Pilates and Aerobic Exercise

By Melissa Noble
LMP, STOTT PILATES® Instructor and Instructor Trainer

The definition of aerobic exercise is: constant moderate intensity work that uses up oxygen at a rate in which the cardio-respiratory system can replenish oxygen in the working muscles. Examples of such activity are running, riding a bike or swimming. To go into greater detail, there are ranges the heart rate should be in to get the work you need. One of the ways to figure this out is to use a formula like this one:

1. subtract your age from 220
2. take that amount times 60% (.60) and 85% (.85)

The resulting 2 numbers are your high and low aerobic heart rate ranges, which means to burn fat your activity must keep your heart rate in that range. While pilates can raise your heart rate some, it does not keep it in the aerobic range for most people. It can be a bit deceiving as pilates can feel very strenuous and difficult and some people even sweat a lot during a workout. However, pilates is a strength training workout and not aerobic activity. Pilates still burns calories though, so is a worthwhile activity. The level of pilates can determine how many calories you burn, for example, beginner level exercises will burn approximately 175 calories in an hour while intermediate level exercises takes it up to 254. Just for comparison, walking 2mph burns 160 calories, while running 8mph burns 864. To lose weight and burn fat, the calories you consume must be less than those you use. To keep the status quo, they should be the same. So if you are trying to lose weight, you will need to incorporate aerobic activity into you workouts in addition to pilates. The recommended amount of aerobic activity is 30-60 minutes, 3-4 times per week. Many people experience losing inches and that their clothes fit better after doing pilates, but will notice they don’t lose any weight on the scale. The muscle toning that pilates provides is a significant part of getting the shape you want. While looking the way you want is important, it’s also important to consider that it’s really good for your heart and overall health to get the recommended amount of aerobic activity.