12 Health Benefits of Pilates that Make It Worth the Hype, According to a Physical Therapist

7 min readAs an orthopedic physical therapist and conditioning coach, I’ve built my life around strength, health, and movement. Sports have always been central to who I am—running, weightlifting, and higher-intensity training used to be my norm—though my body hasn’t always kept up.Then, last summer, I took my first reformer Pilates class at BODYROK, a 45-minute full-body group fitness class. It was humbling—I engaged muscles I rarely worked in traditional strength training sessions (hello, core) and tackled moves I had never done before. But slowing down and focusing on controlled movements also felt surprisingly satisfying.After eight months of consistent reformer Pilates classes (plus running and strength training sessions), I finally understood the hype. It has strengthened my core and pelvic muscles, improved circulation to alleviate pain, and eased inflammation. Plus, it complements my sport performance because it targets stabilizer muscles and mobility.Pilates has been a total game-changer for me and my health, and I now recommend it to clients too. Here’s why it truly delivers.12 Benefits of Pilates1. It builds a stronger core.Of all the benefits Pilates offers, it’s most famous for its focus on core strength—a key foundation for nearly everything we do, from lifting a baby and swinging a golf club to simply maintaining good posture at a desk. More specifically, Pilates targets the deep stabilizing muscles of the core, including the often-overlooked transverse abdominis, as well as the rectus abdominis, or your six-pack muscles.Want to pair Pilates and strength training in a streamlined way? Try the Women’s Health+ Pilates x Lift workout plan, a four-week program that gives you the best of both modalities to build muscle, improve mobility, and protect your joints.2. It improves flexibility and mobility. Pilates combines controlled movements that lengthen and stretch your muscles, helping improve flexibility and range of motion within a joint. In fact, just six weeks of Pilates may improve functional mobility, according to research in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies. By working your muscles through their full range of motion, Pilates makes everyday activities like climbing stairs and bending down to tie your shoes feel easier and more fluid.3. It promotes better posture.Most of us spend hours hunched over computers, then move straight to our phones or the TV, which can wreak total havoc on our posture. Fortunately, Pilates can undo those habits by strengthening the core and upper back, stabilizing the shoulders, and opening up the chest.Research supports these benefits: A 2024 systematic review published in Archives of Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Translation found that after eight weeks of Pilates, sedentary women showed improvements in both posture and their ability to perform daily activities. Pilates also emphasizes proper form and alignment, so you’re constantly practicing better posture during your workouts—a habit that, with practice, can naturally carry over into everyday life.4. It enhances overall strength. Pilates isn’t just about your core—it’s a full-body workout that fires up multiple muscle groups at once, building strength from head to toe, especially when using a reformer for added resistance. In fact, a 2025 randomized trial published in Nature found that women who practiced reformer Pilates for sixty minutes three times per week for eight weeks saw measurable gains in muscle mass, grip strength, and body composition.5. It supports muscle endurance. Research also shows that Pilates can boost muscular endurance, or the ability of your muscles to perform repeated contractions or maintain a position against resistance over time.6. It builds often-neglected muscles. What truly sets Pilates apart, though, is its focus on the smaller stabilizing muscles most people ignore, which play a key role in controlled, efficient movement. Because of this, Pilates can enhance functional movement patterns, making it a secret weapon for better performance and fewer injuries.7. It can help prepare your body for heavier lifts. All of Pilates functional strength and stability support makes it an excellent complement to heavy lifting (which you should still do two to three times a week to develop bone density, improve metabolic health, and develop muscular power). That’s because a strong core protects against injury (like lower back pain) and helps you maintain good form even when handling a heavy barbell, per 2023 research in Healthcare.8. It supports the mind-body connection.Pilates is all about syncing breath, focus, and fluid movement, encouraging a deep connection between the mind and body. Each exercise requires careful attention to form, encouraging intentional, controlled movement that can feel almost meditative. This mindfulness, combined with the focus on strengthening the mind-body connection (the two-way link between your mental state and physical health), naturally supports mental well-being.9. It can help manage stress and support mental health.Because breathing is central to Pilates, it can also reduce stress and promote a sense of calm. As a matter of fact, doing Pilates just once a week for an hour over the span of three months can improve anxiety, depression, and stress, according to 2025 research in Healthcare.10. It can decrease back pain.About 80 percent of adults in the US will experience lower back pain at some point in their life, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). But Pilates can help relieve that pain, as it stabilizes the core and improves posture, according to a 2025 study in the Irish Journal of Medical Science. The study had 66 participants ages 18 to 65 with lower back pain either do Pilates three times a week or a home exercise program (involving stretching, strengthening, and mobility exercises) for eight weeks. The group that did Pilates experienced improvements in pain relief, functional disability, and quality of life, compared to those that did the home exercise program.Additionally, a 2022 review in the Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy looked at 118 trials to find out the best exercise options for reducing pain and disability in adults with chronic lower back pain. It looked at aerobic, strength, combined aerobic and strength, core-based, McKenzie (movements designed to relieve musculoskeletal pain), Pilates, stretching, and mind-body exercise. It found that Pilates, core-based, and mind-body exercise were the best for reducing pain—but Pilates had the highest likelihood for lowering pain and disability.Editor-Approved Pilates ReformersBest Overall Pilates ReformerBalanced Body Allegro 2 Best Budget Pilates ReformerAeroPilates Reformer 287Best Durable Pilates Reformer Your Reformer The Original11. It can improve balance and stability.Your balance decreases as you age, according to the NIH, but not if you do something about it. A 2021 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health observed the effects of Pilates training on balance and fall risk in older women. It had 50 women over 60 years old either do two Pilates sessions for three months, or no exercise outside of everyday activities. Before and after training, the women did exercises like the single-leg stance and Timed Up and Go (where you stand from a sitting position, walk, and then do it in reverse), and other tests. The group that did Pilates improved their balance and lowered their fall risk more than the group that didn’t exercise.12. It helps promote exercise longevity. One 2021 review of literature on exercise and longevity in Aging that shows how regular exercise can slow down cellular aging—and Pilates is a great fitness modality to support strength, mobility, and confidence as we age. Since it’s low-impact and lower intensity, it can help build strength without over-stressing your joints, making it a sustainable workout for now and the future.In fact, in a 2025 study in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 24 adults aged 76, on average, either did 20 weeks of an online Pilates program or no exercise. Their balance, core stability, and functional fitness were tested with exercises like the single-leg stance, 6-minute walk test, and core muscle strength and stability tests. The study found that the Pilates program improved balance, cardiorespiratory endurance, and core strength in older adults, especially compared to the group that didn’t exercise.Benefits of reformer Pilates Both mat and reformer Pilates can provide all of the benefits above, but they also have some of their own distinct draws. Reformer Pilates, specifically, can be really useful for training muscle patterns in a gentle way—by using springs for resistance rather than gravity. (Think: footwork while lying down on a reformer rather than a standing squat with a barbell.) As a result, you’re able to relax more into each move, making it a lower-impact workout.And with its moving carriage, the Pilates reformer can be a valuable tool for building greater balance and stability, as it creates a greater challenge than you’d get on solid ground with a mat workout.What’s more, a reformer can help support someone rehabbing from an injury—particularly because it can help correct misaligned movement patterns more effectively than simply completing a bodyweight move.Perhaps the best part of any Pilates modality? It’s for anyone and everyone, no matter your age or fitness level. While some Pilates classes (i.e., those using reformers) can be intimidating and costly, you actually don’t need any equipment to get started. Pilates can be done with just your body and a workout mat, and you can even replicate reformer-style moves using sliders, foam rollers, and towels.No matter how you practice, the focus on controlled movement and mindful breathing makes Pilates a real game-changer for athletic performance and holistic wellness. Trust me, I speak from experience.Andi Breitowich is a freelance writer who covers health, fitness, relationships, beauty, and smart living. She is a graduate of Emory University and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Her work has appeared in Women's Health, POPSUGAR, Food & Wine, What To Expect, Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, and elsewhere. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she loves all things fitness and has yet to meet a group workout class she doesn't like.