Pilates Exercise: A Research-Based Review

Abstract

In the last ten years, the popularity of Pilates as a method of body conditioning has increased enormously. The Pilates method was created by Joseph Hubertus Pilates in the early 1920s. He designed an exercise program with the objective of increasing muscle strength, endurance, and flexibility while maintaining spine stabilization. This article reviews the scientific evidence concerning the use of Pilates in elderly adults, dancers, athletes, and healthy adults. Little research supports the benefits of this mode of exercise. Most of the published peer-reviewed research lacks adequate controls of the training interventions, has low reliability of the instruments used to measure strength and flexibility, uses improper statistical analysis, and lacks statistical power. In summary, there is a clear need for well-controlled Pilates research designs to provide a scientific validation of the claimed benefits of Pilates exercises in different populations.