Your Complete Pilates Terminology Glossary

By understanding a wide range of pilates terminology – from the essential vocab to the highly technical – you’ll deepen your ability to perform pilates movements and exercises and improve your body and wellness. And, while you won’t need to know these terms to perform pilates workouts at Vaura (our instructors always explain our workouts in plain terms and ensure they’re visually easy to follow), it’s always useful to brush up on the basics. 

That’s why below, we’ve compiled a complete glossary of pilates terms: collecting, curating, and defining a range of pilates movements, equipment, workout jargon, types, and benefits. Read on for our full A to Z. 

 

A

Abduction: Any movement away from the centre of your body. For example, lifting your arm up. 

Adduction: Any movement towards the centre of your body. For example, bringing your arm back down to your side. 

Alignment (align): The position of your head, shoulder, spine, hips, knees and ankles – and their relation to each other. 

Anterior: The front of your body. 

Articulation: Any joint movement that occurs due to muscle contraction. 

Assisted stretch: Any stretch that is supported by pilates equipment. (This is usually a reformer machine.) 

 

 

b

Balance: Your ability to keep upright or retain control of your body’s movement while unstable (during a workout, for example). 

Box: A box that is used to either provide support or make exercises more difficult, usually by performing exercises while holding, sitting or standing on the box. 

Block: A small block (about the size of a shoebox) that can be used to either offer support or make exercises more difficult, usually by balancing on the block. 

Breathwork: Consciously breathing in and out during the correct part of pilates exercises. 

 

 

C

Cardio pilates: A type of high intensity pilates that works your cardiovascular system. 

Chair: A piece of equipment used for chair-based pilates.  

Chi balls: Soft balls of various sizes that are used for workouts, self-massage and relaxation. 

Circuit: A set of exercises you rotate through during a pilates workout. 

Contraction (contract): Tightening or shortening your muscles to perform a movement. Your muscles will feel more tense while contracted. 

Core: The muscles in the mid-region of your torso, usually referring to your abdominals (abs). 

 

 

d

Deep: A pilates term used to encourage you to perform a stretch or exercise with greater extension. For example, you lower your body more than usual while performing a deep squat. 

Deep core: Refers to a trio of muscles deep in your mid-torso. These are known as your transversus abdominus, multifidus and pelvic floor muscles. 

Dorsiflexion: The movement of your foot in an upward motion. 

Dumbbell: A small, handheld piece of equipment used to make pilates movements more challenging. 

 

 

E

Eccentric movement: Any pilates movement that slowly lengthens your muscles. For example, slowly lowering into a squat.

Energy: Your ability to carry out a pilates workout. Different pilates workouts are designed for when you’re feeling high or low on energy.

Exercise: A deliberate and controlled movement. For example, a plank, bridge, or jumping jack.

Exhale: Breathing out. During pilates movements, the aim is to exhale during the exertion phase of an exercise.

Extension: The straightening of a joint for a pilates movement. For example, your knee joints straighten as you come up from a squat.

Eversion: Turning your foot outwards.

 

F

Flexion: The bending (or flexing) of your joints for a pilates movement. For example, your knee joints bend as you lower into a squat.

Flexibility: The ability of your joints or muscles to move through range of motion comfortably.

Form: The correct way to perform a pilates movement. For example, keeping your back straight while squatting is “good form”.

Functional: The relationship between your pilates workouts and real-life actions. As just one example, building functional strength through pilates exercises will improve your ability to move furniture.
 
Fusion workout: A pilates workout that includes movements from other exercise disciplines, such as yoga.

 

H

Hyperextension: Any movement where your joint has moved beyond its normal range. This often results in injury.

Hyperextension exercises: Pilates exercises that help rehabilitate your body after a hyperextension injury. These exercises are performed within your joint’s normal range of motion.

 

I

Isometric movement: A pilates exercise where you hold a contracted muscle in a certain position, without moving. For example, lowering into a squat and holding that position, rather than coming back up immediately.

Imprinting: Pressing your spine into the ground while lying flat on your back. This is used to draw your lower back towards the floor and engage your core.

Inhale: Breathing in. During pilates movements, the aim is to inhale during the relaxation phase of an exercise.

Intensity: How hard you’re working to perform a pilates workout.
 
Inversion: Turning your foot inwards.

 

K

Kettlebell: A weighted and handheld piece of equipment that makes pilates exercises more challenging.

 

L

Lateral breathing: A type of breathing where you inhale and exhale while holding tension in your core.
 
Lean muscle: Muscle that has a low level of fat. It’s this kind of muscle you’ll build through doing pilates regularly.

Low impact: Pilates workouts that are gentle on your body, especially your joints.

 

M

Mat pilates: Pilates exercises performed on an exercise mat.

Midline: An imaginary line down the middle of your body. Instructors use this, in tandem with other pilates terminology, to help you know whether to move your body away from or towards your midline.

Mindfulness: Carrying out movements with heightened awareness. Performing exercises mindfully reduces stress and brings you into the present moment.

Mobility: Your ability to move freely and comfortably.

Modification: A change made to an exercise to make it easier, more difficult, or more comfortable. Doing a push up on your knees, rather than in a plank position, is an example of modifying a workout to be easier; holding a kettlebell while you squat will make that exercises harder.

Muscle mass: The amount of muscle in your body.

 

N

Neutral spine position: A position where the curves of your spine are in natural alignment.

 

P

Plantar flexion: The movement of your foot in a downward motion away from your body.

Posterior: The back of your body.

Posture: The position in which you naturally hold your body while standing or sitting.

Powerhouse: A pilates term that refers to the collection of muscles responsible for a lot of your power, balance and posture. These are your abdominals, lower back, hip and glute muscle groups.

Pregnancy pilates: Pilates exercises designed specifically for pregnant people. This is split into prenatal pilates (before birth) and postpartum pilates (after birth).

Prone: Lying flat on your stomach.

 

Q

Quadruped: Used to describe any position where you’re on “all fours” – that is, your hands and knees.

 

R

Range of motion: The amount you’re able to move a body part around a joint. For example, people who can do the splits have a greater range of motion around their hip joints compared to those who can’t do the splits.
 
Reformer machine (reformer): A popular pilates machine used to facilitate movement. A reformer machine is equipped with a sliding carriage, adjustable springs, pulleys, straps and a footbar. To learn more about reformer pilates, and how reformer pilates differs from mat pilates, our guide will help.
 
Reformer pilates: Pilates exercises performed on a reformer machine.

Rest period: The period after a pilates exercise where you’re no longer working.

Resistance: A stopping effect that makes an exercise more challenging. This could be your bodyweight, external weights (dumbbells, kettlebells) or a resistance band. Applying more resistance to an exercise is a way of modifying it to be more difficult; decreasing the resistance in an exercise makes it easier.

Resistance band: An elastic band – usually wrapped around your arms or legs – used to add resistance to an exercise.

Recovery: The period after a workout where your body improves on its previous strength, mobility or flexibility.

Ring: A handheld flexible rubber loop used to assist pilates movements, or make them more challenging.

 

S

Stretching: Any exercise where you’ve put your body in a position that lengthens your muscle. Stretching is a vital part of recovery following a pilates workout.

 

 

T

Toning: The act of developing a firmer, leaner, more defined body due to pilates workouts.

 

V

Variation: Pilates terminology used to describe different types of a base exercise. For example, if the base exercise is squats, common variations are sumo squats, single-leg squats, or squat jacks.

 

W

Warm-up: The beginning of a workout that prepares your body for physical exertion.

Warm-down: The ending of a workout that helps your body return to typical activity.