Contributor
Marisol Quintero
Performance Pilates SpecialistMarisol trains athletes and dancers in Pilates as a complement to performance work. Former pro ballet dancer, current strength-and-conditioning specialist.
📍 Madrid, Spain
Latest from Marisol
Pilates for Cyclists: What Riding Does to Your Back, Hips, and Bones
Pilates won't add watts. What it will do is address the flexed spine, narrow hip arc and uneven back fatigue that make long rides hurt.
Sep 17, 2026
Pilates and Weight Training: How to Fit Both Into One Week
You can lift and do Pilates in the same week without one undoing the other. Here's how to split the…
Sep 15, 2026
Is Pilates Cardio? What Your Heart Rate Is Actually Doing
Most Pilates classes won't replace a run, but harder sessions raise your heart rate and regular practice can lift aerobic…
Sep 11, 2026
Does Pilates Build Muscle? What the Research Actually Shows
Pilates reliably builds strength and adds muscle if you have room to gain it, but spring resistance runs out of…
Sep 9, 2026
Does Pilates Actually Help With Weight Loss? The Honest Answer
Pilates burns roughly 175 calories per hour. That's less than a brisk walk. So why do so many people lose…
Mar 4, 2026
Pilates for Runners: 8 Exercises That Prevent Injury
Most runners I work with don't get injured from running. They get injured from running with weak hips, asymmetric pelvic…
Jan 28, 2026
Pilates for Flexibility: 12 Exercises for Tight Hips
Most people with tight hips have the same response: stretch them harder, longer, more. It rarely works. The Pilates approach…
Dec 2, 20259 years of teaching.
Marisol came to Pilates through ballet — first as a teenager rehabbing from a stress fracture, then as a professional dancer, and now as the strength-and-conditioning specialist for a regional dance company. She works with athletes from a half-dozen sports who use Pilates as a complement to their primary training.
Her writing reflects an unusual perspective: Pilates as performance preparation, not wellness. The exercises that produce results for athletes are not always the exercises that show up on Instagram.
