How to Combine Pilates and Strength Training: A Realistic Weekly Schedule

How to Combine Pilates and Strength Training: A Realistic Weekly Schedule

Trying to fit Pilates and strength training into the same week can feel like another thing to get right. Which days should you lift? Where does Pilates fit? And what happens when your week gets busy?

We’re Viktoria and Clara, two best friends building SOVELUNA alongside university. For years, consistency was the part we struggled with: getting motivated, planning too much, and starting over when life got in the way.

That experience shapes what we want to share here: a clear weekly structure, with room to adjust.

A Pilates and strength training weekly schedule

The example below comes from the training chapter of our 28-Day Sculpt & Wellness Reset. It combines three strength sessions, two Pilates sessions, one day of active movement, and one rest day.

It is a five-workout week, so consider the time commitment before deciding whether it fits your life.

Day Planned session
Monday Lower-body strength: glutes and legs
Tuesday Pilates: core and full body
Wednesday Upper-body strength: back, arms and core
Thursday Pilates: lower body and core
Friday Lower-body strength with a glute focus
Saturday Active movement and mobility
Sunday Rest and recovery

You can move the days around to fit your commitments. Pilates sessions still count as training, so consider how demanding each session feels when planning your week.

How much time do you need?

The strength workouts shown in our guide are planned for approximately 45–60 minutes. The core and full-body Pilates session is planned for approximately 45–50 minutes.

Allow additional time for getting ready, travelling to the gym, and anything else your routine involves. A workout that fits on paper can still be difficult to fit between lectures, work, and everyday life.

Before scheduling your week, look at the time you actually have.

What equipment do you need?

This plan combines gym-based strength training with mat-based Pilates.

The strength workouts include exercises using free weights, cable machines, and equipment such as a leg press, lat pulldown, and seated cable row. The Pilates session shown uses bodyweight exercises and floor space, with a mat for comfort.

If you train exclusively at home, this particular strength plan would need adaptations. Check the equipment requirements before choosing a programme.

What if five workouts do not fit your week?

Five sessions are the structure of this example, rather than a requirement everyone needs to meet.

If you are starting out, returning after a break, or facing a busy period, choose a workload that matches your experience and capacity. You do not need to force the full schedule into a week that cannot accommodate it.

We know how tempting it is to plan around your most motivated self. But your routine also has to work when you have deadlines, feel tired, or would rather stay home.

Make consistency easier to return to

A few practical habits can make planning feel less overwhelming:

  • Put realistic workout times in your calendar.

  • Check your gym access and equipment beforehand.

  • Keep your weekly plan somewhere you can easily see it.

  • Review what worked at the end of the week.

  • Adjust the plan when your commitments change.

Missing a session does not erase the work you have already done. Review what happened and decide what is realistic next.

That is the kind of conversation we want to have at SOVELUNA: honest about the effort, and honest about the days when keeping up feels difficult.

Explore the full SOVELUNA guide

If this structure fits your goals, schedule, and access to equipment, our 28-Day Sculpt & Wellness Reset brings the workouts together with nutrition guidance, wellness routines, and habit trackers in a 66-page digital PDF.

You can use the weekly overview above as a starting point for planning. The full guide provides the individual workout details and additional resources.

We’re building routines we can keep coming back to, and sharing what we learn along the way. You’re welcome to join us.