Will Pilates give me the muscle I want?

I've been asked this question many times and I find it such a difficult question to answer because there isn't just one simple answer. Plus the answer I give you may not be the answer you were hoping for...

As with any type of training method you are using your muscle definition with have different result, to answer the question YES! Pilates gives you muscle but, it's not the same type of muscle you'd be gaining if you were doing weight training for example. I started Pilates because as a dancer finding a fitness routine that allowed me to gain strength without "bulking" (I hate using this term because it's such a subjective term), this lead me to finding Pilates and well, I was blown away!

Being a ballet dancer you'd think I would have the best core in the world! Spoiler! I didn't, in fact when starting Pilates my core strength was almost non-existent, yes I know what you're thinking, Amy how has this got anything to do with whether Pilates gives you muscle or not? The point I'm trying to make is that I didn't see the physical benefits of Pilates when I started but, let me tell you I sure felt them after three weeks of doing Pilates classes I began to realize how much stronger I'd become, skip 5 years later and my core is the strongest it's ever been! So in saying that I must have a six pack right ? WRONG! I have a little two pack on a good day, so after all this rambling one key factor about Pilates is that you're building lean muscle mass, so you're not going to see definition straight away because that's not the aim of the movement or training style. It's perfect as a cross training or for injury prevention and rehabilitation because it targets all those small muscle groups we don't focus on in other forms of training.

So if you're looking for larger muscle growth Pilates may not be entirely what you're looking for but, don't give up on it just yet! I'd suggest using it as a cross-training to ensure injury prevention in your gym routine or you could incorporate it into your active rest days. It's crucial to have active rest days in any training regime, it's how professional athletes stay healthy and injury free.