You must’ve heard of Pilates, the low-impact workout aimed at stabilizing your back and spine and helping you flatten your midsection as well as weight loss.
Reformer Pilates (Pilates performed on a reformer machine) is picking up a lot of steam in the US and other countries, so we decided to explore whether a Pilates reformer can help with weight loss.
Let’s dive in to know what the truth is.
What is a Pilates reformer?
Traditionally Pilates is performed on a mat. But it is also possible to do Pilates on a reformer machine. The reformer is a bed-like frame platform invented by Joseph Pilates. The platform rolls back and forth on wheels to work core muscles and the spine. In words of Julie O’Connell, PT, DPT at Athletico Physical Therapy, “it (pilates reformer) is an apparatus used as a part of a Pilates exercise session under the direction of an instructor that uses springs for assistance and resistance to achieve proper muscle length and strength in an organized way.”
The Pilates reformer helps achieve the goals of Pilates through coordinated movements while the emphasis on postural control.
Can pilates reformer help lose weight?
Yes, it can.
But there is more to learn here.
Weight loss is easy when you combine proper diet and exercise. While dieting is relatively easy, most people struggle with adopting a physical activity to start moving. Doing Pilates is an ideal starting point for people who want to take up physical activity to lose weight. It is a gentle introduction to exercising with scope to advance.
Reformer pilates work on your core muscles to strengthen and revitalize. This effect helps overall weight loss because it increases muscle tone and boosts metabolic activity. Lean muscles are metabolically active, and the more lean muscles you have, the more calories you will burn.
A Pilates reformer is an excellent tool to maintain posture while doing Pilates. Most people cannot fully utilize the benefits of Pilates as they find it hard to maintain posture while focusing on their breathing. A Pilates reformer can also help you to strengthen your core muscles.
With a strengthened core, you can do more intense workouts that further enable you to lose weight faster. One of the goals of losing weight is to appear leaner, and doing Pilates can help you achieve that goal. Pilates workout is known for sculpting muscles faster, especially around the midsection and arms. It is easier to shape your body and gain a leaner physique using a pilates reformer as the machine is designed to help you achieve this goal.
How many calories can you burn with reformer Pilates?
It will depend on what exercises you do on a reformer Pilates. A beginner weighing about 150 pounds can burn 250 calories in 60 minutes working out on a Pilates reformer, while an advanced exerciser with the same body weight can burn up to 450 calories in an hour.
To lose a pound of weight, you need to burn 3500 more calories than you take in as food. The calculation is simple; you just need to set the routine as per your requirement.
How often should you do reformer Pilates to lose weight?
A beginner can try practicing three times a week to experience weight loss benefits.
Experienced exercisers can combine reformer Pilates with cardio exercise to increase weight loss benefits. They can work out a few times a week on a Pilates Reformer to lose weight fast.
A 2014 study on Clinical Interventions in Aging found that a weight-loss program with Pilates and aerobic exercise has shown to increase muscle mass and decrease fat.
It is recommended that you add reformer pilates to your existing workout routine to reduce weight in the best way possible. Experts suggest that any reformer pilates routine should complement 5 x 30-minute walking workouts every week for maximum benefits. This regime is especially beneficial for people with cuddly fats around their belly.
If you wonder why Pilates has such an effective impact on weight loss, it is because of the boost it gives to muscle metabolism. Reformer pilates get muscles from your hips to the arms moving. This helps generate lean muscles at the same time, strengthens the core.
Conclusion
With reformer pilates, you can get fantastic weight loss results by augmenting it with a proper diet and walking workouts. With a healthy diet, we imply a balanced diet, not the fads like Keto. Eat the right kind of food, walk around and sweat some more on the Pilates reformer.
We are sure you will start getting the results sooner. The lean muscles you will build will stay, but you have to follow the rules of no binge eating and enough rest after the workout. Rest is also important to help lean muscle building.
And don’t forget when you embark on the road to weight loss, do not forget about your emotional and mental well-being.
Featured Image by mvdominato from Pixabay
