If you’ve heard of Pilates, you’ve probably heard that it’s great for your core. That’s one of the “things” people are drawn to Pilates for. I mean, who doesn’t want abs?
Back in 2010, I went to have a consultation for an umbilical hernia repair at a world-renowned hospital in my province. When I saw the doctor, he was so intrigued when he found out I’m a Pilates teacher he said, “I’ve always wanted to see a Pilates instructor’s abs!”. I felt a little bad, though, because part of the reason I was there was that I’d been training too much with diastasis recti after the birth of my second child two years earlier…so I’m sure my abs weren’t quite what he was expecting!
Pilates IS great for your core and will absolutely make your abs stronger, so it WILL give you abs if you have a consistent practice. Like anything, if you’re doing it once a week you won’t quite get the results you’re after.
Most encouraging about getting abs with a Pilates practice is what you’ll be able to do in your practice with the strength of your abs and the flexibility in your body – rolling up from the floor, lifting and lowering your legs from the floor without straining your back or your neck, holding plank – that you may never have been able to do before.
The most important thing to recognize about “getting abs”, though, is this:
You can have great, strong abs, but you won’t automatically have ab definition.
Ab definition depends mostly on your body fat percentage, which is determined by your dietary and lifestyle choices; that’s your food intake, your water intake, the amount of sleep you get, and how much stress you’re under.
Also remember, most extreme muscle definition (think bodybuilders in competition, fitness models on the cover of a magazine, or jacked up superheroes in blockbuster movies) is temporary and due to dehydration. The lack of water consumption takes the “plumpness” from your skin, meaning the more defined you are, the more dehydrated you probably are, and that’s not healthy or sustainable long-term.
The amount of definition you have also depends on your body shape. If you’re naturally a slimmer or more muscular build (an ectomorph), getting abs that show is going to be a little easier than if you tend to be more of a ‘pear’ shape (endomorph).
If you don’t have a lot of body fat, you’ll most likely see your abs changing a lot with your Pilates practice. You’ll have more of a defined “six-pack” look and you will get more noticeable abs. If you have a bit of body fat or more, you’ll still get a smaller, more defined midsection, but the layer of fat will hide that “six-pack” look.
Ultimately it doesn’t really matter if you can SEE your abs if you know how strong and functional they are, and how great it feels to have a strong core that supports you and anything you want to do in your daily life!
Are you ready to find yours? Get your Pilates practice started today!
Xo, Kimberly
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