Pilates guide
Pilates works your lower body from every side: bridges for the back of your hips and thighs, the side kick series for the side of your hips and inner thighs, face-down kicks for your hamstrings, and standing work and reformer footwork for your thighs and calves. In trials, mostly in older women who weren't doing much, it built leg strength and balance, though reviews disagree on how much, and it hasn't been shown to add muscle size.
So the plan is Pilates made harder over time: one leg instead of two, slower lowering, a band or hand weights, and squats or lunges with weights if you want more.
This guide covers which moves work which muscles, what the trials found for strength, balance and power, mat or reformer, Pilates or weights, your knees and hips, and a free 30-minute class for your legs and glutes. Our Pilates for legs and Pilates for glutes guides go deeper on each.
Bridges work the back of your hips and thighs, the side kick series the side of your hip and your inner thigh, leg circles your hip's control, face-down kicks your hamstrings and glutes, and standing work your thighs and calves. In lab studies, face-down leg beats worked the hamstrings at about half of their maximum, and side-lying leg lifts like the side kick series worked the side glute at 81% of its maximum.
Against no exercise, a review of 39 trials in people over 60 found a moderate strength gain at moderate certainty, and a review of 9 mat trials a large one; a 2024 review of 24 trials found no clear gain, at low certainty. The two largest pool different strength tests, grip included, and they disagree, so none isolates the legs.
Against other exercise, strength training included, Pilates did about as well in 11 small trials, at very low to low certainty, but the comparison programmes were mostly light. No trial has compared it with heavy, progressive leg training, which raised older adults' strength by a large amount across 73 trials.
Across 39 studies of 1,770 older adults, Pilates improved balance about as much as other exercise, "but not to reduce the number of falls or the fear of falling", the reviewers say. The one Pilates trial that counted falls was a small pilot.
The only scan of the hip muscles after Pilates found no growth in 9 months, and leg lean mass didn't change on DXA (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry) scans. Jump height didn't change in pooled trials or in dancers. No exercise lengthens a muscle or slims one part of a leg.
The trials that found gains made the work harder every few weeks. Twice a week counts towards the NHS strength guideline if you work until you need a short rest; for more strength or muscle, add squats, lunges or step-ups with weights.
The glutes at the back and side of your hip straighten the hip and keep your pelvis level when you stand on one leg; the quadriceps at the front of the thigh straighten the knee; the hamstrings at the back bend the knee and help straighten the hip; the adductors on the inside draw your legs together; the hip flexors lift the thigh; the calves push you onto your toes; and the muscle at the front of the shin lifts your foot. Legs of every shape and size do these same jobs.
One teaching guide to the classical mat says the one-leg circle "works the abdominals and provides pelvic stabilization and mobilization of the hip joint" and the shoulder bridge "will strengthen your hamstrings and glutes while increasing the flexibility of the front of the leg". It describes the side kick series as "strengthening the glutes, hips, abdominals, and back extensors", says the single-leg kick "strengthens the back extensors, the hamstrings, and the glutes", and swimming as "strengthening the backside of the body".
On the mat your legs mostly lift their own weight. Standing and wall work (squats, lunges, heel raises and wall sits) is where they carry your body, which is why our class includes both (our reading).
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A classical reformer class starts with footwork: lying on the carriage, you press it away with your feet, 10 times in each foot position, a warm-up whose stated goals include "Promotes foot flexibility and strength". One maker's classical manual gives 4, 3 or 2 springs, and its contemporary guide adds rising and lowering the heels and "Running in place", with "Hip, leg and ankle strengthening" among the focuses. Leg work with the feet in straps, side splits and standing work on the chair come at later levels. The Pilates Method Alliance describes the springs as the reformer's adjustable resistance.
A spring pulls harder the further it stretches, so the resistance isn't the same through a movement: on the Cadillac, the spring's resistance peaked at a different hip angle from the muscle's force. Spring settings don't tell you the force: estimating footbar force from the springs was imprecise in the only instrumented study, of one volunteer. How you push matters too: in 15 people, the direction of push on the footbar decided whether the hip and knee straightened together, and in reformer side splits, heavier springs worked the side glute more and lighter springs the inner thigh.
A reformer session used about 2.6 kcal a minute and a mat session about 1.9 in 18 young women, with no rise in blood lactate in either: light, steady work. That is enough to strengthen legs that have been doing little, and less than the heavier loads that build the most strength.
Most trials in older adults use the 30-second chair stand, the five-times sit-to-stand or the timed up and go; others measure knee or hip strength on a machine, a leg press or jump height. These test different things, which is part of why the reviews disagree (our reading).
Most Pilates leg trials are in women, especially women over 60 who weren't exercising. Data in men are few and uncontrolled (one single-group study of teenage baseball players), and trials in athletes are small. Someone who already lifts weights will gain less from Pilates than someone starting out (our reading).
The trials are small, mostly in women over 60 who weren't exercising, and most were read only as abstracts. Most measure strength with tests such as chair stands, not the leg muscles on their own.
Against no exercise, a 2021 review of 39 randomised trials in people over 60 found strength improved by a moderate amount (effect size 0.63) at moderate certainty, and a 2018 review of 9 mat Pilates trials found a large gain (1.13) that its authors describe as lower-limb strength. A 2024 review of 24 trials (1,190 people) found no clear gain against control groups, at low certainty, with results so varied they barely agree.
The 2021 and 2024 reviews pool different strength tests, grip included, so neither isolates the legs, and a fourth review pooled strength, balance and flexibility into one score. We read all four as abstracts, without the trial tables.
In a 2026 review of 12 studies in about 540 adult women, leg strength results were mixed from trial to trial, and the timed up and go "did not differ between groups in either study that assessed it".
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Hip and knee strength rose in 14 women over 12 weeks of mat Pilates made harder every 4 weeks, with no control group. Hip extension strength rose 35.5% with Pilates and 21.4% with a light resistance programme in 49 women aged 60 to 80 over 18 weeks, and only Pilates beat no exercise. Knee strength rose against static stretching in 32 women over 12 weeks, in papers from one group that report the same group sizes, so they may be one sample of 32 women reported more than once: count it as one small trial.
Not every trial agrees: in 61 adults with overweight or obesity, knee strength measured on a machine didn't change after 8 weeks of floor, apparatus and 1 kg dumbbell Pilates, though chair and stair tests improved more than with walking.
Chair stands improved with both mat and apparatus Pilates in 48 women aged about 65, by similar amounts. In 44 adults aged 60 to 69, the five-times sit-to-stand and the timed up and go improved about equally with Pilates twice a week and aerobic training 3 times a week, while aerobic training improved walking speed and dynamic balance more. Across 6 trials, the timed up and go got 0.92 seconds faster: useful everyday gains, small in seconds.
Across 39 studies of 1,770 older adults (only 14 of satisfactory quality), Pilates improved balance, and the reviewers say it "can be recommended to enhance static and dynamic postural balance in older adults, but not to reduce the number of falls or the fear of falling". A 2026 network analysis of 423 trials in adults over 60 found Pilates' estimate most favourable for dynamic balance, with its authors' caution that "These estimates do not establish superiority"; a smaller 2026 analysis rated the Pilates evidence very low certainty.
The one Pilates trial to count falls was a pilot in 53 people aged 60 and over: fall injuries were 42% lower at 24 weeks, but the difference "was not statistically significant".
Pooled across 2 studies in women, Pilates had no significant effect on jump height (0.91 cm lower, anywhere from 5.26 cm lower to 3.44 cm higher). In 22 hip-hop dancers, 12 weeks of mat Pilates left jumps unchanged, and the authors say their "preliminary findings do not establish efficacy". In 30 amateur footballers, reformer Pilates improved one jump within the group, but not against mat Pilates or the control group. Power comes from moderate loads lifted quickly.
In the only scan of the hip muscles after Pilates, twice a week for 9 months "did not elicit hypertrophy" of the glutes and the other hip muscles in 12 inactive women, with no control group; its authors think Pilates doesn't work these muscles hard enough. In 19 trained women, 10 weeks of reformer and Cadillac classes left leg lean mass on DXA unchanged (14.1 kg before and after in one group), while bioimpedance scales overestimated lean mass by 3 kg, a reason to distrust readings of muscle gain from bathroom scales.
Lean mass didn't change in pooled trials in women, and our searches found no trial that scanned the thigh muscles after Pilates.
These are lab studies of muscle activity in one session, not training results: a muscle working hard in a lab doesn't show how much it will grow.
Side-lying leg lifts, like the side kick series, worked gluteus medius at 81% of its maximum, about twice the clam (40%). A review of 56 studies rated the single-leg bridge, side-lying leg lifts with the hip turned in, the lateral step-up, standing side leg lifts against resistance and resisted side-steps the best for it.
In 18 women, face-down leg beats worked the hamstrings at about 49% to 53% of their maximum and the big glute at about a third; swimming worked the big glute at 30% to 31%. The mat shoulder bridge worked the big glute more than a reformer hip roll on 2 springs in 60 women, some with back pain. On the reformer's knee stretch, a tucked pelvis with a rounded back raised glute activity.
On the Wunda chair, step-up-style moves worked the front and back of the thigh at moderate to high levels in 16 women.
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"The step-up exercise and its variations present the highest levels of GMax activation followed by several loaded exercises", one review found (GMax is the big glute). Across 11 studies, resistance training had a moderate effect on the size of the big glute, and full squats grew the glutes 6.7% and the inner thigh muscles 6.2% in 10 weeks.
A methods review warns that muscle activity measured in one session "is not a validated predictor" of muscle growth. In a 9-week MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) trial, hip thrusts drew more glute activity than squats, yet the two grew the glutes by similar amounts. That trial's 2026 correction added an undeclared equipment donation and said it was registered after the fact; the journal says the data and results are unchanged.
Our searches found no muscle-activity study of the side kick, leg circles, the single-leg kick, reformer footwork, the straps or the jumpboard.
A 2022 review of 11 trials found "very low to low evidence that there is no difference between Pilates and other exercise modalities" for strength, balance and flexibility. Its comparison programmes were mostly light: a band programme, a core device, a light resistance class and stretching. Against other exercise in older adults, the 2024 review found no difference either.
A computer-controlled balance and core resistance device beat Pilates for leg power in 34 women aged about 70, and a low-load, high-repetition group class improved leg power in inactive women while "the Pilates program failed to improve physical fitness-related parameters except flexibility levels".
Our searches found no trial comparing Pilates with heavy, progressive leg training. For scale, progressive resistance training had "a large positive effect on muscle strength" across 73 trials in older adults, and a moderate to large effect on getting out of a chair; setting that beside Pilates' results is our reading, not a head-to-head comparison.
The 2026 ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) position stand, drawn from 137 reviews, says strength rose most with heavier loads (80% or more of the most you can lift once), through a full range of motion, for 2 to 3 sets, on 2 or more days a week, and muscle grew most with about 10 or more sets a week. Light loads build muscle about as well when sets are hard, and sets to failure aren't needed.
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Pilates is a good place to start, and good for control, balance and strength on one leg. For the most strength or muscle, add squats, lunges, step-ups or a leg press that you keep making heavier, on the same day or another. Many people do both.
Mat and apparatus classes gave "significant and similar improvements in the functional capacity" of 48 older women. In footballers, the reformer beat the mat for a one-leg hopping test and agility, with no difference in jumps or one-leg balance.
The reformer adds springs and costs a little more energy than the mat, but the load in footwork has been measured in only one volunteer. Spring colours and numbers don't tell you the force, so judge by effort: the last few reps of each set should feel hard.
No study has measured the jumpboard. In research sledges, not reformers, people who jumped lying down against springs had lower peak forces and less calf activity before landing than in hops on the ground. Our reading, by analogy only: the jumpboard is gentler jumping, not a stand-in for jumping on your feet for bone or power.
A wall turns the reformer's footbar on its side: wall bridges, wall sits, wall side leg lifts and heel raises at a wall train the same shapes without springs (our reading). Our wall Pilates guide has more.
In a review of 3 small trials, Pilates "had no significant effects on BMD in postmenopausal women", BMD meaning bone mineral density. In a 2026 network analysis of 74 trials, mind-body exercise combined with resistance training ranked best for spine and hip bone density. The UK guidelines' bone advice is resistance, impact and balance activities on at least 2 days a week; our Pilates for osteoporosis and Pilates for women over 40 guides have the classes that add them.
The NHS asks adults to do strengthening activities that work all the major muscles, legs included, on at least 2 days a week, "to the point where you need a short rest before repeating the activity", and lists Pilates among them. Over 65, it asks for activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days. The UK Chief Medical Officers add that "any strengthening activity is better than none."
The trials that found gains ran 2 or 3 sessions a week for 8 to 18 weeks, and one made the work harder as it went: "Repetitions increased every 4 weeks and the difficulty of exercises progressed from beginner to intermediate and advanced".
Our 30-minute class twice a week, on days that aren't back to back, working each move until the last few reps are hard. Every 2 to 4 weeks, make one thing harder: one leg instead of two, slower lowering, a band above the knees, a dumbbell in squats and lunges, or heavier springs on a reformer. For more strength or muscle, swap one session for our lower body workout at home or the Pilates strength workout, and walk or do other aerobic activity on most days.
Put a balance move in every session, and add our Pilates for balance class on a third day. Our Pilates for balance guide explains why falls prevention needs balance and strength work several times a week for months.
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Our editorial plan, from the 2026 ACSM position stand (2 to 3 hard sets, at least twice a week; light loads build muscle when sets are hard) and the Pilates trial that made the work harder every 4 weeks.
See the movement on the 3D figure: Single-leg glute bridge
Lateral breathing: 5 to 8 breaths at the start of every session; hip circles, holding a wall: 3 slow circles each way with each leg (both from the move pages' doses).
Squats: 2 sets of 10 slow reps; calf raises: 12 slow reps; wall sit: 2 holds of 20 to 30 s (our Pilates leg workout). Wall bridge: 8 to 10 reps; one-leg version, 5 each side (from the move page's dose). For harder squats, hold a dumbbell at your chest.
Pelvic tilt into bridge: 8 slow reps; single-leg bridge: 6 to 8 each side (our Pilates glute workout). Staggered bridge: 5 slow repetitions each side once a day, building to 2 sets of 5 to 10; shoulder bridge: 3 to 5 kicks each leg; leg circle: 5 circles each direction, each leg; single-leg kick: 6 to 8 each leg; swimming: 2 to 3 sets of 20 to 30 seconds (all from the move pages' doses).
3D demoPelvic tilt into bridgeBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg glute bridgeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoStaggered-stance bridge (offset bridge)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoShoulder bridge (Pilates)Intermediate · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg circle (Pilates one leg circle)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg kick (Pilates one leg kick)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSwimming (Pilates)Intermediate · No equipmentSide kick: 8 to 10 each side; side leg circles: 8 each direction, each side; inner thigh lift: 10 to 12 each side (from the move pages' doses). Side-lying leg raise: 10 each side; clam: 12 each side (our Pilates glute workout). Ball squeeze: 6 holds of 5 to 10 s (our Pilates leg workout). With pain on the outside of the hip, see who should change what, below.
3D demoSide kick (Pilates side kick series)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoSide-lying leg raiseBeginner · 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 demoLying adductor ball squeezeBeginner · Other / check instructions
3D demoClamshellBeginner · No equipmentSit to stand: 5 slow (our Pilates for mobility class); reverse lunge: 8 each side and one-leg stand: 2 holds of 20 s each side (our Pilates leg workout); wall side leg lift: 10 to 12 each side; standing wall press: 3 to 5 holds of 5 to 15 seconds each side; reach matrix: 3 rounds of 5 reaches in each direction, each leg, once a one-leg stand is steady (from the move pages' doses). Split squat, step-up and one-leg calf raise from a step: 3 sets of 8 to 12, 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 10, and 3 sets of 10 to 15 each side (our lower body workout at home), the step towards loaded training.
3D demoSit to stand from a chairBeginner · A bench or box
3D demoReverse lungeIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoWall side leg lift (standing side kick at the wall)Beginner · A wall
3D demoStanding wall-press hip abductionBeginner · A wall
3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wall
3D demoSingle-leg reach matrixIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoSplit squatIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoStep-upBeginner · A step
3D demoSingle-leg calf raise from a stepIntermediate · A step + A wallHamstring stretch with a strap: 30 s each side (our Pilates leg workout); quad stretch: hold 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times each side (from the move page's dose); hip flexor stretch with the knee padded, and figure four: 30 s each side (our lower body workout at home); calf stretch: 30 s each leg (our calf workout). Stretching keeps your range; it doesn't lengthen the muscles.
3D demoSupine hamstring stretch with a strapBeginner · No equipment
3D demoStanding quad stretchBeginner · A wall
3D demoHalf-kneeling hip flexor stretchBeginner · No equipment
3D demoReclined figure four (eye of the needle, Sucirandhrasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoWall calf stretch (gastrocnemius)Beginner · A wallPilates Anytime says those with knee problems should avoid the kneeling side kick. Pad or skip kneeling, keep deep knee bends small while a knee is sore, and after a knee replacement don't kneel on the new knee until your doctor says you can, as the move pages advise. After a hip replacement, follow your team's precautions: the inner thigh lift crosses the top leg over, like crossing your legs. Our Pilates for knee pain guide has the detail.
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The side kick's and side leg circles' pages say: "Padding only eases pressure from the floor: with pain on the outside of the hip, our suggestion is to never lie on the sore side. Lie on your good side with a pillow between your knees so the top leg stays level, and if it still hurts, swap to the wall side leg lift, a standing version at a wall."
The inner thigh lift's page adds: "With pain on the outside of the hip, our suggestion is to leave this one out, as you'd either lie on the sore hip or cross that leg over the other."
The inner thigh lift's page says: "After a hip replacement, follow the precautions your team gives you: the top leg crosses over the other one here, much like crossing your legs, which the NHS lists among the movements to avoid while your hip recovers." It adds: "With a groin strain, start with a small lift."
If you're hypermobile, don't use mobility work to push further: the NHS says "do not overextend your joints just because you can". See a GP if you think you have joint hypermobility syndrome: for example, your joints keep dislocating, or you keep getting sprains, strains, pain or stiffness.
The single-leg circle's page adds: "With hypermobility, work in the middle of your range, as hypermobility charities and Pilates teachers' bodies advise: keep the circle small and stop before the end of your range rather than swinging into it."
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Wall sits raise blood pressure while you hold them, so breathe normally and never hold your breath. Ask your GP first if your blood pressure is 160/100 or higher and untreated, or if you have heart disease, and skip them with Marfan syndrome, vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or aortic disease.
Keep your head down in the hundred and single-leg stretch, as our walk and Pilates workout advises, or choose the dead bug, bird dog and planks instead of the curl-up moves. Our Pilates for osteoporosis guide has more.
With osteoporosis or a past spinal fracture, avoid repeated or loaded deep rounding of the back, and bend from the hips. The osteoporosis guide covers impact and lifting.
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In pregnancy, after the first trimester, keep time flat on your back to a few minutes: prop your upper body up, or use a side-lying or all-fours version.
The swan's and swimming's pages add: "Do not lie face down in later pregnancy." The bird dog on all fours is the swap (our suggestion).
Stop if you feel dizzy or light-headed. Keep a counter or wall within reach, and have someone nearby for the hardest moves if you've fallen recently (our suggestion, as in our older adults guide).
Start where you're comfortable: chair, wall and standing versions all count. Our Pilates for plus-size bodies guide covers getting up and down from the floor and the equipment that helps.
Breathe out as you lift, and don't hold your breath.
Start with our new 30-minute class, which works your hips, thighs, glutes and calves with a harder option for every move. The leg and glute classes go deeper on the thighs and glutes, the hips class on range and control, the inner thigh class on the adductors, and the strength class adds dumbbells; the lower body workout at home is the loaded step.
A 30-minute Pilates class for your whole lower body: footwork, bridges, side and face-down work, one-leg moves and a stretch, each with a harder option.
30 minBeginner20 movesWall, other / check instructionsA 25-minute Pilates class for your legs: reformer footwork without the machine, leg circles, the side kick series, inner-thigh squeezes and stretches.
25 minBeginner15 movesWall, 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 movesWall, bandA 25-minute Pilates class for healthy hips: the back and side of the hip, the inner thigh, turning at the end of your range and one-leg control.
25 minBeginner21 movesWallA 20-minute Pilates class for your inner thighs: squeezes with a ring, ball or cushion, side-lying lifts, standing work and a short stretch, with a harder option.
20 minBeginner13 movesOther / check instructions, bench or boxA 30-minute Pilates strength class with dumbbells or a band: Pilates trunk work plus squats, lunges, rows and push-ups, each set taken until it is hard.
30 minIntermediate15 movesDumbbell, bandA 25-minute mat workout built on the order of a classical reformer class, with a mat or standing version of each reformer exercise. No machine needed.
25 minBeginner16 movesWallA 20-minute wall Pilates class that steps up week by week: roll-downs, wall sits and push-ups standing, then bridges and the hundred with feet on the wall.
20 minBeginner15 movesWall, bench or boxA 25-minute Pilates class for steadier balance: standing balance and leg strength at a kitchen counter, then mat work for your trunk and hips.
25 minBeginner17 movesWall, bench or boxA 30-minute class for women over 60: pelvic floor squeezes, gentle heel drops, leg and arm strength at a chair, balance at a counter and head-down Pilates.
30 minBeginner22 movesBench or box, stepA lower body workout at home: split squats, slider hamstring curls, single-leg bridges, step-ups, band walks and calf raises, with dumbbell options.
30 minIntermediate12 movesWall, stepThe 4-week Pilates plan is a gentle start; the glute plan and squat challenge add load in small steps; the plan for seniors builds strength and balance together.
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 minBeginner4 days a weekAn 8-week glute workout plan: two glute days and two upper-body days a week, with hip thrusts, squats, hinges and side-hip work, plus a home option.
4 training days50 minIntermediate3 days a weekA free 30-day squat challenge with a chair track and a single-leg track: 3 short sessions a week, optional practice days and a before-and-after test.
3 training days15 minBeginner3 days a weekA free 30-day wall Pilates challenge for beginners: three 20-minute wall classes a week that get harder step by step, with an honest look at the 28-day trend.
3 training days20 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week exercise plan for over-65s: strength and balance three times a week, short balance sessions and daily walks, based on falls-prevention trials.
3 training days40 minBeginnerThese are the warning signs of our hip, knee, back, legs and Pilates guides, word for word. This is general information, not a diagnosis. A&E means accident and emergency; in the US, call 911 for 999, and use your doctor's urgent line or urgent care for NHS 111.
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Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if you have severe hip pain that started suddenly but you've not had a fall or injured your hip, your hip is swollen and feels hot, the skin around your hip has changed colour, or you have hip pain, feel generally unwell and have a high temperature (or feel hot, cold or shivery). A hot, swollen hip with a high temperature can be a joint infection.
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Knee pain doesn't improve within a few weeks. In many areas you can refer yourself to NHS musculoskeletal (MSK) services, such as physiotherapy.
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Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful or getting worse, there's a lot of swelling or bruising, you can't put weight on it or walk more than a few steps, it feels very stiff, or it isn't getting better with self-care. The NHS advises avoiding strenuous exercise for up to 8 weeks while it heals.
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Stop if you feel a sudden sharp pain, a snap or a pop at the back of the thigh during a stretch: it may be a hamstring strain. Our hamstring strain guide says when to get help.
Call 999 if:
Call 999 or go to A&E (accident and emergency) straight away for severe difficulty breathing (gasping, choking or not able to get words out), a chest that feels tight or heavy, pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw, lips or skin turning very pale, blue or grey, or sudden confusion. If you're more short of breath than usual, or your heart is racing, fluttering or skipping beats, contact NHS 111.
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If you have a heart condition, follow your cardiac team's advice on how hard to work, and stop for the warning signs above. People with long-term conditions may wish to ask their specialist before starting. With uncontrolled high blood pressure, avoid straining against a held breath; the high blood pressure guide has more.
You feel any pain or become unwell, as the NHS advises for its Pilates videos, and especially for chest pain or pressure, unusual breathlessness, dizziness or fainting. If you have a health problem, an injury or any symptoms, get advice from a healthcare professional, such as a GP, before you start.
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The NHS advises getting advice from a healthcare professional first if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, or have recently had a heart attack or an operation.
If you have a heart, lung or joint condition, are pregnant or have recently been unwell, start gently and read our guide for your condition. Muscle soreness for a day or two after a new exercise is common and fades as you repeat it.
See your GP first if you get chest pain, breathlessness or dizziness when you are active, if you have a heart condition and want to exercise harder, or if you have had a fall.
No exercise lengthens a muscle or changes where it attaches, and stretching programmes haven't been shown to lengthen muscle fibres. Pilates didn't change leg lean mass on DXA or lean mass in pooled trials, and fat comes off your whole body, not the part you work. Legs look the way they do because of bone, muscle, fat and genes; our Pilates for legs guide covers the rest.
The only MRI of the hip muscles after 36 weeks of Pilates found no growth, leg lean mass didn't change, and no trial has compared Pilates with progressive leg training. Loaded squats grew the glutes and inner thighs in 10 weeks. Pilates can build strength in people starting out; muscle needs harder sets.
Lean mass didn't change in pooled trials, and muscle grows with hard sets that keep getting harder. Our Pilates for legs guide answers this in full.
Mat and apparatus Pilates improved older women's leg-strength tests about equally; in footballers, the reformer helped one-leg hopping and agility more, not jumps; and the springs' load is guesswork.
No Pilates trial has measured joint health or leg injuries. A trial in young women volleyball players found fewer landing errors on a movement-screening test, which isn't the same as fewer injuries.
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Jump height didn't change in pooled trials or in dancers, and resistance-style programmes beat Pilates for leg power.
Balance improves, but no drop in falls has been shown, and the one falls trial was a small pilot. Our Pilates for balance guide covers what falls prevention takes.
Muscle activity in one session "is not a validated predictor" of growth, its reviewers say, and higher glute activity in hip thrusts didn't mean more glute growth than squats in an MRI trial. The burn tells you the muscle is working, not how much it will grow.
Yes, as all-round work: bridges, the side kick series, leg circles, face-down kicks and standing work train your hips, thighs, glutes and calves from every side. In older adults it improved leg strength and balance against doing nothing, though reviews disagree on how much. For the most strength or muscle, add load you can keep increasing.
It can, if you're starting from little: small trials in older women found stronger knees and hips after 12 to 18 weeks. Against other exercise, strength training included, it did about as well in small trials, at very low to low certainty. It hasn't been compared with heavy leg training.
For building muscle, probably not: the one scan of the hip muscles after 9 months of Pilates found no growth, and lean mass didn't change in trials. Muscle grows with hard sets you keep making harder. Many people do both: Pilates for control and one-leg strength, weights for size.
Not much: lean mass didn't change in pooled trials, and most Pilates is light work. Our Pilates for legs guide answers this in full, and nothing here promises a particular shape.
The shoulder bridge and single-leg bridge for the back of the hips, side-lying leg lifts for the side glutes (81% of their maximum in a lab study), the single-leg kick and swimming for the hamstrings, leg circles for hip control, and squats, lunges and calf raises standing. Our 30-minute class puts them together.
Not clearly: mat and apparatus classes improved older women's leg-strength tests about equally. The reformer adds springs, but their setting doesn't tell you the load; in footballers it helped one-leg hopping more than mat Pilates did.
Yes: every move in our class works on a mat, a wall and a chair. A band above your knees, a ball or cushion to squeeze, and a pair of dumbbells make it harder as you get stronger.
Twice a week, working until you need a short rest, meets the NHS strength guideline. Most trials used 2 or 3 sessions a week for 8 to 18 weeks. Make one thing harder every few weeks.
Yes: across 39 studies of older adults it improved balance about as much as other exercise, but it hasn't been shown to cut falls. Over 65, the NHS asks for activities that improve strength, balance and flexibility on at least 2 days a week.
Jump height didn't change in pooled trials or in dancers. Power comes from moderate loads lifted quickly; our Pilates for runners guide covers running.
It can be, with changes: bridges and side-lying work strengthen the muscles around them. Get advice from NHS 111 if your knee locks, gives way or is badly swollen, and call 999 if you can't put weight on a leg after a fall.
It hasn't been shown to: bone density didn't change in 3 small trials. For bone, the UK guidelines add resistance and impact activities.
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.
