Why Cardio Workouts Don't Give You All Your Body Needs Menu Verywell Fit Nutrition Weight Management Nutrition Facts Nutrition Basics Diets Meal Plans Meal Delivery Services View All News Fitness and Nutrition What to Buy How We Test Products Fitness Gear Nutrition Products Tools Recipe Nutrition Calculator Weight Loss Calorie Goal BMI Calculator Body Fat Percentage Calculator Calories Burned by Activity Daily Calories Burned Pace Calculator About Us Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Search Pilates Beginners Why You Should Do Pilates in Addition to Cardio Workouts By Alycea Ungaro, PT, MS Alycea Ungaro, PT, MS Alycea Ungaro, PT, MS, holds a Pilates certification through the Pilates Method Alliance and a master's degree in clinical nutrition. Learn about our editorial process Updated on March 05, 2021 Reviewed Verywell Fit articles are reviewed by nutrition and exercise professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by Kristin McGee, CPT Reviewed by Kristin McGee, CPT Kristin McGee is a certified personal trainer and currently teaches yoga and meditation for Peloton. She is also certified in Pilates and by the National Association of Sports Medicine. Learn about our Review Board Print Kristian Sekulic / Getty Images If you are a cardio junkie or a single-activity gym-goer you will want the information in this article. Your body needs and deserves a workout that trains all of its possible movement patterns in what is called multi-planar exercise. Pilates is very likely your cardio antidote. The human body is multi-planar by design. Your spine was created to forward and backward bend, as well as bend from side to side. It is able to twist and rotate with impunity. Our ancestors put their bodies to good use working each day as hunter-gatherers and more recently as laborers who work their land and their herds to ensure survival for themselves and their families. Imagine how differently early men and women used their bodies than we do when we adopt our fitness-focused positions on equipment like treadmills, bicycles, and elliptical machines. Of course, there is a distinct benefit to our muscles and our cardiovascular systems, but in terms of maintaining a healthy functional musculoskeletal system that is capable of all possible planes of movement, your standard cardio workout leaves much to be desired. 3 Essential Functional Movement Patterns The Treadmill Treadmill running happens in forward motion. The front and back of the lower body are utilized and there is a modicum of rotation that must happen to propel the legs, but this is a single plane motion. By contrast, the Pilates mat work as done in a group class requires you to bend forward and backward and to train your upper body and your core as well as your lower body for a full balanced strengthening routine. The Bicycle Cycling similarly occurs in a simple one direction pattern. The upper body does little more than flex and round while the legs move continuously. Quite the opposite, a Pilates reformer routine like you might do in a private training session includes every developmental sequence available. You'll lie down, kneel, sit, and stand, working in each plane of motion with variable resistance from weighted springs. The Elliptical Elliptical machines afford a bit more rotation and can even engage the upper body, but only if you actively use the arms and the moving handles to accomplish the workout. The Pilates chairs and barrels demand a high degree of upper body strength, abdominal control, and symmetrical muscle recruitment as you twist, bend, and lean in numerous directions improving your strength, stretch, timing, and balance. What none of these workouts do is allow for freedom of all the possible ways your body can actually move. None of the cardio options above let your spine side bend or backbend. The hip joints never get to externally or internally rotate nor do they open or narrow in abduction or adduction. They do one thing only: flex and extend. Look now at the Pilates system with all of its equipment delivered in an organized circuit and you'll see how multi-planar training promotes truly healthy body movements designed for optimal function. It' s About Real Life In real life, we need to be able to move efficiently in all directions. When you play a sport or join in social dance you engage in multiple movements in all directions. All of your muscles and joints get equal time or at least some time on the playing field. Pilates accomplishes the same thing but within a training paradigm. The systemic and symmetrical nature of Pilates means that you will learn immediately which parts of you are tighter or weaker than others. You will recognize quickly what movements pose a challenge and are therefore the most needed. There’s no need to give up your cardio routine—it benefits your heart and body too. But notice the gains and improvements you make when you supplement cardio workouts with Pilates. Enhancing performance is what Pilates is all about. Try simply adding one specific Pilates workout to your weekly routine. Think of it as your cardio recovery program. If you know some Pilates, making your own multi-dimensional workout is simple. Start the routine with an exercise lying on your back. Choose a standing exercise for your final move. In between, select moves on your stomach, on your side, in sitting and in upright kneeling. Working out this way is a sampler for your body. Test drive it three times a week and see how you feel and, more importantly, how your body responds. Traditional Pilates Mat Exercises By Alycea Ungaro, PT, MS Alycea Ungaro, PT, MS, holds a Pilates certification through the Pilates Method Alliance and a master's degree in clinical nutrition. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? 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