg strength, power, upper-body strength and flexibility. In 22 professional ballerinas, 12 weeks of thigh strength training raised strength without changing thigh size or body weight.
In 39 dance students, strengthening at the end of the range and gentle stretching raised how high they could lift the leg themselves more than hard stretching. Slow, forced stretches can strain the high hamstring tendon: 15 professional dancers took a median of 50 weeks to get back to full dancing.
Pilates suits trunk endurance, control and alignment. Jumps, heavy legs and fitness need their own work, as our dance page and strength workout for dancers set out (our reading).
In pooled screening studies, injured dancers had about 23 degrees more compensated turnout, the turnout forced at the knees and feet beyond what the hips give, than uninjured dancers. Findings on turnout in standing conflict: injured dancers had more in the pooled studies, but in 29 pre-professional dancers, those with more overuse injuries used less.
In 64 dancers, more twist in the thigh bone went with less outward rotation of the hip when it was measured lying down, but it didn't change how much turnout they used standing.
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A 7-week turnout conditioning programme improved active turnout in 16 pre-professional dancers, and targeted training added about 14 degrees in 6 university dancers. Both were tiny and uncontrolled, and no study has tested Pilates for turnout.
Clams, side kicks, small leg circles and bridges train the hip muscles that turn your legs out and steady the pelvis. Turn out from the hips, keep your knees over your middle toes, and don't force the feet (our reading).
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Our Pilates for hypermobility guide has the adapted class and the moves to change.
72% of 85 elite Australian dancers met the usual cut-point for bendy joints on the Beighton score, and the authors suggest a higher cut-point for dancers.
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Hypermobility didn't raise hip pain, injury or retirement over 5 years in 40 professional ballet dancers, or injuries in 185 contemporary students, where a past injury mattered more. In 73 young ballet students, hypermobility and tiredness went with injury in a one-off survey.
The NHS says the main treatment for symptomatic hypermobility is improving muscle strength and fitness, and "do not overextend your joints just because you can". One Dance UK says hypermobile dancers can "strengthen the muscular system and control the range of joint movement". In Pilates, stop each reach before the end of your range and keep your knees and elbows soft.
Foot and ankle injuries lead in ballet, mostly from pointe work and jumps. Pilates mat work barely loads the feet; reformer footwork works the calves against springs.
The ballet trial used calf and band foot work and one-leg balance. Our editorial starting point: 2 sets of 10 slow calf raises (parallel, then turned out), 2 sets of 12 towel scrunches each foot and 2 holds of 20 seconds on each leg, as in our foot and ankle routine and dance warm-up.
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A dance consensus agreed that reduced or absent periods are a key sign of relative energy deficiency in dance (RED-D), when you don't eat enough for your dancing. Increasing food intake and adjusting your dance workload come first. The NHS lists "doing too much exercise" among the causes of missed periods.
Across 33 studies, 12.0% of dancers had an eating disorder (16.4% in ballet), about 3 times the risk of non-dancers. The NHS names pressure to be slim in jobs such as ballet among the risks, and says to see a GP as soon as you can.
Food and a manageable workload do. Don't add extra training to make up for not eating enough.
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Our editorial plan, built on the studies:
Start with 5 to 8 breaths and the hundred's 50 beats (the move pages' doses), and 20 dead bugs, alternating sides, and two 30-second side planks, as in our strength workout for dancers.
Keep circles and lifts small and the pelvis still; the Pilates moves' pages give their doses, and 10 clams each side, turning out from the hip, is our dance warm-up's dose.
3D demoShoulder bridge (Pilates)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoClamshellBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSide kick (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSide-lying leg circles (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSide-lying inner thigh lift (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg circle (Pilates one leg circle)Beginner · No equipmentOur editorial starting point: 2 sets of 10 slow calf raises, 2 sets of 12 towel scrunches each foot, 3 sets of 10 band ankle turns, and 2 holds of 20 seconds on each leg, parallel then turned out.
Keep the lift small if arching pinches; 5 to 6 swans and 6 to 8 single-leg kicks each leg are the move pages' doses.
In the saw, spine stretch forward and straight-leg stretches, stop short of the end of your range if you're hypermobile, and leave them out after a hamstring strain until it's settled.
Leave out the roll-over, jack knife, control balance and boomerang if you're hypermobile, unless a physiotherapist who knows your neck has cleared them, and with any neck problem (the move pages' cautions).
In the leg pull front, push-up and side bend, keep your elbows soft, use fists if your wrists bend back too far, and push the floor away.
Leave out rocking and the swan dive if arching hurts your back, and get a teenager's lasting back pain checked before going on.
Skip long, forced splits and forced turnout. Build range you can control instead.
Do the 25-minute Pilates class on lighter dance days and the strength workout for dancers twice a week; use the dance warm-up before class. The hypermobility class suits bendy joints.
A 25-minute Pilates class for dancers: feet and calves, turnout control from the hip, trunk endurance and back extension, all in the middle of your range.
25 minBeginner17 movesOther / check instructions, A bench or boxA strength session for dancers, built on the professional ballet trial: calf and foot work, hip and trunk strength, Nordic lowers, step-downs and landings.
55 minIntermediate21 movesA wall, A stepA dance warm-up for class, rehearsal or performance: easy cardio, ankle circles and rises, leg swings, spine moves, turnout, balance and small jumps.
15 minBeginner16 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 20-minute Pilates class for hypermobile joints, HSD and hEDS: supported positions first, mid-range control, slow changes and steady breathing.
20 minBeginner17 movesOther / check instructions, A bandA 15-minute barefoot routine for stronger toes, arches, calves and ankles, finishing with balance. You need only a towel, a wall and a resistance band.
15 minBeginner11 movesA wall, Other / check instructionsA 25-minute Pilates class for your glutes: bridges, the side kick series, face-down kicks and standing work at a wall, with a band to make it harder.
25 minBeginner16 movesA wall, A bandThe beginner plan builds a Pilates habit; the two-day plan adds strength sessions around your dancing.
A free 4-week, 3-day Pilates plan for complete beginners. Two mat days and one wall day, with clear rules for when to move each exercise to its harder version.
3 training days25 minBeginner2 days a weekTwo full-body strength sessions a week: the minimum that meets health guidelines, with every set, rep and rest, and an 8-week progression.
2 training days45 minBeginnerCall 999 or go to A&E if, after an injury, you heard a crack, the foot or ankle has changed shape or points at an odd angle, a bone is sticking out, there is a bad cut over it, you're in severe pain, or the toes look blue or white, feel numb or are cold to touch. Don't drive yourself.
Get an urgent GP appointment or help from NHS 111 if, after an injury, you can't put weight on it or walk more than a few steps, the pain is very bad or getting worse, or the swelling or bruising is large or getting worse. See a GP if it isn't better after 2 weeks of looking after it, keeps coming back or stops you doing normal things.
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Pain in one spot of a bone that builds with each jump, then aches at rest or at night, can be a stress fracture: stop jumping and get it checked. Sudden pain or a pop high at the back of the thigh during a stretch needs checking the same day.
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See a GP if you've missed your period 3 times in a row, your periods haven't started by 15 or have become irregular, or you've had a stress fracture from ordinary activity or more than one. If you're worried about your eating, see a GP as soon as you can, or call the eating disorder charity Beat on 0808 801 0677.
See a GP if you think you have joint hypermobility syndrome: keeping getting sprains, joints that pop out, or pain and stiffness. A joint that has come out and stayed out needs A&E.
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Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) if you have back pain with pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs, a loss of feeling around your genitals or bottom, or changes in your bladder or bowels. These can be signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
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Call 999 if someone has hit their head and has been knocked out and hasn't woken, can't stay awake, has a fit, has problems with their vision or hearing, has clear fluid from their ears or nose, or has new numbness, weakness or problems walking, balancing or speaking.
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Call 999 if:
The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had an operation.
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It was developed by a physical culture teacher and adopted by dancers. In the studies it helped endurance, alignment and flexibility, but a review found it may be ineffective for jumps and balance, and strength and conditioning improved dancers' strength and power more broadly.
Not shown. A review of 14 dance studies found it may be ineffective for jump height, and hip-hop dancers' jumps barely changed after 12 weeks.
Untested. The one ballet prevention trial used a broader strength programme, and a review of dance prevention studies couldn't judge whether programmes work.
In pooled studies, injured dancers forced more turnout beyond what their hips gave than uninjured dancers. Turn out from the hips, within your range.
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Twelve weeks of thigh strength training raised ballerinas' strength without changing thigh size or body weight.
The NHS says not to overextend your joints just because you can, and One Dance UK stresses controlling the range. Hypermobility on its own isn't a problem, but with pain or sprains, control comes first.
The dance studies used both mat and reformer, and none compared them. The reformer adds springs and straps; the mat does the same jobs.
It's a good way to build trunk endurance, alignment and flexibility, which is what small studies in dancers found. A review of those studies found it may be ineffective for balance and jump height, and no trial has tested it for dance injuries. Use it alongside strength, jump and fitness work.
Yes. He began as a teacher of physical culture, and from the late 1930s New York dancers such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham trained with him and sent him injured colleagues. His mat work took shape while he taught at the Jacob's Pillow dance camp from 1942 to 1947.
No study has measured it. Turnout should come from the hips: injured dancers forced more turnout beyond what their hips gave than uninjured dancers. Clams, side kicks and bridges train the hip muscles that turn your legs out, in the middle of your range.
Probably not on its own. A review of dance studies found Pilates may be ineffective for jump height, and hip-hop dancers' jumps barely changed after 12 weeks of mat Pilates. Jump training and heavier strength work have more support.
It hasn't been tested. The one injury prevention trial in professional ballet used a strength programme with Pilates-like trunk and hip exercises, Nordic hamstring lowers and calf and foot work, and injuries fell in the dancers who kept it up. Pilates can be part of that kind of programme.
Yes, if it builds control rather than more stretch: work in the middle of your range, keep your elbows and knees soft and skip legs-overhead moves. Hypermobility is very common in dancers and isn't a problem on its own. Our Pilates for hypermobility guide has an adapted class.
It can be: the springs add resistance to footwork and leg work. The dance studies used both mat and reformer and didn't compare them, so the mat does the same jobs and is easier to keep up at home.
The hundred and leg stretches for trunk endurance; bridges, clams, side kicks and small leg circles for the hips; the swan, swimming and single-leg kick for back extension; and calf raises, toe work and balance for your feet. Our 25-minute class puts them together.
Neither. Pilates is light resistance, and even heavier thigh strength training didn't change ballerinas' thigh size or body weight. How your muscles look depends mostly on your body, food and the total work you do.
Once or twice a week on lighter dance days for at least 8 to 12 weeks, the length of most dance studies, alongside two strength sessions, is our suggestion. Before class, do a dance warm-up instead.
Neither has been compared in dancers. Pilates suits trunk endurance and control; for range, strengthening at the end of your range improved active range more than hard stretching in dance students.
Go to A&E for a foot or ankle injury that has changed shape, cracked, or gone numb, blue or cold, and get same-day help if you can't put weight on it. See a GP if you've missed 3 periods in a row, your periods haven't started by 15, or you've had a stress fracture from ordinary activity.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. If you are pregnant, have a health condition or have had recent surgery, check with a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before starting, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
