Your Pilates Diet Is Probably Wrong

Everything works the same for every trainer with every client in terms of post-exercise nutrition. Protein within 30 minutes. Elevated calories to build muscle. The same answer for every workout.1

I have been in fitness for over 27 years and the past two as a Integrative Clinical Pilates teacher. This cookie cutter approach spells disaster for Pilates participants.2

The largest error that I witness? Ex-strength competitors consuming 4,000 calories with Pilates participation three or four times weekly, then becoming confused why they are putting on pounds.

The Neurological Reality that Most People Overlook

What follows is what goes on in a Pilates flow session that is not understood by most people. Your central nervous system sends electrical impulses to call up specific muscles in specific sequences.

You are recruiting larger skeletal muscles that articulate and move joints. Mind-body connection also requires constant neurological output for 45 to 55 minutes at a stretch.

Make that contrast with strength training. You can potentially experience the same neuroactivity squatting 500 lbs, but just 20 minutes total with rest periods between sets.

Brain fuel requirements are nothing similar at all. Your brain burns 20% of your glucose with only 2% of your body weight.3

Long-term focus requires different fueling than short-term explosions.4

The Calorie Confusion That Gets Every Individual Stuck

You see, if I'm going to the weight room to have a heavy squat day, then man, I'm consuming 3,000 to 4,000 calories that day. That's what my body is calling for during that hypertrophy phase.5

If we are entering a Pilates class, that day is at a maximum up to 2,000 to 2,200 calories.

Pilates utilizes three planes of motion with minimal resistance against that of traditional strength training.6 You will not experience the same stage of muscle hypertrophy that traditional strength training does.

There is resistance, but it is to assist movement instead of breaking up muscle fibers to explosively rebuild.

Why Younger athletes Have More Issues

I witness this recurring with younger clients moving away from high-end sports activities to Pilates. They continue to eat like they are still in the weight room.

A 25-year-old former footballer comes in with a complaint that "Pilates made me fat." My first question is? Did your eating pattern change?

I'll bet the house that that is where the trouble lies.

When I was playing football, I was taking 5,000 to 7,000 calories a day just to hold the playing weight at 230 pounds. That was a result of football 24/7.

Leave football and go for Pilates at 5,000 calories per day? You are definitely gaining weight unless you are doing Pilates twice or thrice a day.

Older clients actually adapt better to this transition. They tend to eat less naturally, so their intake aligns more closely with Pilates demands.

The Science of Muscle Fibers Behind the Figures

Research confirms what I observe daily in my Chelsea studio. Pilates primarily targets muscle fiber types designed for endurance and sustained contractions.

Strength training enlists fast-twitch fibers for power actions. Their metabolic requirements are vastly different.

Fast twitch fibers consume glycogen quickly and must be replaced promptly. Slow twitch fibers function more effectively via oxidative methods.7

Your nutrition will reflect your most common muscle fiber recruitment profile.8

How I Recalibrate Clients

I scale based on activity level and goals. A person sitting at a desk for eight hours, eating a single meal, then they have a Pilates hour or something active requires 1,800 to 2,200 calories based on their size and goals.

If he wants to bulk up, then I would increase that by 20 to 30 percent, which would put him at around 2,400 to 2,500 calories.

It is about fine-tuning both calories and macro percentages. I reduce calories and fine-tune percentages of carbs, protein, and fat proportionally.

Both factors are included in the equation.

The Integrative Pilates Difference

Patients recovering from injury will have a different nutrition approach than healthy individuals doing Pilates for health reasons.

Their bodies need extra fuel for recovery and rehab.9 The actual ratio is dependent upon the person and will need consultation with their medical staff.

That is where integrative clinical Pilates is different than a typical studio class. We are not simply moving bodies through a workout. We are facilitating processes that require specific nutrition planning.

The Main Practice Principle

Here is my calendar for anyone cross-training between Pilates and strength work.

If strength training is your main practice three to four times a week and Pilates is your augmentation for recovery and mobility, then eat the same.

If Pilates is your primary workout with maybe a weekly strength workout, decrease daily calories 20 to 30 percent on non-lifting days.

Your caloric requirements will be equivalent to your overriding training mode.

What Every Fitness Professional Should Know

Each client arrives with their objectives. They have X, Y, and Z that they are interested in working on. As professionals, we notice that A, B, and C also must be addressed.

The equilibrium between the wants and the necessities of clients is inescapably personal. Everything will have to be personalized and customized.

That is also true specifically with nutrition. Exercise trends reveal that Pilates was the most scheduled exercise in the world during 2024, yet most trainers remain with strength training nutrition recommendations.

It creates confusion and suboptimal outcomes.

The Bottom Line

Pilates necessitates continuous neurological effort for long durations. The strength training component requires high-energy bursts for shorter durations.

Your nutrition also needs to account for that physiological variation. Match your fuel to your predominant training method.

No more powerlifter eating if Pilates is your main practice. Your results are determined by this alignment.

After 27 years in the fitness trade, I can tell you that customized nutrition is the difference between clients reaching their goals and clients not reaching their goals.

The one-size-fits-all approach fails because different exercise modalities create different metabolic demands.

Understand the difference. Make appropriate adjustments. See your practice transform.10

References

American College of Sports Medicine. (2022). ACSM's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. https://www.acsm.org/read

Pilates Method Alliance. (2023). "Evidence-Based Practice in Pilates: Nutritional Considerations for Mind-Body Exercise." Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, 31(2), 145-158. https://www.pilatesmethodalliance.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3277

Magistretti, P. J., & Allaman, I. (2015). "A cellular perspective on brain energy metabolism and functional imaging." Neuron, 86(4), 883-901. https://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273(15)00372-3

Gómez-Pinilla, F. (2008). "Brain foods: the effects of nutrients on brain function." Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(7), 568-578. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn2421

Helms, E. R., Aragon, A. A., & Fitschen, P. J. (2014). "Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 11(1), 20. https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-11-20

Wells, C., Kolt, G. S., & Bialocerkowski, A. (2012). "Defining Pilates exercise: a systematic review." Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 20(4), 253-262. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229912000398

Brooks, G. A. (2020). "The science and translation of lactate shuttle theory." Cell Metabolism, 27(4), 757-785. https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(18)30207-4

Stellingwerff, T., & Cox, G. R. (2014). "Systematic review: Carbohydrate supplementation on exercise performance or capacity of varying durations." Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 39(9), 998-1011. https://cdnsciencepub.com/doi/10.1139/apnm-2014-0027

Tipton, K. D., & Phillips, S. M. (2013). "Dietary protein for muscle hypertrophy." Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop Series, 76, 73-84. https://www.karger.com/Article/FullText/350259

Loiacono, S. (2024). "Clinical Pilates Methodology: Integrating Nutrition with Mind-Body Practice." Monad Pilates Professional Training Manual. New York, NY.

Additional Resources

Professional Organizations:

Pilates Method Alliance: https://www.pilatesmethodalliance.org/

International Association of Healthcare Practitioners: https://www.iahp.com/

American College of Sports Medicine: https://www.acsm.org

Continuing Education:

Pilates Clinical Certification Courses Sports Nutrition Specialty Courses

Sports Mind-Body Exercise Update Study