Is Pilates Cardio? What Your Heart Rate Is Actually Doing

Mostly, no. Pilates is a strength-and-control workout, and most classes won't push your heart hard enough to replace running, cycling or brisk walking. But that's not the whole story. Lab studies show a steady mat or reformer class sits at the light end of the intensity scale, while tougher, faster sessions start creeping into moderate territory, and a regular practice can still nudge your aerobic fitness up over a couple of months. Here's what the numbers show, and how I'd use them if cardio fitness is one of your goals.

What Counts as Cardio, Anyway

Before we can answer the question, we need a finish line. The CDC's guidance for adults is 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, or a mix of the two. Moderate means you're breathing harder, your heart rate is up and you break a sweat. The quick field check is the talk test: at moderate effort you can talk but not sing, and at vigorous effort you can't get more than a few words out without stopping for a breath.

Exercise scientists put numbers on that with METs, multiples of your resting energy use. South Dakota State University Extension summarizes the standard cut-offs: under 3 METs is light, 3 to just under 6 is moderate, and 6 or more is vigorous. By heart rate, moderate is roughly 50 to 70 percent of your maximum and vigorous is roughly 70 to 85 percent. Hold on to those ranges, because they're what we're measuring Pilates against.

What Researchers Measured During Real Sessions

A handful of studies have strapped heart rate monitors and gas-analysis masks onto people mid-class. They're small, but they point in the same direction.

Source	What was tested	Key result
ACE-funded study, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse	15 women with intermediate experience, 50-minute beginner and advanced mat routines	54% of max heart rate (beginner), 62% (advanced)
Olson and Smith, 2005	12 people, mat workouts at three levels	About 4.0, 6.0 and 7.5 calories per minute; roughly 120 to 130 beats per minute at intermediate and advanced levels
Andrade and colleagues, 2020	18 healthy young women, mat vs. reformer	47% of max heart rate on the mat, 56% on the reformer

The ACE study concluded that the cardiovascular benefits of Pilates "appear to be limited." Even so, the advanced routine burned about as much energy as walking at 3.5 to 4 miles per hour, which is a decent walking pace. The Olson and Smith work, as reported by IDEA, described the heart rate response as a moderate stimulus similar to lower-impact activities like walking, arriving in bursts rather than as the steady climb you get from jogging or indoor cycling. And the Andrade study, summarized by the Pilates Association Australia, described both mat and reformer sessions as low cardiovascular stress.

Where the line falls also depends on who draws it. ACE used a target zone starting at 64 percent of maximum heart rate, which the beginner routine fell short of, while the broader 50 to 70 percent moderate range would let it squeak in at the bottom.

The 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference researchers use to estimate energy cost, lists traditional mat Pilates at 1.8 METs and general Pilates at 2.8. For comparison, it lists vinyasa yoga at 2.7 and power yoga at 4.0. So on paper, a typical class lands just under the moderate line.

Notice the gap between levels, though. In both mat studies, the harder routine drove heart rate and energy use noticeably higher. The level of the class matters more than the word "Pilates" on the schedule.

The Twist: Your Aerobic Fitness Can Still Improve

Here's the part that surprised me when I first dug into it. Even though a single session isn't very cardio-heavy, people who do Pilates for a couple of months tend to test fitter.

A 2019 systematic review and meta-analysis in the Journal of Clinical Medicine pooled studies that measured VO2 max, the gold-standard marker of aerobic fitness, before and after a Pilates program. Across 10 studies and 332 participants, Pilates groups improved VO2 max compared with control groups, with a moderate effect size. Most programs ran two or three sessions of 40 to 60 minutes a week for 8 to 16 weeks, and participants ranged from sedentary adults and trained runners to people living with heart failure, chronic stroke or obesity.

The authors were upfront about the limits. The studies varied a lot in who took part and how hard the sessions were, there was little long-term data, and none of them measured oxygen use during the classes themselves. It also compared Pilates with control groups rather than with dedicated aerobic training, so it can't tell us how Pilates stacks up against a running or cycling plan.

Pilates can make your engine a little better. It just isn't built to be the engine.

Marisol Quintero

My read as a coach: if you're starting from low fitness, almost any regular training will lift your aerobic capacity for a while, and Pilates counts. If you're already fit, it probably won't move the needle much on its own.

How to Push a Pilates Session Toward Cardio Territory

If you love Pilates and want more heart-rate return from it, there are honest ways to turn the dial up:

• Move up a level when you're ready. The research above consistently showed advanced routines working the heart harder than beginner ones. Earn it with good form first.
• Cut the downtime. Long pauses to set up, adjust springs or chat let your heart rate drift back down. Flowing transitions keep it up.
• Try a jumpboard or cardio-style reformer class. Rebounding adds a springy, running-like rhythm. I'll be straight with you: the lab studies I've read tested mat and standard reformer work, not jumpboard classes, so I can't give you numbers. Use the talk test and judge for yourself.
• Use the talk test mid-class. If you could comfortably sing along to the playlist, you're in light territory. If you can talk in short sentences, you're closer to moderate.

One caution. If you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, or any symptom like chest pain or unusual breathlessness, check with your doctor before you chase a higher heart rate. Faster isn't automatically better, and it's never worth sacrificing control.

How to Fit Pilates Into a Balanced Week

The CDC's guidelines ask for two things: aerobic activity and at least two days of muscle-strengthening work that hits all the major muscle groups. Pilates leans toward the second bucket and is only a light contributor to the first. Here's how I'd set up a week for a busy person who wants both:

1. Two or three Pilates sessions for core strength, control and mobility.
2. Enough cardio to reach 150 minutes, such as three 50-minute sessions or five 30-minute ones, at an effort that passes the moderate talk test: brisk walking, cycling, swimming, jogging, whatever you'll actually keep doing.
3. Stack them if you're short on time. A 25-minute brisk walk before a mat class covers both in one outing.
4. Keep one easy day. Recovery is where the fitness shows up.

If you already have a main sport, that's how I'd frame Pilates too: as support for your running, riding or lifting, not a replacement for the sessions that build your engine.

The Honest Verdict

Pilates isn't cardio in the way running or cycling is. A typical class lands in light-to-moderate intensity, and even advanced mat work, in the studies we have, looks more like a brisk walk than a run. But it isn't nothing either: harder sessions push your heart rate up, and a consistent practice over two to four months has been shown to improve aerobic fitness in both healthy adults and some clinical groups.

So keep your Pilates for what it does brilliantly, which is building strength, control and posture, and pair it with a couple of dedicated cardio sessions each week. That combination covers both halves of the activity guidelines and makes each workout better at its own job.

Frequently asked

Does Pilates count toward the 150 minutes of weekly cardio?

A typical Pilates class measures at the light end of the intensity scale, so it usually doesn't count as moderate aerobic activity on its own. Faster or more advanced sessions can edge into moderate territory. Use the talk test: if you can talk but not sing, you're working moderately.

Is reformer Pilates more cardio than mat Pilates?

In one small 2020 study of young women, reformer sessions averaged 56 percent of maximum heart rate versus 47 percent on the mat, with higher energy use. Both were still classed as low cardiovascular stress. The pace and level of the class matter as much as the equipment.

Can Pilates improve my VO2 max?

A 2019 meta-analysis found that Pilates programs, typically two or three 40 to 60 minute sessions a week for 8 to 16 weeks, improved VO2 max compared with control groups. The studies varied a lot, so treat it as a modest benefit rather than a substitute for dedicated aerobic training.

Should I do cardio and Pilates on the same day?

You can, and it's an efficient way to cover both parts of the activity guidelines. A brisk walk or easy ride before a mat class works well for many people. If you have a heart condition or other health concerns, check with your doctor before increasing intensity.