Social media has created fitness tribes, and the way you move your body is now both a signal and a stereotype. It's just another way of pigeonholing women.

Forget political debates. If you really want to see tribes in action, just open Instagram and try to navigate between fitness influencers keen to grab your attention with shouty captions. 

In one corner, it's the barbell evangelists with their short shorts, creatine, and captions about “progressive overload.” In another, the Pilates purists filmed in immaculate reformer studios with perfect posture and pale pink leggings. The runners might seem like a happy-go-lucky bunch—all smiles with their coffee after getting in their miles—but look at what the others are saying about them: that running ruins your knees, spikes your cortisol, and that five days of cardio is too intense. 

Welcome to the age of exercise tribalism, where your workout isn’t just what you do privately. It’s now both something people use to differentiate themselves from others and a way of self-identifying. Influencer culture is fueling the binaries. Their content is aligned with their practice; their kit is in harmony with their sport. Gym girls post pictures of their electrolytes; Pilates girls take cute videos of their matcha. The yoga types prefer reels, where they juice and chat peacefully about their morning pages. 

It’s natural that online content and communities developed this way. Fitness has become a modern way for women to make friends, and having a shared interest in a sport (and an aesthetic) can break down initial social boundaries. It can foster a group mentality. But at some point down the line, this way of self-identifying shifted and became something to defend. 

Dr. Gabrielle Lyon, author of Forever Strong, took an accidental step into the conversation when she suggested on a podcast that Pilates isn’t the most effective way to build significant muscle mass or strength. Her point—that “Pilates lacks the necessary stimulus for skeletal muscle growth” compared with resistance training—is hardly radical in exercise science circles. But nuance doesn’t go viral.

“To get attention online, you almost have to have a strong stance,” says Hollie Nicholson, a certified personal trainer based in Noblesville, Indiana. It means content creators are more likely to feel the pressure to be “this type” of creator rather than “that type”—or worse, if they embrace the grey area, no type at all. “We saw this when CrossFit was super hot—suddenly it [seemed like] the only answer. But saying there’s only one way to train is limiting. Women are not the same—we don’t have the same bodies, goals, time, injuries, or responsibilities. And beyond that, we all move through different seasons of life.”

Ultimately, the stereotypes are limiting women from realizing their full potential. “It’s such a shame,” says Gaby Noble, founder of Exhale Pilates London, a studio that counts Harry Styles, Jennifer Aniston, and Margot Robbie as clients. She also personally weights trains. “We’re living in a world that thrives on polarity, and in the fitness industry, it creates a massive divide between different genres and competition over which one is best. There’s room for all safe forms of exercise. It should come down to taste and accessibility.”

But that message anchored in the middle ground isn’t going to gain followers. Ashley Culver, the founder of Lift NYC, a studio offering both strength training and Pilates on the Upper West Side, believes the problem lies in online overload. “There’s so much information out there, it’s overwhelming, and it can feel simpler to pick a side—this is right, so that must be wrong,” she says. “But that mindset is completely false and ultimately harmful.” 

The binaries could make some women decide something is “not for them,” rather than empowering them to give a new workout a try. “It could put some women off from starting in the first place,” says Culver; for others, she cautions, it could stop them from sticking with a regime. “Sure, strength training is the most efficient for building muscle, but that doesn’t matter if you hate it and never show up. If you love Pilates and stay consistent, that’s a win,” she says.

The narrative around strength training is currently loud—and it’s necessary. “Women have been taught to shrink, to do more cardio, and fear muscle,” Nicholson says. “So the pendulum swing towards strength training is very needed. The intention—to help women build muscle, boost metabolism, and age well—is good,” she says. “But the message [shouldn’t transition from] strength is essential to strength is the only thing that counts.” The Pilates crowd could also benefit from tempering their messaging that low-impact is crucial. Boosting one’s heart rate with cardio is valuable, as is lifting heavier than 1-2 pounds. 

If you strip away the noise, most experts agree that you need a good mix. Strength training keeps bones and metabolism strong. Pilates keeps joints, alignment, and core control intact; it’s also great for stretching and on days when your body needs to recover from lifting heavy. Cardio, meanwhile, is still essential for your heart and mood. 

For Culver, achieving balance looks like three strength sessions a week, plus whatever her body asks for—sometimes Pilates, sometimes yoga, sometimes a run. “I love how strong strength training makes me feel mentally and physically.  Adding Pilates to my routine has improved my mobility. It’s amazing for building core strength and mind-body connection.”

Nicholson refuses to be pigeonholed. She says she’s a “strength-first girl” and never skips a gym day. But “to keep myself athletic, I also run, play tennis, and bike,” she says. “It’s what I enjoy, and how I have fun, which is also really important when looking at someone’s overall fitness and wellbeing.” 

It’s not a soundbite, it’s a philosophy. Exercise is whatever your body and mind need. A treadmill sprint can lift your mood; a heavy deadlift can protect your bones; a reformer class can reconnect you with your breath. You can lengthen and lift. Perhaps the most subversive thing you can do in a binary world is embrace nuance. “It’s not about picking a side,” Davies says. “It’s about building a body that can do things, both now and decades from now.” Be bold. Choose both.