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Pilates Instructors Say This Is the #1 Mistake Beginners Make

By Alexa Mellardo Parade - Health Stories

Updated May 28, 2026 2:45 PM

We all make mistakes. And as long as you learn from them, it's all good. Exercising is no exception. When it comes to Pilates, poor alignment or overexertion can lead to strained muscles, lower back pain or injury.

While Pilates can be a truly incredible low-impact form of exercise-especially as you age-it's important to be in the know about certain mistakes that can derail your progress. If you're a total beginner, signing up for a class with a certified Pilates instructor is an excellent way to learn correct form, helpful tips and how to blend mindful breathing with intentional movement. In the meantime, we spoke with Pilates instructors who all agree on the #1 mistake beginners make.

Before we begin, it's important to understand why so many people struggle with Pilates when they first start practicing it.

"What differentiates Pilates from any other modality is that it is a qualitative form of training that prioritizes movement quality before movement quantity," Katie Yip, Pilates coach and certified Pilates instructor, tells Parade. "It first begins with mindful engagement, followed by the physical movements. Most exercise and athletics emphasize measurable outcomes: repetitions performed, weight lifted, goals scored and time elapsed. Pilates differs from that framework entirely. The goal is movement quality; not how much, but how well, and if we can initiate and execute every exercise from the core, moving through a joint's full range of motion with complete control."

When performing Pilates, this usually means reducing spring tension, limiting the range of motion or performing fewer reps to complete the session with intent.

Now, let's explore the most common mistake beginners make when starting Pilates and how it can impact your practice.

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The #1 Mistake Beginners Make When Starting Pilates, Instructors Say

The #1 mistake beginners make? It's approaching Pilates the same way as you would other forms of exercise and focusing on quantity.

Joseph Pilates established Pilates-which was originally called "Contrology"-to condition both the mind and body in a holistic manner. The goal of Pilates is to strengthen all muscles while developing the body uniformly, says Yip. In other words, no movement pattern or muscle is left unaddressed.

"Novice students often approach Pilates with the same mindset as they would general exercise. This becomes problematic because it leads to frustration, and often giving up on Pilates too early, when the expectations of achieving certain movements aren't met," she adds.

In addition to strengthening the larger muscle groups, Pilates trains the smaller muscles in charge of joint control and efficient mechanics. Traditional exercise and resistance training typically focus on single plane motions, while Pilates promotes movement across all ranges and planes of movement, emphasizing alignment, control and stability.

"Pilates has a fundamentally different goal, which requires a fundamentally different strategy and mindset," Yip tells Parade.

Hannah Lawrence, Pilates instructor and studio manager at Sundrop Pilates in Denver, CO, agrees that many individuals head into their first session with the same mentality they bring to regular gym workouts.

"They expect to be sweating buckets, moving fast and feeling wiped out by the end. But Pilates is totally different. It's slower, more controlled and way more focused on how you're actually moving rather than just pushing hard," she explains.

How To Reframe Your Expectations

The absolute best thing you can do as a novice is consider Pilates as a practice and not just another sweat session. According to Lawrence, it's all about understanding how your body moves and gradually establishing better patterns.

"It doesn't click for everyone overnight, but the more consistent you are, the more it starts to make sense and the changes become pretty addictive," Lawrence explains.

How This Mistake Impacts Core Engagement, Posture and Movement Quality

If your main focus is the quantitative aspect of a workout, precision and core control often get pushed to the back burner.

"When the priority shifts from how an exercise is executed to simply performing it, inefficient movement habits can develop, potentially leading to improper abdominal pressure management, poor posture and even injury. In Pilates, how you move is key, even if it means sacrificing range of motion or the appearance of the exercise," Yip tells Parade.

Foundational Pilates Principles To Prioritize When Getting Started

The six essential principles of Pilates include control, centering, concentration, precision, flow and breath. Yip breaks each one down:

Control: Exercise should always be performed with intention and guided by the mind.
Centering: Every movement should begin and be supported from your core.
Concentration: Each movement should be performed with complete focus and attention.
Precision: All exercises should be executed with proper form and alignment.
Flow: The movements, their order and the transitions between them should flow together seamlessly and make the work you do in the studio transferable to everyday life.
Breath: Breathwork helps integrate each movement into one coordinated whole.

"While there are six principles, beginners should first prioritize concentration, centering and control. Once those are sufficient, can they begin incorporating the latter three principles," Yip says.

Early, Non-Visual Cues That Pilates Is Working

While you may be focused on physical changes, there's a lot that happens behind the scenes that signals you're making real progress.

"Many new clients get frustrated because they expect to see big physical changes right away. Unfortunately, that's how Pilates is often sold on Instagram. But the real early wins are usually much more subtle," Lawrence explains. "People start standing taller without thinking about it. Their neck and shoulders feel less tight. They notice their balance is better, or that they can move through their day without that familiar lower back ache. Clients will tell me things like, ‘I didn't realize how much I was slouching at my desk until I stopped doing it,' or, ‘My back hasn't bothered me in weeks.'"

Remember that Pilates is a completely different approach to exercise than what you may be used to. Soaking up its amazing benefits means parting ways with any preconceived notions of what you think a workout should be, opening your mind and trusting the process.

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Sources:

Katie Yip, Pilates coach and certified Pilates instructor with a 700-hour comprehensive certification
Hannah Lawrence, Pilates instructor and studio manager at Sundrop Pilates in Denver, CO

This story was originally published May 28, 2026 at 2:25 PM.