Ahhhh weight lifting and Pilates. My two loves forever at odds with each other because people don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about but sure do love to act like they do.
In a Pilates setting, I’ve endured the nonsense spouted about weight lifting: it makes you bulky, it makes you stiff, it hurts your back. Once I was in a class and the instructor was all over me, constantly adjusting every little thing. Which is totally what a good instructor should do (trust me, you will experience this any time you work with me). But I had the sneaking suspicion that her micromanaging had less to do with my form and was more related to my “Girls Who Powerlift” shirt. After badgering me on one movement, she said “This is why your back hurts.” Bingo. I did not have any back pain nor did I ever say I did. She made an assumption based on my shirt (and these sick delts) and in her smugness was convinced I was the stereotypical meathead trying to fix a busted back. In actuality, I was a 20+ year Pilates veteran with more Pilates experience under my belt than anything else.
But now that Pilates is all the rage with bitches worldwide, the Pilates shittalk smugness on the weight lifting side has gone from annoying to unbearable. Yes yes I knowwwww Pilates is not actual load-bearing resistance training nor is it a substitute for weight training. And yes I know it’s super irritating when misinformation is spread. But come on, it’s the fitness industry. If you want annoying, smug, misleading, know-it-all stupidity in all its vain hyper-sexualized glory, look no further! This is nothing new.
If we can take a step back and look at the big picture for a moment though, the real goal ultimately is just to get people to move more, period. Because the statistics ain’t good, guys. The health and fitness industry continues to fail miserably at making any lasting change in people’s lives. And this is coming from someone whose life dramatically changed thanks to fitness. But sadly, I am an anomaly in this regard. And because I like my stupid values better than money and low blood pressure, I am also dedicated to helping people COME WITH ME and discover how awesome in the literal sense moving your body can be.
So if people find something that makes them excited to move and that they feel is truly helping them, then for god’s sake let them. And as someone in the industry who understands the importance of weight training, I can (and do) use this interest in Pilates to lure them into the weight room. It lowers the intimidation level dramatically because they directly see how much their experience pays off in terms of body awareness, coordination, balance, stability, and confidence. Also, they know I’m not going to just nag them about how stupid Pilates is.
I do the same thing with my weight lifters. But I gotta tell ya– general weight lifters are usually not nearly as good at body awareness, coordination, balance, or motor control as people with Pilates experience. Why? Because you can go into a weight room and lift shit and learn as you go. And that’s AWESOME. That’s the best part! I encourage you to please please please do that. And yes, you will absolutely develop those skills as you go. But Pilates takes those skills a step further in a way that weight training often neglects. A lot of this has to do with the fact that Pilates is done with an instructor; you can do YouTube videos and stuff but it’s not something you can just figure out as you go. And true Pilates studios often require private sessions before you can do a class. These studios usually have very small classes as well, all of which of course helps you learn these skills.
And before the torches and pitchforks start coming at me, yes OBVIOUSLY that is a gross overstatement. Anyone who has seen an olympic weightlifter snatch the equivalent of a house over their head (while making it look like a feather) knows that a tremendous amount of all those things is required on a mind-blowing level. Bodybuilding also demands an acute body awareness both in training and competition. But Pilates as cross-training takes you out of your sport of choice so you can enhance your motor control globally in ways that challenge your autopilot.
But unlike yoga, Pilates can directly improve your lifting. Pilates breathing for example is a more advanced form of diaphragmatic breathing that involves your intercostal muscles between your ribs. This lateral expansion of the ribcage allows you to access your diaphragm and interabdominal pressure without relaxing your abdominal muscles. This, my friends, is how you *actually* brace.
#TheMoreYouKnow🌈
Pilates also places a great deal of emphasis on your core aka your trunk, specifically pelvic lumbar stability, thoracic mobility and stability, as well as lateral flexion, spinal articulation, rotation, and extension. And in relation to those things, shoulder girdle and scapular stability, hip girdle stability and mobility, and of course feet (don’t even get me started).
The stereotype about lifting weights that drives me crazy is the belief that it will make you stiffer. LIFTERS believe this. Sweetie, if lifting weights makes you move worse, you are doing a shitty job. Loaded movement is mobility training. Whereas flexibility is passive range of motion, mobility is your body’s ability to move through a ROM with control. In other words, mobility is earned ROM. If your body doesn’t feel stable (i.e. safe) you will not be able to do it. Problems arise when you try to cheat by adding weight to give our good old pal gravity a boost. Enter: tightness, aches, pinches. Also enter: “I’m just getting old!” (Seriously DO NOT get me started.)
I do want to add that I am not bashing yoga. Yoga has its place and has many benefits. But it’s probably not going to improve your mobility in the weight room. In fact I think it probably detracts from it because you’re sending your body a whole lot of mixed messages: relax and get to this ass-to-grass squat like a limp spaghetti noodle and then go and put a barbell on your back and do it. Let me know how that works out for you.
Just like walking on the treadmill for 5 minutes before you lift isn’t really warming up. And a tough hike isn’t active recovery. If you have specific goals, you need to train intelligently and use common sense. You have to do boring shit that you can relate to your specific goals and stop trying to take shortcuts and applying bandaids. You have to get real with yourself and face the limitations your body is consistently putting on you while also resisting the urge to just add more. And if you’re busted to shit, a reformer class with 20 people taught by someone who took ballet as a toddler probably isn’t going to be the ticket.
If you’re curious about how Pilates could fit into your training or you want me to lecture your face off about this in person, join us for Mat Pilates for Meatheads at Lux Strength! Whether you already lift, you’re returning to exercise, or you simply want to move better, the class can be adapted to meet you where you are.
