Why Pilates Alone Isn’t Enough

 

Hey beautiful human!
You’ve probably asked yourself at some point: Should I be doing Pilates… or should I lift weights?
And if you’ve ever felt stuck trying to choose between the two, this episode is for you.

Let me be clear, Pilates can absolutely support your goals. It’s amazing for posture, mobility, and core strength. But if you’re trying to build muscle, boost your metabolism, or reshape your body? Resistance training is what truly moves the needle.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the real differences between Pilates and lifting, so you can stop second-guessing your workouts and start seeing results.

We’re getting into:

  • What Pilates does (and doesn’t do) for your metabolism and strength

  • Why resistance training creates longer-lasting changes in your body

  • The truth about “bulking,” “toning,” and the biggest myths about lifting

  • How to combine Pilates and strength training for a balanced routine

  • Where to start if lifting feels confusing, overwhelming, or out of reach

If you’ve been trying to make progress with Pilates alone and feel like something’s missing, this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and a roadmap for what to do next.

🎧 Want more support around lifting? Listen next to Episode 255: 8 Benefits of Dumbbell Workouts for Women

If you want more from me, be sure to check out… 

Transcript

00:00

Hey, hey, beautiful human, Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace your Real with me, julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace your real, let's get it. Let's go. Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Real podcast.

00:38

Today we're going to be diving into a question that so many women wrestle with, and that is should I do Pilates or resistance training? Especially now, I feel like Pilates is very trendy on social media TikTok, instagram, all the things. But before we get into it, let me be crystal clear. I am absolutely not here to bash Pilates. I think that Pilates has real benefits. It can help with core strength, posture, mobility, even stress relief. If you love Pilates, I want you to keep it in your routine. But here's the honest truth If your goals include building muscle or boosting your metabolism or truly reshaping your body composition, resistance training will move the needle most, and today we're going to be breaking down exactly why in simple, real life terms, so that you can make the best decision for your body and your goals. By the end of today's episode, you'll know what Pilates actually does for your body, why resistance training creates a bigger impact on your metabolism and muscle, and how to combine the two so that you feel strong, confident and balanced. So if you're wondering how to get the most out of your workouts this fall, this episode is absolutely for you.

01:38

Before we dive in, though, I want to share this review. It comes from Indie Gaffney. I love that name man. She gave a five-star review and said favorite podcast. I found out about Movement with Julie from Pinterest and I'm so glad that I did. Her Pinterest clips are so fun. First of all, shout out to my Pinterest crew Love you guys so much. Now I listen to the podcast and actually just joined the Movement with Julie app. All three are helping me, motivate me on my fitness journey and her kind words are so motivational in her podcast. It is a absolute must listen. Thank you so much, indie. I really appreciate your time. And also, again, shout out to my Pinterest crew you guys are amazing. Love you so much. So if you aren't following over on Pinterest, it's just Julie A Ledbetter. So Julie J-U-L-I-E-A and then Ledbetter L-E-D-B-E-T-T-E-R, and you'll see all of my clips on Pinterest over there.

02:27

So let's dive into six important things that we need to know about Pilates. So number one what Pilates actually does for your body. Pilates is incredible, like incredible for core strength and stability. So every move that you do in Pilates that engages your core muscles, it helps with mobility and posture. These slow, controlled movements strengthen those stabilizers that keep your shoulders, your hips and your spine aligned. It has amazing muscle to mind connection. So Pilates helps you think about your form every single move and carry that awareness into other workouts. And last but not least, pilates is a great stress relief. So it's lower impact, often paired with intentional breathing, and leaves you feeling very grounded after your workout. And just being able to engage every single part of your body, those stabilizers, and just having that mind to muscle connection does really help you with this sense of accomplishment and just knowing that you got a great workout in. But here's the deal most Pilates workout don't add enough resistance to stimulate real muscle growth. You'll get stronger in endurance and stability, absolutely, but without the added load your body isn't pushed to adapt in a way that changes your metabolism long-term.

03:41

So number two, why resistance training moves the needle more. Resistance training, which includes lifting, dumbbells, barbells, using bands, works differently. So when you apply external load, your muscles are challenged beyond what they're used to, and that challenge actually forces them to adapt, strengthen and grow. And here's why that matters. Muscle is metabolically active, so the more muscle that you build, the more calories your body burns. At rest, even a small increase in muscle raises your baseline burn and that progressive overload. With lifting you can continuously increase the challenge heavier weights, more reps, new variations and this prevents plateaus and body composition changes. So muscle takes up less space than fat. So building it makes you actually look leaner and more sculpted, even if the scale doesn't move.

04:30

Number three the metabolism connection. So here's where the frustration oftentimes shows up, because many women spend hours in cardio or Pilates classes but they don't see their bodies actually change. And that's because cardio and Pilates mostly burn calories while you're doing them. So resistance training absolutely does that as well. But it also creates something called EPOC, which is E-P-O-C or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption. So in plain terms, your body keeps burning more calories for hours after you're done, as it repairs and rebuilds muscle. So over time the extra muscle that you build raises that daily burn even higher, and that's why lifting is such a powerful long-term strategy for fat loss, strength and energy.

05:17

Number four common myths to let go of. So there are a few misconceptions that keep women from getting the results that they want. So let's be clear and clear up the biggest myths around Pilates and lifting once and for all. Pilates tones and lifting bulks. If I had a penny, for how many times I've heard this? I would have many, many pennies. Let's just put it that way Tone is visible muscle with less body fat. Lifting is the fastest way to get that look and you won't bulk unless you're eating in a big surplus. In fact, most women find lifting actually makes them look leaner, not bigger.

05:52

Pilates is enough for strength. I hear this all the time as well and, yes, pilates is amazing for stability and core strength, but without progressive overload you won't likely see that major strength or shape changes. You will likely see your core get stronger, especially because Pilates engages so much core and all of those stabilizers. But if you want your muscles to grow and your metabolism to speed up, you need to add resistance. And then the other thing that I hear all the time is I have to pick one or the other. That is absolutely not true. Pilates and lifting weight can work beautifully together. The key is making resistance training your foundation and then layering Pilates on top, and this combo keeps your body strong, balanced and resilient. So how do you combine the two?

06:38

Number five If you love Pilates, don't ditch it. Use it instead as a compliment to lifting. A simple framework could look like this Two to four resistance training sessions per week. So this is your foundation for strength and muscle, and maybe one to two Pilates sessions per week. Great for core posture, mobility, stress relief. On top of that, daily movement, walking, stretching, taking the stairs, playing with your kids these little things keep your activity level high throughout the day, and this balance gives you the strength and metabolic benefits of lifting, with the added stability and mindfulness of Pilates.

07:11

And last but not least, number six where to start if you get stuck? So if you do Pilates instead of resistance training because you don't know where to start with resistance training or it feels just too confusing, I want you to listen up. This is where I've seen so many women get hung up. They know that lifting is important, but they don't know which exercises to do. They don't know how many reps to do or how to even progress what they're doing, and that's exactly why I created the Movement With Julie app. So inside the app, you will find dumbbell-based workouts that are simple, effective and designed to be done anywhere, whether at your home with a few pair of dumbbells, in a small space, at the gym, with endless amounts of equipment and dumbbells and all the things you can do my workouts.

07:56

The best part is, these workouts are going to be intentionally programmed to help you get stronger, week by week, without having you to figure it out on your own. There's no second guessing, no endless scrolling on Instagram for ideas or Pinterest, no random workouts that don't connect to your goals. Literally, just open the app, follow the workouts, knowing that you are doing exactly what your body needs to see the results. And if you've been hesitant because lifting feels very overwhelming, this is your roadmap Start simple, stay consistent and let me do the programming for you. Over time, I'll tell you you will build confidence with weights, and that's where the real change happens. So if you wanna learn more, you can go to SALE that's S-A-L-Emoonwithjuliecom, or you can find the link in the show notes and, of course, add Pilates if you love it. So, of course, add Pilates if you love it. So if you have a Pilates app or you're following someone on YouTube for Pilates, that's amazing. But I want to encourage you to let lifting be the base, because that's where real change happens.

08:51

All right, let's quickly recap what I covered in today's episode. So I said, pilates is absolutely amazing for strength in your core, posture, mobility, stress relief. Resistance training is the key to building muscle, boosting metabolism and reshaping your body. Cardio and Pilates mostly burn calories in the moment, while lifting keeps your metabolism elevated long after your workout. A common myth to let go of is that Pilates won't build major strength. Lifting will make you bulky or you have to pick one or the other. That is just not the truth. The best approach is combining the two. Let resistance training be your foundation and use Pilates as a compliment.

09:31

And if you feel stuck on where to start with weights, I've got my Movement with Julie app. It's my demo-only workout app for you. 30-minute workouts, 60-minute workouts Literally all you have to do is open the app, follow the video demonstrations. It will walk you through the workout. If you love this conversation, I know you will also love my episode.

09:51

255, eight Benefits of Dumbbell Workouts for Women. So I'll go ahead and link that in the show notes that you can easily go check that out and remember. Your workout should absolutely empower you, not punish you. So whether you're on the mat doing Pilates, you're holding the dumbbells with me in my Mimou and Julie workouts. The win is showing up with consistency and respect for your body.

10:11

Until next time, I want you to keep moving, keep lifting and keep taking care of yourself, because you are worth it. I love you so dang much. I mean it, and I'll talk to you in the next one. All right, sister, that's all I got for you today, but I have two things that I need you to do. First thing if you are not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A Ledbetter yes, it's with an A in the middle For that daily post-workout real talk, healthy tips and tricks and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. The second thing be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. Thank you so much for joining me. It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. So go out there and embrace your real, because you're worth it. Bye.

 
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