Q: I’ve heard that Pilates can give you long, lean muscles. Is there any truth to this claim?
It’s a promise that has been around for nearly as long as Pilates itself: Through highly controlled, low-intensity resistance exercises and stretches, the workout can help people develop lengthen and “tone” their muscles, reshaping their physiques to resemble those of professional dancers — or giving them what some have called a “Pilates body.”
But despite the many evidence-based health and fitness benefits of Pilates, this particular claim is more marketing hype than science, said William Kraemer, a professor emeritus in the department of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut.
“Your muscles can’t literally get longer,” Dr. Kraemer said, since their length is determined by your genetics. And if your physique looks “toned,” that typically just means you have less body fat.
But Pilates does affect your body differently than heavy lifting, exercise science experts told The New York Times. Here’s what to know.
‘Pilates body’ claims have a long history.
When the German boxer and gymnast Joseph Pilates first brought his workout to New York City in the 1930s, it gained a reputation among professional ballet dancers for helping to relieve aches and pains and to rehabilitate them from injury.
In the decades that followed, many dancers became Pilates instructors and studio owners themselves, serving as living advertisements for the aesthetic promise of the workout, said Shari Berkowitz, a Pilates teacher and educator in Peekskill, N.Y., who has also studied biomechanics.
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The post Can Pilates Really Make My Muscles ‘Long and Lean’? appeared first on New York Times.
