How many Pilates sessions should I do per week?
The standard answer is 2-3 sessions per week to meet the physical activity guidelines, but there are a few other factors to consider when deciding what's right for you.
What kind of results do you want?
To know how to get where you’re going, you have to have some idea of where you want to go! What do you hope to achieve? What is the quality of your movement and the state of your overall fitness right now? The goals you start with will have some bearing on your optimal training frequency. Here are a few things to consider:
General Fitness
If general fitness is your goal, then a minimum of twice to three times per week is a pretty good guideline. The Pilates method was designed as a whole and integrated system. Pilates mat work provides a deep connection to you and your own body moving, with limited props and assists. You can take it with you anywhere! The apparatus work (reformer/wunderchair) offers opportunities to support, load and challenge the body in a variety of different ways. Bodies need variety to learn and get stronger! Mix up your Pilates classes for best results.
Cross Training & Performance
If you’re using Pilates as cross training to improve athletic performance; the frequency necessary to get meaningful results will depend on a number of factors. Your athletic goals, current movement patterning, your training/competition/performance cycles and even available time are considerations when calculating frequency. For many, a Pilates class once or twice a week will be enough to support more efficient movement and improved performance. For others, a more frequent dose of Pilates may be helpful to organize the body well for the demands of the sport/profession. Pilates can help you find a whole new gear in your athletic pursuits.
Movement Restoration/Rehabilitation
If you’re rehabilitating an injury, or illness, you have to consider the impact of physical activity on your whole system. Every movement is a whole body movement! When we work to rehabilitate any one part, we have to consider the effects on the whole body. This can take some concentration, and some time. As you recover, you will first be working to deconstruct compensation, perhaps manage pain, and create access to appropriate support and patterning. Then you’ll work to create stamina and strength in the new patterns. Then you’ll progressively integrate all of that in to a whole body movement program. Short cuts here cost you later. Take the time to do it well, and your body will thank you with a much better recovery overall.
Where are you NOW?
Be real with yourself. What is going on in your body right now? Your base level of fitness will have in impact on what is immediately possible to achieve. No matter where you start, you will see results right away if you commit to the work. But if you’re starting at zero, give yourself a little time. Don’t expect to be climbing Everest in the next month. Real change requires commitment and some time.
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Break down of sessions per week
Once a week:
Once a week can be a great starting point if you are just beginning your movement journey, you will learn the exercises and gain some confidence in the way your body moves and the strength that you have.
However to build on the exercises and to make a significant change to your strength, stamina and flexibility once a week is not enough.
You may spend a significant portion of each session just trying to find the connections you discovered with the exercises the week before. Although you’ll feel great after class, the results you achieve each time will be hard to hold onto for any length of time.
Twice a week:
With more frequent practice comes more reliable control and an improvement in mobility, strength and stamina. At twice a week, exercises will be more familiar, so you can spend more mental energy on HOW you’re doing, not just WHAT you’re doing.
More frequent practice means steadier improvement.
With 2 pilates sessions a week you are meeting the resistance, flexibility and balance training guidelines for healthy adults.
Three times a week
If you’re looking to create change and develop whole body fitness using the Pilates method, three times a week is often the sweet spot. More focused concentration and continued practice creates changes in the brain that will support more optimal movement patterning. Frequency promotes the development of strength and stamina in the particular way that Pilates promotes. Your new movement patterns remain fresh and available to you, so you can build on them and challenge them each session.
Four or more times a week
There is a lot more to life than Pilates. Get out and play! Challenge your body in different ways. Dance, run, play soccer, ride your bike, play with your kids, lift weights… whatever turns you on! This is particularly true if Pilates is currently your only fitness activity. Unless there is a particular reason you need the kind of support a daily Pilates practice provides, mix up your workouts when you can. To be truly healthy, bodies need to move in a variety of different ways, at different intensity and different speeds. When you start feeling too comfortable, or “expert” at anything – introduce some new challenges!
🌸Please reach out if you have any questions on what’s right for you or if you would like help to structure your weekly movement schedule🌸