Wall pilates — everything you need to know about the fitness trend

Up against the wall and spread ’em.

Eager exercisers are ringing in the new year with yet another hot new fitness trend — called wall Pilates, it’s an easy, fun and fast way to get in shape, all without leaving the house.

Anyone can do it, which is why everyone is, or at least so it seems — #WallPilates boasts 12 million views on TikTok, as people ditch intense regimes and expensive classes for increasingly popular lazy girl workouts.

“It’s all about going back to basics,” Wes Santos, founder of boutique group PT gym Instate Fitness, told The Standard.

What is wall Pilates? Exactly what it sounds like — pilates performed up against a wall, which takes the place of the foot bar used in traditional classes.

Since its creation a century ago — by physical trainer Joseph Pilates, hence the name — Pilates has become a widely popular, full-body exercise method, particularly among women who prefer low-impact workouts that focus on improving strength and flexibility, while also soothing mental stress, research has shown.

“Wall Pilates is great for beginners, as the wall provides stability and enables you to build up confidence with the movements while being more supported than with bodyweight alone,” Macallum Livock, a physical therapist at PureGym, told a reporter.

Originally, Pilates was used as a rehabilitation tool for soldiers returning from war, and for dancers to tone their bodies and heal aches and pains, according to MedicineNet. It has remained a popular method for physical rehab.

The isometric workout is a low-impact training method, meaning it builds strength without putting stress on the joints.

“In Pilates, the only resistance you have really is the force of gravity. Using a wall for static resistance, you can actually exert the force,” Heather A. Milton, exercise physiologist supervisor at the NYU Langone Health’s Sports Performance Center, told Today.com.

Practicing with the use of a wall allows exercisers to stabilize themselves helping to achieve proper form and alignment to focus on working the right muscles. It also provides extra resistance to help build strength more effectively.

“Wall Pilates is great for improving stability, balance, strength and control,” explains Callie Jardine, a Pilates instructor and founder of Sweaty Studio, told Today.com. “Unlike traditional Pilates, your feet are typically elevated throughout most of the workout, so you may experience increased circulation, improved digestion and sleep and reduced muscle cramps.”

The millions of videos guiding people through the popular workouts — requiring only a wall — have also made helped the fitness trend kick off making it more accessible allowing people who are intimidated to begin in public.

However, there are some downsides to practicing alone.

“The limitations of wall Pilates, like any Pilates done at home by yourself, is that you don’t get any feedback or correction from a teacher,” Korin Nolan, founder of Power Pilates, told Women’s Health.

“It’s important to work in the correct alignment, move with precision, apply your breath correctly and engage the correct muscles to get the most benefits, and if you’re a beginner you may need a little more assistance,” Nolan said.

She warned that practicing with the incorrect alignment and not engaging your core could “potentially do more harm than good,” but noted that the chances of causing harm are slim.

Wall Pilates isn’t the only trend storming its way to the front of the pack in 2024 — also this year, look for a dramatic increase in butt-boosting workouts for men.