How Many Calories Does Pilates Burn? Learn the Facts!

How Many Calories Does Pilates Burn

If you do Pilates, how many calories does Pilates burn? This is an emerging question among people who practice fitness and for people who want to start exercising. 

Pilates is another fitness regimen developed in the early twentieth century. Pilates is characterized by low-intensity exercises that help build muscles, correct body posture, and increase flexibility.

However, regarding the calorie-burning capacity of the particular exercise, many want to know how effective it is. In this article, we will answer the question of how many calories Pilates can burn and what factors influence this process, along with the information regarding the benefits of Pilates as a type of fitness activity. 

For beginners to Pilates and those who have been exercising for some time now, knowing its calorie-burning capabilities will be incredibly beneficial in determining how effective the exercise routines are to you.

Why Should You Care About Calorie Burn?

There are several reasons why it is essential to have a good understanding of “how many calories does Pilates burn”:

Weight Management:

  • When it comes to weight management, knowing how many calories you need to burn each day helps create a calorie deficit, which is essential for weight loss.

Fitness Goals:

  • Monitoring the number of calories you have been able to burn while exercising could help you adjust the type of workouts to help you meet your fitness goal.

Awareness of Health:  

  • Maintaining a record of the number of calories taken may contribute to an increase in the consciousness of your general well-being.

Factors That Affect How Many Calories Does Pilates Burn per Hour?

Several factors influence “how many calories does Pilates burn per hour.” Here’s a closer look at these factors:

Intensity of the Workout:
  • Mat Pilates:  

The time spent on this exercise is moderate to low-impact based on the energy put into it. 

Considering the average weight of the commoner, it is safe to estimate that one will burn about 170 to 250 calories with mat pilates per hour.

  • Reformer Pilates: 

Using the reformer machine is more intense, taking more calories and between 250 and 450 calories per hour.

Duration of the Session:
  • For all kinds of exercise, longer sessions result in more calorie burn. So, like other pilates, it also naturally burns more calories if you elongate your session. It is recommended to take sessions that are between 45 minutes to one hour long.
Individual Factors:

Weight: 

  • An overweight individual will burn more calories, which is relatively higher than a healthy individual.  

Age:

  • The younger age group tends to spend more calories than older individuals.

Gender: 

  • Men are more likely to burn more calories because they have more significant muscular tissue than women.

Fitness Level: 

  • Fit Individuals can perform intensive workouts more efficiently. This results in more calorie burn.

Pilates Calories Burned for Different Individuals?

How many calories does pilates burns more precisely for different individuals depends on different scenarios like gender, weight, and fitness level. Below, you will get an idea of how weight affects the burning process of individuals:

Mat Pilates: 

  • 150-pound person: They may burn 200 to 250 calories doing one hour of mat pilates.
  • 200-pound person: A person with a 200-pound weight may burn 250 to 300 calories after doing mat pilates for one hour.

Reformer Pilates:

  • 150-pound person: A person with a 150-pound weight may burn 250 to 350 calories per hour, though reformer pilates is more intense.
  • 200-pound person: A 200-pound weighted person may burn 300 to 450 calories every hour if they practice reformer pilates.

Proces of Estimating How Many Calories Does Pilates Burn?

To measure the burned amount of calories, you can use the following:

Heart Rate Monitors: 

  • With a heart rate monitoring device, you can measure your burned calories. This device monitors your pulse during Pilates workouts. It provides a better indication of calories burnt based on the pulse readouts.

Fitness Apps: 

  • Almost all current fitness programs have a feature where you can estimate the number of calories you burn when you choose the type of activity, the period, and other details, including your weight and age.

Rating of Perceived Exertion:

  • This process uses breathing frequency, tiredness, and sweating to measure calorie burn. First, you must determine the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) on a scale of 1 to 10 during the activity. Then measure your burnt calories using the below formula,

Calories Burned = RPE × Weight (kg) × Duration (minutes)

Calories burn with pilates

Is Pilates A Good Workout Form for Weight Loss?

Pilates is a low-impact exercise form. It mainly focuses on building core strengths, improving flexibility, and overall body awareness. Here’s how you can utilize Pilates for weight loss.

Consistent Practice

  • Aim to take Pilates sessions 3 to 4 times a week.
  • Duration should be a minimum of 45 to 60 minutes to maximize your calorie burns and muscle engagement. 

Focus on Core Strength

  • Focus on exercises like Hundred, Plank, and Teaser to improve core strength. Thus, tone your core and strengthen your core.
  • A strong core enables you to engage in more activities to help burn more calories during the day.

Incorporate High-Intensity Pilates

  • Reformer pilates is a more intensive form of pilates. A reformer machine applies force to the bands, creating more resistance and calorie burns.
  • Perform high-intensity Pilates exercises in a row that raise the heart rate and result in more calories burned in a session.

Combine with Cardiovascular Exercise

  • If you wish to burn more calories all at once, incorporate a combination of pilates with cardio activities such as running, cycling, swimming, or brisk walking.
  • Add variation to your exercise routine, and alternate between Pilates and cardio sessions to keep your workouts varied and effective.

Maintain a Healthy Diet

  • Include more vegetables, fruits, lean proteins, and whole-grain products in your daily diet.
  • You can achieve weight loss if you reduce calorie consumption, known as Calorie Deficit. Ensure you consume fewer calories than you are burning to facilitate weight loss.

Stay Consistent and Mindful

  • Keep consistency in your exercise schedule to maintain momentum.
  • Practice mindful eating habits, recognize hunger cues, and avoid emotional eating.

Benefits of Pilates Beyond Calorie Burning

However, “How many Calories Does Pilates burn?” is an essential consideration. It is also vital to acknowledge the other benefits of Pilates rather than Calorie Burning, which are as follows:

Improved Core Strength:

  • Pilates exercise improves core strength and tone of the muscles.

Enhanced Flexibility:

  • Regular Pilates will make your muscles more flexible and improve your range of motion.

Better Posture:

  • Pilates guarantees correct body alignment and posture, decreasing stenosis or pain in the back area and enhancing overall body mechanics.

Stress Relief:

  • The mindful and controlled movements in Pilates can help reduce stress and promote relaxation.

Conclusion

By understanding “how many calories does Pilates burn,” you may make suitable judgments about your fitness goal. 

However, it should be noted that the amount of calories burned during Pilates may vary depending on numerous factors; however, this kind of physical training remains highly beneficial for strengthening muscles, improving flexibility, and boosting one’s general health. Overall conditioning and effectiveness of the exercise plan can be achieved by mixing Pilates with other types of exercise programs.

FAQ’s

The number of calories burned during a 30-minute Pilates session that lasts for thirty minutes is contingent upon several factors, including the individual’s weight, the intensity of the Pilates activity, and, perhaps most importantly, the individual’s current fitness level.   In an ideal scenario, let’s assume the weight is around 155 pounds; one can burn approximately 120-225 calories in a half hour of practicing Pilates.

You can use the calorie calculator or your fitness tracker to do an individual evaluation if you want to get an estimate based on your current weight and your chosen intensity.

Due to the low-impact nature of Pilates, it takes some time to see results in weight loss. On the other hand, Pilates is one of the most advantageous aspects of weight loss. 

Not only does it help to enhance flexibility and overall strength, but it also helps to tone up these muscles. Pilates also prevents body misconceptions, helps develop the correct position, and increases the variability of movements. 

It also makes you more conscious of your motions. It may assist you in making healthier decisions when you are engaged in your everyday activities. 

Through muscle development, Pilates can help speed up the metabolism. Pilates is a crucial component of a holistic weight management plan, mainly when employed with a nutritious diet and other forms of physical activity.

Pilates can assist in reducing belly fat as you can engage the core during Pilates sessions. Combining Pilates, cardiovascular exercise, and a balanced diet enhances outcomes despite being slow. It would help if you got the advice of a fitness professional before beginning any new exercise plan.

Increasing one’s strength and the amount of muscular tissue is the fundamental objective of Pilates. Pilates can help boost metabolism through muscle-building. 

Pilates offers long-term benefits for metabolism by toning muscles, improving one’s basal metabolic rate (BMR), and growing lean muscle mass, which in turn helps them to burn more calories, even while they are at rest or in that static position. 

This is because the body recomposition process allows individuals to gain muscular mass.

In addition to making you more flexible, yoga and Pilates can also help you get stronger and relax. Pilates is all about building core strength, staying stable, and moving in a controlled way. On the other hand, yoga is all about breathing, meditation, and moving fluidly. Try yoga if you’re looking for a more spiritual and quiet activity. Pilates might be the better choice to improve your balance and give your core muscles more work.

Scroll to Top