Pilates or Strength Training After 50? A Coach’s Perspective

By Karina Philippi • Premier Fitness Solutions, Algonquin, Illinois

I get asked this all the time:

“If I only have time for one — Pilates or strength training?”

And people usually expect me to say Pilates because they know how much I LOVE it.

And I really do.

Pilates feels like home to me.

I love the flow, the control, the core engagement, the mobility, the three-dimensional movement, and the way it teaches the whole body to work together.

So in a perfect world?

Do both.

Because they can give us different things.

And yes, Pilates can absolutely challenge your muscles. If you’ve ever worked against those reformer springs, you know. 😂

So the question isn’t simply what the workout is called. It’s whether your muscles are being challenged enough, and whether that challenge grows as you get stronger.

But if you're limited on time and truly have to choose one...

As much as it kills me to say it 😂...

I would prioritize strength training — especially as we move through our 40s, 50s and beyond.

Why I prioritize progressive strength

Progressive resistance training gives us a way to keep asking a little more of our muscles and bones as we get stronger.

That might mean more weight, more repetitions, or a more challenging version of an exercise. The body has a reason to adapt because we’re gradually changing what we ask it to do.

That’s how we work on maintaining or building muscle and strength. And with the right loading, we can support bone health too. Different bones respond to the loads placed on them, so the exercises we choose matter.

And muscle matters for much more than how we look.

Muscle is one of the places your body takes glucose out of the bloodstream to use for energy or store for later. When your muscles contract, they can take up more of that glucose; over time, strength training can also help your body respond better to insulin.

So when I talk about keeping muscle, I’m thinking about metabolic health AND being able to keep doing the things we want to do.

There’s a lot more happening than whether our arms look toned.

When appropriate, I also want some impact — jumping, hopping, landing — because impact provides another kind of mechanical loading for our bones.

Does that mean I’m handing everyone a jump rope?

Absolutely not. 😂

Someone with osteoporosis, a previous fracture or a joint replacement may need a different approach. We choose the challenge around the person and any restrictions from their healthcare team. There are other ways to load your bones; everyone doesn’t need to jump.

Keep the movement quality you love

But here's an important piece for me:

Strength training doesn't have to mean abandoning quality movement for heavier weights.

I want both.

I want to progressively load the body while still moving well.

I want mobility, stability, rotation, coordination, balance and whole-body integration.

I want my feet connected to the ground, my core responding, and my body learning to transfer force from one part to another.

In other words, I want to reap the benefits of strength training without losing the quality of movement I love about Pilates.

Training for 60, 70 and 80

That's why my own training isn't Pilates or strength.

It's Pilates.

It's walking.

It's mobility and movement.

It's some impact.

And the majority of it is strength training.

Because at 53, I'm not only training for the body I have today.

I'm training for the body I want to have at 60, 70 and 80.

Related: There’s More to Bone Health Than Strong Bones

Further reading: CDC: benefits of activity

Contact Premier Fitness Solutions