Does wall Pilates work? Keep reading to find out.

If you have social media and follow any type of fitness content, then an ad for ‘wall Pilates’ has popped up in your feed. In these ads, you see men and women lying on the ground with their legs on the wall at a 90 degree angle doing a Pilates workout and with this kind of claim “do this for 28 days and see incredible results!”. I was inundated with ads for 28-day wall Pilates challenges and, finally, I caved. I just had to know if it actually worked.

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What is wall Pilates?

If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here’s a quick explanation.

Wall Pilates is performing traditional Pilates pressed up against the wall, which acts as a source of resistance. Similar to the foot rest in reformer Pilates.

A few things to know BEFORE jumping in

Wall Pilates is not exactly a beginner-friendly workout. I’m being very upfront about it because I think it’s important to have some basic experience and knowledge of Pilates form and movement to avoid any injuries.

Don’t expect magical results like the ads claim. The results are slightly visible after the first 10-14 workouts, but it’s nothing drastic at all.

How to find a wall Pilates workout?

There are so many options available online. I think it’s important to browse around and find one that resonates with you. I am a big fan of workouts on YouTube and there are a ton of 28-day challenges / beginner workouts to choose from. I previewed some of the videos and read the comments to see if they were good or not. I finally settled on this 28-day workout.

My personal experience

It takes a few days to get used to doing Pilates against the wall. The key is to not put all your whole body weight on the wall, but to use the core, hips and glutes to keep the body lifted while performing the moves.

The 28-day challenge I did built up the time and intensity of each workout gradually. The first week most of the workouts were 7-15 minutes long and didn’t have too many challenging positions such as raised knee or leg lifts. In the second week the workouts extended to 20 minutes and included more challenging positions. The third week is when the workouts averaged about 25 minutes and positions got more challenging; I couldn’t keep up with the workouts every day, so I did them every alternate day. But, this is also the time I started feeling some results such as a stronger, firmer core and muscle definition on the glutes and thighs.

The final week is very intense and it was a challenge to complete. The workouts are 30 minutes long and the whole body is lifted for most of the workout. I could only manage doing the workout every third day.

I didn’t just do the wall Pilates, though…

I added the challenge to my daily workout routine, which includes walking every day (I reduced from 60 minutes to 45 minutes on the days I did a wall Pilates workout). I also do regular Pilates classes each week and on those days I didn’t do the challenge. So, in total I was aiming for about 60-70 minutes of movement everyday between Pilates and walking.

The 28-day challenge took about two months to complete because of the breaks and other workouts I did in between. I think if it was the only workout I was doing, then it’s possible to complete it in one month.

So, does wall Pilates work?

Does wall Pilates work? Yes and no. Let me explain.

Yes, if you want to start to build strength, tone the lower body, or do a low impact workout, then I recommend trying wall Pilates. It is a good burn and you will begin to feel the results, before you even see them.

No. if you’re looking for quick results. I’m also not even really sure if you can lose weight by just doing wall Pilates.

I lost about 1 inch along my waist and hips. My thighs are starting to look toned and I can see some muscle definition building. I also feel my core is much stronger — I can feel my ab muscles. My back feels stronger and as a result my posture is better, too.

My final thoughts: wall Pilates is a good workout to add to an existing routine to jump start building strength and tone using body weight. I felt it was a good crash course in getting comfortable with isometric exercise, if you’ve never done it before or haven’t been consistent with it.

I don’t regret doing the challenge. It was fun and challenging and I will incorporate wall Pilates into my exercise routine. Do I recommend it? Yes, if you’re in a workout rut and want to try something new. Don’t take it too seriously 🙂

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