What Is Weight-Bearing Exercise? (And Why Your Body Loves It)
You’ve probably heard the phrase “weight-bearing exercise” before—maybe from your doctor, your Pilates instructor, or in a wellness article about bone health. But what does it actually mean? And why is it so essential for keeping your body strong and resilient?
Let’s break it down.
Weight-bearing exercise is any activity that makes your muscles and bones work against gravity while you remain upright. That means your bones are bearing the weight of your body (and sometimes more) to support you as you move.
It includes things like:
Walking or hiking
Climbing stairs
Dancing
Running or jogging
Strength training
Certain Pilates exercises****more later on
These exercises engage your skeletal system as a stabilizing force—and that has powerful benefits for your bones, joints, muscles, and overall vitality.
Why Weight-Bearing Exercise Matters
When you challenge your body to hold itself upright, even gently, you're doing more than just "working out." You're sending signals to your bones and muscles that they need to stay strong and supportive. Over time, this improves posture, resilience, and longevity.
Here are some of the top benefits:
1. Builds Bone Density
Weight-bearing movement stimulates your bones to rebuild themselves, making them stronger and denser. This is crucial for preventing or slowing the progression of osteopenia and osteoporosis.
2. Strengthens Muscles & Joints
As you support your own body weight, your muscles and connective tissues strengthen in functional ways—especially around key joints like the hips, knees, and ankles.
3. Improves Balance & Coordination
Weight-bearing activities challenge your ability to stabilize, especially in dynamic or shifting environments. This improves your proprioception (body awareness) and helps prevent falls as you age.
4. Supports Healthy Aging
Research shows that regular weight-bearing exercise helps reduce the risk of fractures, boosts metabolism, supports joint integrity, and improves long-term mobility.
What About Pilates?
At first glance, Pilates might not seem like traditional weight-bearing exercise—especially when lying on your back on the Reformer. But here’s the secret: many Pilates exercises are weight-bearing in disguise or use resistance to stress our skeletal system.
Standing work on the Reformer, Cadillac, or Wunda Chair offers opportunities to bear weight through the feet, hips, and upper body—all while maintaining alignment and control. The equipment also supports us so we can achieve movement in positions that might be accessible on a mat. For example, inversions and side planks are much easier to achieve with Pilates equipment so we can “bear weight” in almost infinite orientations relative to gravity.
Movements like:
Bridging (bearing weight through the feet and shoulders)
Quadruped work (on hands and knees, loading the spine and arms)
Side leg lifts or standing lunges
Push-ups, planks, and arm presses
Calisthetics and jumping such as jumpboard classes
These all engage the muscles and bones in weight-bearing ways, often with less impact than traditional gym workouts—making Pilates an ideal way to build strength and protect your joints at the same time.
A Practice for Life
Weight-bearing doesn’t have to mean high-impact. It simply means loading your body in a way that builds strength from the inside out.
At SOMA, we emphasize intelligent, mindful weight-bearing—where breath, alignment, and core support come first. Whether you're holding a standing lunge, grounding through your arms on the Reformer, or flowing through a balance sequence, your body is learning how to carry itself with grace and strength.
And that’s something you’ll take with you into every part of your life—from climbing stairs to carrying groceries, from gardening to hiking trails.
Want to learn more about how Pilates supports bone health and balance? Ask your instructor during class or text us at the studio. We’re happy to guide you to classes and exercises that support your strength and long-term well-being.