The effect of Pilates on adult fitness characteristics

The Pilates method is an exercise system that focuses on the improvement of flexibility, body awareness and strength by using various apparatuses and a Pilates mat to perform an assortment of unique resistance exercises. Pilates have seen an impressive increase in popularity over the past decade, with more than five million Americans using the method regularly today. As with many relatively new forms of exercise, however, research on the particular benefits of Pilates is limited. In order to better understand the supposed bodily improvements caused by Pilates, a study was performed. Outcomes showed improvements to shoulder flexibility, muscular endurance and waistline circumference, but were undermined by other shortcomings.

Twenty-eight healthy and recreationally active adults (26 women, 2 men) volunteered for the study and were used either as subjects in the Pilates group or the control group. The Pilates group was assigned to take supervised classes for eight weeks, undergoing three 60-minute sessions of traditional mat Pilates per week. Sessions primarily consisted of beginner and intermediate exercises, with some advanced maneuvers used towards the end of the trial. The control group was assigned to continue on with their own unsupervised, self-prescribed cardiovascular and strength-training regimens for the same period of time and at the same level of frequency. Prior to the trial period, all subjects were given a number of tests to determine flexibility of the lower back, hamstrings and upper body, as well as abdominal and lower back muscular endurance. Circumference measurements for each subject’s chest, waist, hips, right thigh and right arm were also recorded, as well as barefoot body mass and body density.

Though only 22 of the 28 participants completed the entire interval of the study, with nine of the 14 members of the Pilates group meeting the inclusion criteria, all data from members who failed to meet the criteria was excluded to improve validity. Results from the study showed that the Pilates group experienced a significant decrease in average circumference measurements at the waist, chest and arm, while changes at the hip and thigh were not statistically significant. The control group, on the other hand, did not experience any notable difference between measurements taken prior to and after the interval. Specific improvements to the Pilates group included positive changes in body composition and flexibility, particularly with shoulder flexibility, as well as better muscular endurance scores. The most notable improvement in circumference measurements was at the waistline, which is likely explained by better abdominal muscle tone, since all Pilates exercises used in this study focused on this region of the body.

These findings highlight the apparent benefits of Pilates on subjects in the study; however, there are a number of shortcomings that must be taken into consideration when assessing the outcomes. The small overall sample size, the majority of subjects being women and the usage of physically active adults in the control group are all considerable factors of the study that make the results less powerful. Overall, the conductors of the study found that three 60-minute sessions of traditional mat Pilates over eight weeks had a positive impact on particular components of fitness for physically active adults, but suggests that future studies use a larger sample size with more men, more randomization and the inclusion of some other type of exercise class for comparative analysis.

-As reported in the Sept. 09 issue of Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport

-Summarized by Greg Gargiulo