Eva Cheng

While social media commonly portrays Pilates as a feminine and ineffectual style of exercise, Pilates is a powerful tool in promoting both physical and mental wellness. Emphasizing form and control, Pilates implements a mix of mat and machine exercises.

Lithe ballerinas in baby pink workout sets, green juice-sipping “yoga moms” with long lean bodies and a closet full of designer active-wear — the word “Pilates” evokes the stereotype of grace and beauty that conceal its real athletic benefits. 

Pilates has grown into a lifestyle of self care and feminine allure that encompasses the “Pilates princess” aesthetic. Portrayed by social media as a delicate activity focused on one’s appearance rather than strength or ability, Pilates is often viewed as an activity reserved for women that is not a “real” form of exercise. 

Junior Natalie Barth, who started doing Pilates through YouTube videos at home during quarantine, emphasized how the stereotype promotes judgment among athletes as to what constitutes working out.

“If feeling cute and pretty while you’re working out is a way to motivate you, then that’s great,” Natalie said. “But it also contributes to the idea that Pilates is for girls and not effective. Even if it’s not high cardio or high impact, if you’re doing it properly, then you will feel change.”

Combining mat exercises and specialized equipment, such as the Reformer, a machine that increases the resistance of movements with springs and pulleys, Pilates centers around control and alignment of the body, rather than high intensity, cardio based exercises. With its emphasis on core strength coupled with flexibility and balance, Pilates allows practitioners to develop a connection between their mind and body that is rare in other forms of exercise.

French teacher Agnes Pommier embarked on her Pilates journey in 2006 in hopes of alleviating her arthritis. Upon noticing the improvements in her muscular support and mental clarity, Pommier was inspired to become a Pilates instructor herself. After five years of training and exams, Pommier began teaching at the YMCA, where she continues to work to this day.

“Pilates is really when you need to focus 100% of the time,” Pommier said. “If you lose your focus, you are not going to do it right, and especially on the apparatus, you might even get injured. So you really need to focus on your breathing and the voice of the instructor.”

With its focus on precision and technique over maximizing exertion, Pilates plays a large role in helping injured athletes regain their sense of body awareness.

Varsity girls soccer player Kylie Anderson (12), who works and practices at Power4 Pilates, noted how Pilates allowed her to continue to build muscle while recovering from injuries. As a goalkeeper, Kylie’s training requires frequent high impact movements, from diving to the ground to make saves to leaping into the air to tip a ball over the goal.

“With me having bad knees, it was a really good way to strengthen without destroying my knees more,” Kylie said. “I definitely saw an improvement in the overall way that my body felt and how all of my joints felt.”

Often perceived as ineffective, Pilates can be a helpful tool in reinforcing muscular stability that minimizes strain on the rest of the body. Its low-impact conditioning style works to complement other forms of sports training while prioritizing mobility and balance.

Attending Pilates classes weekly, Senior Ariana Gauba acknowledged that Pilates can be beneficial for athletes in building a well-rounded workout routine due to its slower pace.

“I used to do swimming and soccer, and those were all about being active and fast,” Ariana said. “Pilates is more about concentrating on one part of your body, strengthening it and stretching it out. It’s a good way to help your body with the other sports that you do.” 

Additional reporting by Charlize Wang.