Pilates has recently become a very popular method for building core strength, increasing flexibility, and potentially improving posture. So, if you’re searching for “Pilates in Chicago”, you are not alone. Don’t get me wrong, Pilates can be a great workout!
However, if you only practice Pilates, you might be missing out on some important components when it comes to training the body… Let me explain.
Pilates can be a good way to burn some calories and move your body. Some of the good things about Pilates include:
These are all great things for the body. But let’s discuss what Pilates is missing and how it can be improved.
Pilates has a lot to offer. And many people report some benefits from it. But after doing it for a while, what do you do next? Perhaps you still have a nagging pain in one of your joints. Or you feel stiff or unstable when moving. You may have tried many different exercises that help for a while, only for the pain to return later on. The solution to this issue might be more straightforward than you think. The answer might be in the way that you walk and run, A.K.A your “Gait Cycle”.
Focusing on improving posture is great! We all have imbalances in our bodies when we are standing. And making our posture more balanced is a worthwhile goal, and it is something we focus on at Chicago Biomechanics. But we take it one step further, literally…
What problems might this create? These are the questions we ask at our gym. We identify these asymmetries in the gait cycle by recording and watching how you move in slow motion. Once we identify the issues, we can get to work on correcting them and building muscle to make sure the joints are protected long-term.
Pilates does a great job at training the core, improving flexibility, and building awareness, but there is a missing link: the way Pilates trains the body doesn’t directly translate into the way you walk and run. Much of Pilates is done lying down, seated, or in positions that don’t reflect the upright, dynamic nature of human movement.
This means you can develop strength in isolation without correcting the very imbalances that show up when you are standing or moving. If your gait is imbalanced—whether your hips don’t rotate well, your shoulders swing unevenly, or your core doesn’t transfer force efficiently, those issues will continue to feed into stiffness, joint pain, and recurring injuries.
At Chicago Biomechanics, we take the benefits you can get from Pilates and expand them into something more fundamental: efficient walking and running. Why? Because when your gait works, your whole body works.
The result? A body that doesn’t just feel strong in a controlled studio setting, but one that feels strong, stable, and pain-free in daily life.
The Path to Pain-Free Movement
If Pilates is the doorway to better strength and awareness, Functional Patterns is the key that unlocks lasting results. By focusing on how you move through space—step after step—we help your body reorganize itself. The outcome is more than good posture; it’s optimal movement that protects your joints, conserves energy, and keeps you pain-free long-term.
