232 Pilates Digest

A Subtle Side Body Change I Noticed Through Pilates

How strengthening the lateral chain can reorganize posture and movement

When I began practicing Pilates four times a week, I was not looking for a visual change. My focus was on enjoying the method on the Reformer and Tower, reading more about the early history of the apparatuses, and building a consistent practice through precise movement.

But after about six to eight months of practicing more than usual, I noticed something subtle one day when I looked in the mirror.

The lateral side of my body looked leaner and longer, particularly around my obliques, glutes, and thighs. It was not a dramatic transformation, nor was it that my whole body had suddenly changed. It was a small detail. The line from my ribs through my waist and down toward my hips looked more lifted and organized. My waist even seemed a little longer, albeit I still have diastasis recti from pregnancy. This small change caught me by surprise because it was not something I had been particularly trying to achieve. Nonetheless, it made me quietly happy to notice it. That moment stuck with me.

In Pilates we talk a lot about creating length in the body, but I think what this idea really means in my studio is that we are building strength in a way that allows the body to organize itself more efficiently. Many exercises at 232 Pilates do focus on the side body, especially the side lying series on our apparatuses as well as deep oblique focused work on the Ladder Barrel.

This area of focus aids in strengthening muscles that stabilize the pelvis and spine, including the obliques, the deep abdominal muscles, and the outer hip stabilizers such as the gluteus medius. The unsung hero, our fascia, also greatly benefits.

What I notice with some of my newer clients is that the lateral hip and deep core are simply underused, which influences the pelvis to subtly shift or drop. Over time that can create a slightly shortened trunk along the waist and hip. But evidence shows that these same clients often feel lifted again following several months of committing to the Pilates practice. Pilates works to rebalance overlooked areas, and when that happens the body can indeed look and feel more lifted.

What I started to see in the mirror was really just a reflection of better organization. My rib cage felt more naturally stacked over my pelvis. My waistline looked more supported. My movement felt lighter and more coordinated.

In Pilates, these small visual shifts are often the external result of deeper structural support developing through the lateral chain of the body.

This observation also made me reflect about my history as a dancer - as I often do - and an injury I carried for years, an IT band tear. The Iliotibial band runs along the outside of the thigh and helps stabilize the hip and knee. In dancers and athletes, IT band injuries often develop from overuse in one direction and when the hip stabilizers, especially the gluteus medius, are not contributing enough to the work.

My own IT band injury developed during my years of intensive dance training, a reminder of how easily the outer hip can become overworked when the stabilizing muscles are not contributing enough.

One thing I appreciate about Pilates today is how directly it works the stabilizing muscles. Exercises like the side lying series strengthen the outer hip in a very controlled, aligned way. As those muscles become stronger and more coordinated, they help support the pelvis and reduce the amount of strain placed on the IT band.

For many people with past IT band injuries, strengthening the outer hips can actually be very supportive mentally and physically. When the hip and glute muscles are doing their job well, and they are regularly massaged, rolled out and counter stretched, the IT band does not have to compensate as much during everyday movement and the lateral chain work continues to aid in organizing our stature.

At the same time, it is worth mentioning that when those muscles work efficiently, they can sometimes feel sensitive at first. (My glute med muscles never fail to let me know what they are feeling in a side lying series!). That does not necessarily mean the injury or inflammation is getting worse. Often it simply means that the smaller muscles that were quiet for a long time are waking up and learning to participate again.

At the end of the day for me, that small moment of noticing the length along my side body became a meaningful milestone. It was a reminder that Pilates was doing something deeper than I initially realized. My body was reorganizing itself in a healthier and more balanced way.

Sometimes the most meaningful progress in movement is not dramatic. Sometimes it is simply a small detail you notice one day in the mirror after months of practice that tells you something important has shifted.

-Diana Muchmore, March 6, 2026

232 Digest is a weekly journal on movement, Pilates, and intelligent exercise written from the studio floor at 232 Pilates in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.