I love Pilates — it’s why I became an instructor — but it’s not the only exercise I do. It’s a brilliant all-round workout, but sometimes you want that extra cardiovascular push, and that’s where HIIT comes in. The question I get asked a lot is whether you can do both on the same day.
You can. HIIT and Pilates complement each other well, and done sensibly, combining them can give you a more complete workout than either would alone.
Why they work well together
HIIT and Pilates target your fitness from different angles. HIIT is high-intensity, cardio-driven, and focused on burning calories and building stamina. Pilates is lower-intensity, focused on core strength, mobility, posture, and controlled movement. What one lacks, the other provides.
Pilates also builds the kind of body awareness — breathing control, core engagement, posture — that actually makes your HIIT sessions safer and more effective. And HIIT builds the cardiovascular endurance that Pilates alone won’t give you.
Which should you do first?
If you’re doing them in separate sessions, most people do better with Pilates in the morning and HIIT later in the day. Pilates is a great way to start the day — it centres your breathing, wakes up your core, and gets you moving with good body awareness. HIIT in the afternoon or evening then gives you a cardiovascular challenge when your body is fully warm.
If you want to do them back to back in a single session, Pilates makes an excellent warm-up. It activates the muscles you’ll use in HIIT and sets up good breathing patterns before you ramp up the intensity.
Alternatively, you can combine them into a single HIIT Pilates session — higher pace, Pilates-based movements, more cardiovascular demand:
Building up gradually
If you haven’t done either before, don’t attempt both in the same day to start with. Get comfortable with each one separately first. When you’re ready to combine them, start with a light Pilates session in the morning and a short 15-minute HIIT session later — not a full session of each at full intensity.
HIIT is demanding. Doing too much of it too soon, especially on top of another workout, is a quick route to burnout or injury. Build the volume gradually and give your body time to adapt.
Common mistakes to avoid
The most common mistake I see is people ignoring their diet when they ramp up their training. Doing two workouts a day takes a lot out of you — if you’re not fuelling properly, your performance drops and your recovery suffers.
The second mistake is skipping rest. Over-training slows your progress, it doesn’t speed it up. Build rest days into your week, and if your body is telling you it needs a break, listen to it.
I’ve written more about the specific question of order in Should I do HIIT or Pilates first? if you want to go deeper on that.
