Why Pilates Alone Isn't Enough

Embrace Your Real

Julie Ledbetter

Health & Fitness, Fitness, Body, Mindset, Movement, Health, Acceptance, Macros, Love, Positivity, Nutrition, Loss, Weight

5 • 965 Ratings

🗓️ 11 September 2025

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Hey beautiful human!
You've probably asked yourself at some point: Should I be doing Pilates… or should I lift weights?
And if you've ever felt stuck trying to choose between the two, this episode is for you.

Let me be clear, Pilates can absolutely support your goals. It's amazing for posture, mobility, and core strength. But if you're trying to build muscle, boost your metabolism, or reshape your body? Resistance training is what truly moves the needle.

In this episode, I'm breaking down the real differences between Pilates and lifting, so you can stop second-guessing your workouts and start seeing results.

We're getting into:

What Pilates does (and doesn't do) for your metabolism and strength
Why resistance training creates longer-lasting changes in your body
The truth about "bulking," "toning," and the biggest myths about lifting
How to combine Pilates and strength training for a balanced routine
Where to start if lifting feels confusing, overwhelming, or out of reach

If you've been trying to make progress with Pilates alone and feel like something's missing, this episode will give you clarity, confidence, and a roadmap for what to do next.

🎧 Want more support around lifting? Listen next to Episode 255: 8 Benefits of Dumbbell Workouts for Women

If you want more from me, be sure to check out…

Follow me on Instagram: @juliealedbetter | @embraceyourreal | @movementwithjulie
Movement With Julie | App: https://sale.movementwithjulie.com/
Macro Counting Made Simple Online Academy: https://www.macrocountingmadesimple.com/
Website: www.juliealedbetter.com

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, hey, beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Labbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace a real, let's get it.
0:22.5	Let's go.
0:32.3	Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Real podcast.
0:36.6	Today we're going to be diving into a question that so many women wrestle with. And that is, should I do Pilates or resistance training? Especially now, I feel like Pilates is very trending on social media, TikTok, Instagram, all the things. But before we get into it, let me be crystal clear. I am absolutely not here to bash Pilates. I think that Pilates has real benefits.
0:55.7	It can help with core strength, posture, mobility, even stress relief. If you love Pilates,
1:00.7	I want you to keep it in your routine. But here's the honest truth. If your goals include
1:05.3	building muscle or boosting your metabolism or truly reshaping your body composition,
1:10.0	resistance training will move the needle most.
1:12.5	And today we're going to be breaking down exactly why in simple real life terms so that you can make
1:17.4	the best decision for your body and your goals. By the end of today's episode, you'll know what
1:22.2	Pilates actually does for your body, why resistance training creates a bigger impact on your
1:26.8	metabolism and muscle,
1:27.9	and how to combine the two so that you feel strong, confident, and balanced. So if you're wondering
1:33.2	how to get the most out of your workouts this ball, this episode is absolutely for you. Before we
1:39.1	dive in, though, I want to share this review. It comes from Indy Gaffney. I love that name. Man,
1:43.9	she gave a five-star review and said
1:45.3	favorite podcasts. I found out about Movement with Julie from Pinterest and I'm so glad that I did. Her
1:50.4	Pinterest clips are so fun. First of all, shout it to my Pinterest crew. Love you guys so much.
1:55.2	Now I listen to the podcast and actually just join the Movement with Julie app. All three are helping
2:00.0	me motivate me on my fitness journey and her kind words are so motivational
2:03.5	in her podcast.
2:04.5	It is a absolute mess listen.
	...

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