Have you ever noticed that sometimes you'll be sore after Pilates and sometimes you won't?

Are you disappointed if you’re not sore after Pilates?

Being sore after exercise isn't an indicator of how hard you've worked or how good workout is. And just because you are not sore after your Pilates class it doesn’t mean you haven’t worked hard enough!

Pilates buninyong, reformer pilates buninyong, DOMS

What is the soreness you experience post-workout?

The soreness you experience post-workout is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). This muscle soreness happens for a couple of reasons.

Due to a new training stimulus, something that your body is not used to in your session.
This can be something like increased weight, repetition, intensity or a new exercise that you haven’t done before.
Performing exercises that involve a certain type of muscle contraction.
An eccentric contraction happens when the muscle lengthens as it contracts.
This type of contraction causes small micro-trauma within the muscle which the body then works hard to repair, this is thought to be the reason behind you experiencing muscles soreness after these types of exercises.
In a Pilates Class some of the more common exercises that involve this type of contraction, and that you may feel sorer after, include; Thigh Stretch, Bridges with extensions & Standing Split Work.

You might have noticed that when you started your Pilates journey you were feeling more sore than you are now?
Or
Maybe after certain classes you've failed the toilet test the next day?

This is most likely due to one of the reasons above.
Maybe it was due to a certain exercise performed in class?
Maybe the exercises were new or different from what your body is used to.
Or
Maybe it was your first session back after missing classes for a little while!

Whatever the reason, having DOMs after a Pilates class isn't a bad thing but it is also not something you have to experience in order for your class to have been challenging or effective.

Instead of determining the success of your workout by how sore you are after, here are a few things that you can think about in class to help you know if you are challenged enough.

(You don't have to experience all of these)

1. Were you feeling challenged during the class?

2. Did you feel a muscle burn during any of the exercises?

3. Was it challenging for you to get the hang of the exercise techniques?

4. Were your muscles jittery or shaky?

5. Did you have to concentrate on performing the exercise effectively and correctly (no time for planning your weekend mid reps)?

6. Were you are glad when your teacher changed the exercise?

If you answered Yes to some or all of these then you are being Challenged just enough by your Pilates Classes!

If you answered No to the majority of these questions then it might be time for you to up the anti & try an extra class each week or jump up to the next level of class!

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If you’d like help determining if you are being challenged enough in your sessions let us know next time you are in class!

Steph & The Pilates HQ Team