What Does Pilates Do That Other Types of Exercise Don’t?

Victoria Frances Jackson
Dec 29, 2025
2 min read

VFJ Pilates | Questions Answered

Pilates is often described as strengthening from the inside out, but what does that really mean? And what makes it different from everything else?

There are plenty of ways to move your body, cardio, weights, dance, circuits, yoga, sport, and all of them bring their own benefits. But Pilates fills a gap that many other forms of exercise overlook. It targets the deep postural muscles that support the spine, encourages full-body awareness, and creates strength without bulk or strain.

It Focuses on the Deep Core

Pilates works the muscles that are often forgotten in traditional training. It strengthens the pelvic floor, transverse abdominals, and deep spinal stabilisers, part of what Joseph Pilates called the "powerhouse": the band of muscles that wraps around your waist to support your spine and core from all sides. These muscles play a key role in posture, balance, and injury prevention, and they do not usually get challenged in the same way by other exercise methods.

It Teaches You to Move Better

Rather than just getting stronger or fitter, Pilates teaches you how to move. With each exercise, you are learning control, alignment, and precision. It improves your proprioception, your ability to sense where your body is in space, so you can move with better awareness and coordination. This kind of body awareness translates into everyday life: how you walk, lift, sit, and even breathe.

It Balances Strength and Mobility

Many workout styles focus on either building muscle or increasing flexibility, not both. Pilates combines the two. Most exercises incorporate mobility alongside strength, especially for the spine. It helps you develop long, strong muscles that are both flexible and supportive. You will stretch what is tight, strengthen what is weak, and bring your body back into better alignment.

It Trains Your Mind to Support Your Body

Pilates requires focus. You need to engage your mind as much as your muscles, remembering the correct posture setup, activating your core, and performing each movement with precision. Coordination is often involved too, such as moving opposite arm and leg together. It is not something you can throw yourself into without thinking, and that is exactly what helps build better habits and awareness. It is not something you can do mindlessly. That mental connection helps build not just strength, but awareness, which leads to better movement habits long after class is over.

It Complements Everything Else

Pilates often targets the smaller, underused muscles that get missed in other training. It can be adapted to better support specific sports or movement styles, however, a general Pilates class can bring significant improvements. It helps you recover faster, reduce injury risk, and improve your performance in whatever else you do. Whether you love running, lifting, dancing, or walking, Pilates supports it. It can even help you improve your golf swing.