How do Pilates and yoga differ in terms of their effects on the body?.....
Which should you practice—Pilates or yoga, and why? Yoga is fantastic for flexibility, although Pilates is often used to increase strength or recover from an injury (if you're curious about what stretching does to your body, see our piece to learn more). However, there are certain similarities between the two professions' positive effects on health. Yoga, for instance, has been demonstrated to increase muscular strength, especially in the body's "trunk," while Pilates has been shown to increase hamstring flexibility.
FLEXIBILITY
There is evidence that both Pilates and yoga may increase flexibility.
The Muscles Ligaments Tendons Journal(opens in new tab) conducted a thorough analysis that compiled a wealth of data demonstrating Pilates improves flexibility. The fingertip-to-floor measurement of Pilates participants was assessed in one study(opens in new tab) cited in the review, and it was discovered that this distance increased after six months.
Yoga, however, has also been shown to improve flexibility. In a 2016 research published in the International Journal of Yoga, collegiate athletes were observed for ten weeks. There were two groups: one that participated in biweekly yoga sessions and the other that did not. The group who participated in biweekly yoga sessions had substantial variances in their flexibility, but the group that did not participate in yoga had no such changes.
Thus, it would seem that both Pilates and yoga may aid in increasing flexibility(opens in new tab), however yoga could have the advantage. Yoga seems to have the potential to develop whole body flexibility, but the majority of Pilates investigations found that the participants' hamstring flexibility varied.
STRENGTH
Compared to yoga, Pilates looks like the most logical option for strength growth. You would not be mistaken. Pilates focuses on the abdominal muscles while also strengthening and toning other muscle groups in order to develop core strength.
19 patients were tested twice, separated by 12 weeks, in a research published in the Clinical Biomechanics journal(opens in new tab). Pilates was done twice a week for an hour in the experimental group. The results showed that Pilates is successful in enhancing abdominal strength.
According to a different research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research(opens in new tab), the participants were able to do noticeably more sit-ups and push-ups than the people in the control group who hadn't done any Pilates. Additionally, it was discovered that the Pilates training group could drop their legs almost to a vertical position without having to elevate their lower spines off the ground. This shows that doing Pilates resulted in increased abdominal strength. The same research showed that practising Pilates for 12 weeks, performing two 60-minute sessions a week, was adequate to significantly boost abdominal endurance in active middle-aged men and women.
But yoga also has advantages for building strength. In comparison to the control group, men and women who practised yoga showed significantly greater gains in muscle strength and flexibility, according to a research published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine(opens in new tab).
In contrast to Pilates, the style of yoga you practise will determine the strength you can develop. Create resistance to tension and develop the muscles in order to increase muscular strength. Some more challenging yoga styles, like Ashtanga or Hatha, may help you do this, but styles like Yin and Restorative won't help you tone or strengthen your body. As a result, Pilates may be superior if you're seeking for an activity that can assist you gain strength.
PHYSICAL HEALTH
It's common knowledge that yoga offers much more than simply physical conditioning. It is widely recognised to relieve tension and anxiety in users. According to research published in the International Journal of Yoga(opens in new tab), using yoga and meditation to manage both acute and ongoing stress may aid people in overcoming disease-related comorbidities and enhance their quality of life.
This research also discovered that frequent yoga practise improved people's sleep quality. They discovered that it took them less time to fall asleep and that the amount of hours they slept for increased. Additionally, participants said that they slept better at night. On the other side, Pilates' impacts on mental health haven't been well studied.
REHABILITATION
Sometimes when it comes to exercise, we are looking for a way to assist our body recover after an injury. If we want to be more active and gain strength, Pilates may be more enticing to us than a mild workout like yoga. What can either party do to support the healing process?
A lack of abdominal strength and poor upper spine posture can cause issues with the neck and shoulder region, according to the Clinical Biomechanics(opens in new tab) study, and since Pilates focuses specifically on developing strength in these areas, the authors argued that its use in the prevention of neck and shoulder disorders would be justified.
Common injuries like lower back pain may lead to a variety of issues for sufferers. The use of Pilates as a cure for conditions like lower back pain is not sufficiently supported by scientific research, either in favour of or against it. The efficacy of using Pilates as a therapeutic exercise technique for persistent lower back pain was the focus of a research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy(opens in new tab). The participants took part in a four-week Pilates programme. After the weeks of Pilates, they saw noticeably decreased levels of functional impairment and an average pain intensity.
It's interesting to note that this research also discovered that those in the group who underwent particular exercise instruction had much less chronic lower back pain and impairment, and that this improvement persisted throughout a 12-month follow-up period. This research came to the conclusion that a modified Pilates-based approach to therapy would be more efficient than seeking advice from doctors, experts, and other healthcare providers.
Yoga takes a different approach to rehabilitation than Pilates, which focuses on physical recovery via body strengthening. Lower back discomfort may be effectively treated with yoga, according to research. Numerous studies have shown that yoga poses, meditation, or a combination of the two may improve flexibility and mobility in persons with a wide range of chronic pain-causing diseases, as well as lessen pain and impairment.
Pilates seems to be able to treat physical injuries with strengthening exercises or prevent them from happening in the first place. Yoga, on the other hand, may help you recover from an injury by rehabilitating your body and improving your mental attitude toward it.
POUNDS LOST
Most individuals believe that exercising, such as jogging, is necessary in order to lose weight. Studies have shown that both yoga and pilates may aid in weight loss, although they do it in very different ways.
According to a research in Preventative Medicine(opens in new tab), individuals' BMI percentiles significantly decreased after participating in Pilates for four weeks. Following an eight-week mat Pilates programme, an additional research from the Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport(opens in new tab) reported that relative body fat and circumferences at the waist, chest, and arm had decreased in adult novice Pilates practitioners.
These outcomes can be attributable to the strength developed by frequent Pilates sessions. But yoga takes a different tack when it comes to weight loss.
According to research published in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine(opens in new tab), yoga may have a variety of behavioural, physical, and psychological impacts that may help with weight reduction. The same research came to the conclusion that the yoga community's role modelling and social support may also help people lose weight, especially those who have had trouble doing so in the past.
According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health(opens in new tab), 63% of individuals who have done yoga say it motivates them to work out more often. This alone may have a significant role in someone's ability to stay healthy and lose weight. Yoga could serve as a foundation for creating healthy behaviours that help people lose weight in other ways.
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