Pilates is a unique way of working out that focuses on strengthening, lengthening, and toning your muscles. And that’s through repetitive, but controlled movements. This method was developed by physical trainer Joseph Pilates during the 1920s, hence its name. Originally it was created as a way to help injured athletes and dancers maintain their fitness and get back on their feet to safely return to exercise and their original routine. With that being said, I know what you’re thinking: “What about Ectomorphs?”, “Is Pilates Good For Ectomorphs?”.
There are many advantages to incorporating Pilates into your workout routine as an Ectomorph. It helps in strengthening and lengthening muscles, increasing flexibility, developing core strength, and improving posture.
In this article, we’ll talk more in-depth about the several benefits of Pilates for Ectomorphs and why you should implement it into your workouts.
Table of Contents
Is Pilates Good For Ectomorphs?
Here are the many benefits of Pilates for the Ectomorph body type:
It’s a Full-Body Workout
Pilates will help you train your body as a whole. That’s because it focuses on training multiple muscle groups at once. That includes the core, the upper body, as well as the lower body.
Did you know that when you focus on your core and implement full-body workouts, you’ll create a level of integrated fitness that’s challenging to achieve even if you follow the most perfect workout plan? It can help both your mind and body. And that’s the reason why it’s sometimes used for rehab, and for injured athletes looking to get back on their feet.
Read more: Are Full-Body Workouts Good For Ectomorphs?
It’s Beginner Friendly
Whether you’re a beginner Ectomorph that’s just considering implementing a training routine into your life, a professional athlete that wants to take their fitness to the next level, or an old adult looking for a healthy lifestyle, Pilates is such a beginner-friendly type of exercise that pretty much anybody can do. The main focus of increasing core and muscle strength, improving the mind and the body, makes Pilates accessible to everyone. In addition to that, there are tons of exercises and modifications that you can do in order to adapt it according to your own needs and requirements. There are even Pilates exercises for pregnant women. That just goes to show the level of accessibility this unique method of training has.
Read more: What Sports Do Ectomorphs Play, Ectomorph Athletes.
It Strengthens And Lengthens The Muscles
When you’re doing Pilates, you’re focusing on exercises that help tone your muscles and make them work well as a part of your body. You’re also focusing on functional exercises. This means strength exercises that ready your body for daily activities such as walking, running, lifting a chair, or pushing a grocery cart. Pilates is also a great way to lengthen your muscles. That’s because this method of training encourages muscle elongation during tension due to its controlled nature when it comes to training.
It Strengthens The Core
We first need to understand what the core is. It’s the combination of the deep muscles in our back and lower abdomen. These muscles have the role of supporting a good posture and having a strong back. The stronger the core, the more you’re able to support the frame of your body which gives the other muscles and joints the ability to freely do their jobs.
A tight core also helps in performing many strength and endurance exercises the correct way and with a minimum chance of injury. Which is a great thing especially as an Ectomorphs. You want to keep injuries to a minimum in order to avoid missing any workouts.
Read more: Should Ectomorphs Lift Heavy, Do Ectomorphs Recover Faster.
It Improves Posture
As I mentioned in the previous point, a good core equals a good posture. When your body has good posture, it’s able to do a lot more movements more freely. If you start with the basic fundamentals of Pilates and progress your way through using mat and better equipment, you’ll eventually start to gradually notice your body expressing itself with strength and harmony. And that’s a key factor for Ectomorphs in order to build muscles and gain weight.
Read More: Are Push-Ups Good For Ectomorphs, Can Ectomorphs Become Bodybuilders.
It Increases Energy
Just like Yoga and meditation, Pilates also focuses on breathing and stimulating your spine and muscles in order to give your body that feeling of happiness and determination that you’ll rarely get with a basic training method.
What is interesting is that the more you do Pilates, the more energy you’re gonna have. And because you have this energy surging through your body, you’ll always feel excited to do your next workout. This is a great way to get motivated for those intense training routines, especially as an Ectomorph.
Read more: Is Yoga Good For Ectomorphs, Are Full-Body Workouts Good For Ectomorphs.
It Unites The Body And The Mind
Pilates focuses on 6 main principles: concentration, centering, control, flow, breathing, and precision. All of these help in the harmony of your mind with your body and spirit. And this is the beauty of Pilates training. During each exercise, you’re practicing movements with such concentration, focus, and attention that your mind and body have to work in harmony to ensure the most benefits from it.
Read more: Are Ectomorphs More Intelligent.
Conclusion:
Now you know the many benefits of Pilates, especially for Ectomorphs. Implementing them into your Ectomorph training routine is a great way to maximize your efficiency and muscle gain.
And since it’s accessible to everybody, Pilates classes are available at many local studios, as well as some gyms and community centers. And even if you prefer to stay at home, there is always a solution to that (Just like my Ectomorph home workout plan), you can find many videos on Youtube that teach you how to practice Pilates. There are even dedicated apps and books on this subject that utilizes sample workout plans which you’ll find really interesting. All you need is a good mat and some equipment.