18 Celebrities Who Can't Get Enough of Pilates

Celebrity Images: Getty | Marc Piasecki; Rich Fury
Design Elements: Getty | Ablozhka
Photo Illustration: Ava Cruz
Celebrity Images: Getty | Marc Piasecki; Rich Fury
Design Elements: Getty | Ablozhka
Photo Illustration: Ava Cruz

If you've never taken a Pilates class before, the low-impact exercise might seem like light work. The Pilates system, created in the 1920s, consists of a series of stretches that are done slowly and repetitively. Unlike other workouts, such as HIIT, Pilates isn't about breaking a sweat — it relies on control, breathwork, and precision to strengthen the body from its core. That's why it's a favorite among celebrities.

Pilates is in part known for its eye-catching equipment, like the conventional reformer machine (a table with a board that slides with springs) and the Cadillac (which looks sort of like a bed frame), but the entire Classical Pilates series can be done on a yoga mat using just your body weight. Not only is it convenient, but the many benefits of Pilates make it transformative for people with pain or injuries. A century after the practice was first created, it's taking the fitness world by storm again.

From A-listers like Scarlett Johansson, Kylie Jenner, and Martha Stewart to everyday folks, anyone can benefit from Pilates. Here are some more celebs who swear by the deceivingly powerful system.

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington's been a Pilates advocate for years, and her love for the practice is still as strong as ever. In an April 30 TikTok, the "Scandal" star posted a Wes Anderson-style montage of her pre-Met Gala Pilates workout. "Pilates, but make it artsy," she wrote.

Lady Gaga

In between preparing for her next movie role and managing her beauty brand, Haus Labs, the "Rain on Me" singer likes to squeeze a Pilates workout into her self-care routine. "Another morning of Pilates and rock n roll with my trainer," Lady Gaga wrote on Instagram in 2015.

Tabitha Brown

Actress and TikTok star Tabitha Brown practices self-love by whipping up a vegan meal just to her liking — and she's recently added Pilates to the mix. "Anybody else take 1 fitness class and have a whole body transformation after or just me," she wrote on Instagram in January 2023 after trying her first Pilates class. In the accompanying video, she says, "I'm a little bit sore, but I'm ripped!"

Jennifer Aniston

In a June 2022 interview with Bustle, Jennifer Aniston shared that it took a couple of tries for her to get into Pilates, but now she loves it. "If you have an excellent teacher and you understand the beauty of it, it's like a moving meditation," she said. And more recently, Aniston joined Pvolve, a low-impact strength-training method that's somewhat similar to Pilates.

Kate Hudson

When it comes to fitness, Fabletics cofounder Kate Hudson is all about Pilates. In an August 2022 TikTok, Hudson shared a clip of her sliding out into a plank on a reformer. "It's all about that core, baby!" she wrote.

Cristiano Ronaldo

When he's not on the soccer field, Portuguese soccer legend Cristiano Ronaldo can be found working on his flexibility and strength in a Pilates studio. "I love this exercise," he shared on Instagram in 2016.

Madonna

Madonna's not just a material girl — she's a Pilates girl, too. From the Cadillac reformer to a yoga mat, the "Vogue" singer loves a Pilates moment, as evidenced by this Instagram post from 2021.

Rita Ora

Rita Ora is dedicated to her workout practice, which includes lots of strength training and Pilates. Recently, the "Girls" singer posted a series of Instagram videos taken during a Pilates workout in Australia — perched on a reformer, a Cadillac, and a ladder bucket with ankle weights — and they make the practice look both fun and dreamy.

Chelsea Handler

Some days, Chelsea Handler can be found skiing topless down a snow-covered slope or even squatting with her dog as a weight. Other times, she's in the Pilates studio, stretching on a Cadillac reformer pants-less. Either way, her workouts seem like a lot of fun.

Jennie Kim

Blackpink member Jennie Kim has been vocal for years about the chronic pain she experiences as a dancer, and one way she manages her symptoms is with Pilates training. "Back at it," the rapper wrote in an Instagram post in February, showing her doing a number of Pilates moves in grippy socks at a Singapore Pilates studio.

Kourtney Kardashian

It's no secret that Kourtney Kardashian prioritizes wellness in her daily life. In addition to sipping smoothies, the eldest Kardashian sister integrates Pilates into her routine. "Breathing, birds, and bending with @sarahrhoward," she wrote on Instagram in 2021.

Emma Corrin

After months of virtual sessions, "The Crown" star Emma Corrin made their way into trainer Amy Nelms's Pilates studio for in-person sessions in New York City. "So much improvement in strength and flexibility," Nelms wrote on Instagram in October 2022, alongside pictures of Corrin on a reformer.

Gabrielle Union

In between being a dedicated mom and a fierce activist for the LGBTQ+ community, Gabrielle Union can sometimes be found getting a good Pilates workout in, as she told Women's Health in 2017 — that is, when she's not working out alongside her husband.

Adrienne Bailon

Out of all the fitness classes she's taken, singer and actor Adrienne Bailon swears by Pilates to stay in shape. In June 2022, she shared an Instagram video of her working out at LA studio Rise Up Pilates, writing, "
@rise.up.pilates
— my favorite workout!"

Jenna Dewan

As a lifelong dancer, Jenna Dewan's body has stretched and strained in ways that have caused her pain. To maintain her flexibility without causing any more damage, Dewan relies on Pilates. "[P]ilates is the only workout [I] have found that heals your body at the same time as staying in shape," she wrote on Instagram in 2020.

In a 2023 interview, she told POPSUGAR she is hooked on weightlifting but still loves lower-intensity workouts like Pilates and yoga.

Harry Styles

In January, Pilates studio Exhale Pilates London shared an Instagram Reel of men working out at their studio titled "Men of Exhale" to dispel the myth that Pilates is only for women — and the internet promptly spotted Harry Styles executing a brutal-looking core move on a reformer. It seems he's been at the practice for a while. In a December 2020 cover interview with Vogue, Styles said he practices Pilates because he has "very tight hamstrings" and is "trying to get those open."

click to play video

Ashley Tisdale

Ashley Tisdale started her Pilates practice years ago. In 2021, the "High School Musical" star gave birth to her daughter, Jupiter, and she's since found a different type of healing through the Pilates system.

"I've never said this, but I had diastasis recti from my pregnancy," she shared in an August 2021 Instagram Story, according to Yahoo! News. "It hasn't been easy doing the right workouts I have been able to close the gap! Thankful for my Pilates and yoga practices that have gotten me here."

Candace Cameron Bure

In addition to strength sessions with her longtime trainer, Kira Stokes, actor Candace Cameron Bure loves taking Pilates classes with her inner circle. "Fitness with friends is always the best combo," the "Fuller House" actor wrote in a February 2022 Instagram post.