When I started practicing Pilates nearly 10 years ago, I loved the way it made me feel.  The exercises were foreign to me at the time not because I couldn't do them, but because we didn't do 3 sets of 15 of anything.   I was accustomed to the hard and aggressive way of training that the personal trainers back at the gym had taught me.  Also, all the magazines were saying the same thing and reinforcing that if you don't push yourself, you're not going to get results.  The "no pain no gain" mantra would reverberate in my head each time I worked out and it was hard to turn it off.  However, I don't remember seeing a whole lot of "gain" with all that pain I went through.   With Pilates, I don't get the pain (sometimes as a result of a pulled muscle), but I do "gain"... toned muscles, waistline, good posture, and just an overall feel good feeling in my body. 

Now fast forward to present day and I still meet people who want to train aggressively just like I did back at the gym.  I call it the "gym workout".   "Oh, you want the Pilates gym workout."  I say it jokingly and they get it immediately.  Thankfully, they trust me enough to give it a few sessions and I get to watch them blossom into beautiful Pilates converts.  Yes, just a few sessions will do that to people... to everyone.  The most common comment I get is, "I feel a good pain after our workout".  That happens as a result of a simultaneously stretching and strengthening the muscles with every Pilates exercise.  Add to that the balancing and coordination, and your muscles become pleasantly surprised, thus your experience of "good pain".

As a measure of their success with Pilates, I ask them how they feel about their strength right around the 5th session.  Near the 10th, I ask them how their clothing fit.  Every single person has a positive report.  They feel stronger, fitter, slimmer, and just an overall feel good feeling!