Pilates Fitness Friday: What Is Functional Strength?

Older woman practicing functional strength with rotation using a soft ball in a studio.

When we talk about strength in Pilates, we are not just referring to muscle size or how much someone can lift. We are interested in functional strength. The type of strength that translates into everyday life. The kind that helps your client carry their shopping, climb stairs without pain, get up off the floor with ease, and move through life with confidence and control.

What Is Functional Strength

Functional strength means building muscles and movement patterns that support real life activities. It is about improving balance, mobility, coordination, and joint stability. Not just isolated muscle power.

While traditional gym workouts might train a muscle in isolation, Pilates encourages us to think holistically. We train movement, not just muscles. Functional strength builds from the inside out, with a strong centre as the foundation.

How Pilates Builds Functional Strength

Core Activation: From the pelvic floor to the transverse abdominis, Pilates creates strength in deep stabilising muscles. This supports the spine during movement and is essential in real life.

Integrated Movement: Exercises like the Swan Dive, Lunges on the Reformer, or Standing Arm Work with Springs challenge multiple systems at once. Balance, coordination, strength, and breath all come together.

Load and Control: Using small apparatus or spring resistance, we train the body to control both the effort and the release. This improves eccentric control, which is crucial for injury prevention.

Real Life Patterns: Reaching, squatting, twisting, and pulling are all primal movement patterns. Pilates strengthens these patterns in a controlled and progressive way.

Tips for Teachers

Encourage movement in diagonal and rotational planes rather than just forward and back.Think about how clients move, not just what they are doing. Watch for compensations.Use cues that link the exercise to everyday life. For example, "Think about lifting a suitcase" or "Twist as if you are reaching behind in the car."Combine traditional exercises with functional sequences. Add a lunge to footwork or integrate standing balance into arm work.

Why It Matters

For older clients, functional strength reduces the risk of falls and improves independence. For athletes, it refines performance and reduces the chance of injury. For everyone, it brings more ease into daily life. Pilates is not about building bulk. It is about building bodies that function well in the real world.

Let us continue to teach the method with that focus in mind. Movement that matters.