Fitness
To plie or plank?
That is the question.
Read on for a full rundown on the similarities and differences betweenPilates vs. barre, below.
And that makes Pilates a form offunctional exercise.
Whats A Pilates Class Like?
(Think plieing till you could plie no more.)
Wondering what youll tone?
Barre is all about thebutt muscles, as well as the hamstrings, calves, and core.
But it can also be a full-body workout.
you might easily firm up your arms too, DiGiorgio says.
A sculpted barre workout uses small but defined isometric movements to tone your biceps, triceps, and shoulders.
Whats A Barre Class Like?
A barre studio usually entails a giant mirrored room circled with ballet barres.
But, like Pilates, you might easily do barre at home, too.
Barre is low-impact because it doesnt contain any bouncing or jumping.
Instead, its all about engaging muscles while remaining stationary, DiGiorgio says.
Then theres theisometric movementfactor, which both modalities have in spades.
Isometric movements are exercises in which the muscle fibers are fixed in length throughout the contraction, DiGiorgio says.
Think of doing a bicep curl and holding the elbow bent, but the muscles are actively contracted.
The point is to help muscular endurance and stability.
These two forms of exercise differ most in terms of muscle recruitment.
Barre usually isolates body parts and does a lot of small, repetitive movement on each, says Present.
Its the opposite in Pilates, where every exercise involves the whole body.
You have to find what works best for your body, says Present.
And, most importantly, what you enjoy.
Studies referenced:
Kim, D. (2015).
Effect of an exercise program for posture correction on musculoskeletal pain.
Journal of Physical Therapy Science.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4499985/
Kloubec, J. Pilates: how does it work and who needs it?
