Why Pilates is the secret weapon in any strength routine

How intelligent movement creates strength that lasts

If you’ve ever wondered why your workouts sometimes feel great one week and ‘off’ the next, you’re not alone. Clients sometimes tell me they’re stretching more, walking more, or lifting more - yet still feeling stiff, unbalanced, or unsure in their movements.

And this is where Pilates quietly becomes the secret ingredient nobody talks about.

Because strength training builds power.
Pilates builds the control to use that power well.
Put them together, especially in your 40s, 50s and beyond, and your body starts doing incredible things.

In this article, I’ll walk you through why Pilates supercharges strength training, the muscle groups and movement patterns involved, the research backing it, and how to blend the two for strength that genuinely lasts.

Why strength alone isn’t the whole story (especially after 40)

Strength training is essential for staying mobile, confident, and independent as we age - organisations like the NHS and Harvard Health consistently emphasise its role in:

• maintaining muscle mass

• protecting bone density

• reducing joint pain

• preventing age-related decline

But here’s the part many people miss:

Strength only works if your body can control it.

When the deeper stabilising muscles - around your pelvis, ribs, hips, and shoulders - aren’t coordinating well, other muscles try to ‘help out’. That often shows up as:

• tight hamstrings

• niggly lower backs

• stiff necks and shoulders

• uneven strength (one side always taking over)

• poor balance or fatigue during everyday tasks

Pilates steps in to restore alignment, control, and movement quality so your strength work pays off more, not less.

If you haven’t read it yet, my piece Pilates vs Strength: what’s the real difference? goes deeper into how the two complement one another.

How Pilates enhances strength training

Here’s what really happens when you combine the two:

1. Better alignment = better muscle engagement

When joints sit in the right place, muscles fire in the right sequence.

Pilates is brilliant at teaching you how to organise your ribs, pelvis, spine, and shoulder girdle so that load is shared evenly. That means when you go into a squat, lunge, deadlift, or press, you’re using the intended muscles - not compensating with the back, neck, or hip flexors.

“Alignment isn’t about looking neat - it’s about giving your body the chance to work efficiently.”

Mini how-to: feel your alignment improve in seconds

Try this before your next workout:

1. Stand tall and gently lengthen the back of your neck.

2. Soften your ribs instead of letting them flare.

3. Gently shift weight into the centre of each foot.

4. Take a slow breath wide into the sides of your ribcage.

You’ll feel more grounded - and your muscles will switch on more evenly.

2. Pilates boosts your stability so you can lift more safely

Strength training relies on stable foundations, especially around the pelvis and spine.
Pilates teaches you how to access:

• deep abdominal stabilisers

• glute medius and minimus

• deep hip rotators

• mid-back stabilisers (the ones that stop the shoulders creeping up)

When these muscles coordinate well, heavier strength work becomes not just easier but safer.

Research consistently shows that improved neuromuscular control reduces injury risk and enhances performance.

3. It improves proprioception (your brain-body connection)

This is where the magic lies.

Pilates trains the tiny, intelligent adjustments that help you sense where your body is in space. This improves your:

• balance

• coordination

• movement accuracy

• reaction time

Those improvements spill directly into your strength routine - especially movements like split squats, deadlifts, overhead work, and single-leg exercises.

“Strength isn’t just about the muscles. It’s about the messages your brain sends to them.”

4. Pilates helps you recruit the right muscles at the right time

Many people over 40 tell me they “don’t feel” their glutes, mid-back, or deeper abdominal muscles - no matter how much they train. Pilates teaches muscle sequencing: which muscles initiate a movement and which muscles support it.

Once those connections are rebuilt, strength training becomes far more effective - and everyday movement feels smoother.

If everyday stiffness is creeping in, my article Move like you used to explains why sequencing matters more than ever as we age.

5. It rebuilds posture without forcing it

Pilates doesn’t ‘fix your posture’ in the traditional sense - it restores the strength and mobility needed for natural posture to return. That means stronger:

• spinal extensors

• scapular stabilisers

• hip extensors

• deep rotators

• lateral stabilisers

And mobility where you need it most:

• thoracic spine

• ribcage

• hips

• ankles

This means fewer compressed joints, fewer tight muscles trying to hold everything together, and a lot more ease in your daily movement.

6. It reduces everyday pain so you can keep training consistently

For many people 40+, consistency is the real key to results, but niggles get in the way. Pilates improves:

• joint mechanics

• muscle balance

• load distribution

• breathing efficiency

All of which reduce the tension, aches, and compensations that stop you training regularly.

“When your body moves intelligently, pain has fewer places to hide.”

What This Means in Real Life

You become stronger, faster.

Because your muscles fire the way they’re meant to.

You feel less stiff.

Because your joints are working in better alignment.

You prevent injuries rather than treat them.

Because stability and sequencing improve.

You move with more confidence.

In the gym, in the studio, and in everyday life - from lifting shopping bags to navigating stairs.

You get strength that lasts.

Because your body isn’t fighting against itself.

How to combine Pilates and strength training (a simple framework)

Here’s a practical blend I often recommend:

1. Start your week with Pilates

This resets your alignment and improves neuromuscular control - so your strength work is more effective.

2. Add 2 strength sessions

These build power, resilience, and long-term muscle protection.

3. Use Pilates as active recovery

It reduces soreness, restores mobility, and prevents overuse patterns.

4. Add 5-10 minutes of Pilates principles before strength workouts

Breath, rib placement, and hip alignment make a huge difference.

Mini how-to: the 5-Minute pre-strength reset

1. Breathing - 5 slow breaths wide into the ribcage

2. Pelvic alignment check - gentle tilts to find neutral

3. Glute activation - slow bridges or hip clocks

4. Shoulder setting - wall slides or scapular retraction

5. Spinal mobility - cat/cow or gentle thoracic rotations

It’s simple - but transforms how you lift.

So why is Pilates a ‘secret weapon’?

Because it fills the gap most people don’t know they have.

Strength training builds what your body can do.
Pilates builds how well your body can do it.

And when you combine them?

You get strength that lasts - without the aches, stiffness or hesitations that often show up after 40.

Ready to experience intelligent movement?

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