Are you trying to lose weight with Pilates? Are you wanting to know what you can add to your Pilates routine to help? This article can help you make a plan on what to pair your Pilates workout with to optimize your weight loss.
While Pilates alone is a great way to lose weight, one’s weight loss journey can be sped up by pairing Pilates with a workout calendar, new equipment, cardio, aerobics, weight training, yoga, and a nutrition plan.
To learn more about these additions and how you can incorporate them into your Pilates routine to lose extra weight, keep reading!
A Planner or Calendar for Your Workout Schedule
Practice makes perfect. Pilates is not excluded from this. The more you practice, the better you will become and the faster you will see results. This should be done in moderation, as you should not be working out twice a day, every day. A good starting point is to start with a schedule of 5 days a week, dispersed in whatever way works best for you. They do not have to be all in a row, but don’t go more than two days without a workout, because that is where you will lose consistency and motivation.
If you are someone who likes to write things down, logging your workouts, writing down how long they were done, what exercises you did, and your heart rate can be a big motivator as well. Having a physical record of the hard work you did is satisfying to acknowledge the work you are putting in to lose weight. Plus, having a physical schedule to plan your workouts will help keep your exercise routine consistent.
Add Equipment to Your Workouts
When you are doing the same movements over and over again, your body will eventually get used to them and there will be a point when the movement will no longer be a challenge for your muscles and few benefits will come from you exercising.
When you get to that point with certain movements in Pilates, you can counter this by adding weights and using various equipment available in gyms. For Pilates specifically, the most ideal pieces of equipment to use at the gym are the reformer, a wunda chair, and a ladder barrel.
If you already do your workouts in a gym where a variety of equipment is available, this shouldn’t be too much of an adjustment. However, if you are someone who does your workout in the comfort of your own home, some beginning home-gym items for Pilates include resistance bands, exercise balls, and hand weights.
Cardio and Aerobics
Completing daily, consistent cardiovascular exercise is a proven way to lose weight, so adding it to the weight loss and muscle-strengthening benefits of Pilates is a great way to lose weight quickly. Cardio helps to strengthen your lungs and heart.
Some of the best cardio/aerobics exercises to add to your Pilates workout and burn fat include:
- Running
- Cycling
- Swimming
- Boxing
You can add one or more of these workouts to your Pilates workout, or incorporate them into your morning routine and save your Pilates routine for nighttime. Always listen to your body and realize when it is being pushed too close to its limit.
You can begin incorporating these cardio workouts in small doses, for example, by completing a few reps on the rowing machine, running or boxing for a few minutes, or completing a few yards of swimming. Slowly increase the length of the workout each week.
Be sure not to exceed more than 20 minutes of cardio before doing muscle-strengthening exercises like Pilates.
Several Pilates classes have cardio already incorporated into the course, but if you’re already in a regular Pilates class, you can try jogging or running on your way to the studio or just before class starts.
Weight Training
Adding weights can help improve the many benefits of Pilates and increase your body weight loss. Practising weight resistance movements during your Pilates workouts, including lifting weights or using stretch bands, can help you strengthen your core. Strengthening your core will provide support and resistance to your muscles so that you can practice weight lifting outside your routine, which helps aid in weight loss.
Many weight lifters have begun doing Pilates because it works out their whole body and every muscle in a short amount of time, meaning they can still get a workout while taking a break from lifting weights for a day or two per week. So, if you do Pilates regularly and would like to see the added benefits of weight lifting on your body, you can add weight training to your weekly workout routine.
To pair weight training with Pilates, you should add small weighted dumbbells or stretch bands and use them throughout your Pilates workout. Heavier weights are best for focused weight training workout sessions. When using the exercise ball or Pilates chair, this is the perfect time to put those dumbbells to use. The added weight to your Pilates routine will require more energy put into each set, and with that added energy you will burn more calories.
If you’d rather use heavier weights, do not incorporate them into your Pilates workout. Heavy weight lifting should be practised separately from Pilates so that you can focus on your form, breathing, resistance and grip. Whether you lift weights separately from your Pilates workouts or incorporate a couple of five-pound dumbbells into your Pilates workout, lifting that extra weight will help you burn calories and lose weight.
Create a Nutrition Plan
As with any type of exercise, if you want to see results, especially with weight loss, your diet is a huge factor.
What we put into our bodies to fuel it is what is going to be the catalyst for weight loss, along with Pilates.
You should always eat before and after a Pilates workout. It is important to have the energy to perform your best during your workout, as well as provide the energy your body needs after your workout to continue to burn fat after burning so many calories.
Prior to your workout, you should try and eat lean protein and complex carbs. Some examples of this are a protein shake made with fruit or whole grain toast with nut butter.
After your workout, you will want food that is highly nutrient dense and full of protein. One example is a green smoothie with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables with protein powder.
