Systematic Pilates training is increasingly used in youth and student sport environments as a low-impact method that combines breathing control, trunk stabilization, postural alignment, and coordinated movement. The present article analyzes how regular Pilates practice influences functional capacities in girls and young women, focusing on cardiorespiratory fitness, pulmonary function, core endurance, flexibility, and postural stability. The work is designed as an integrative evidence synthesis with a pedagogical–biological interpretation of “systematic training conditions” (regularity, dose, progression, supervision, and feedback). Results from recent controlled trials in female university students indicate that Pilates, especially when paired with structured breathing training, can improve forced vital capacity and other ventilatory indices and simultaneously enhance postural stability. Findings from meta-analyses suggest that Pilates can produce meaningful gains in cardiorespiratory fitness compared with non-exercise control, while its advantage over other exercise modes is less consistent; training dose appears to be an important moderator, with cumulative exposure linked to more reliable improvements. The article presents a unified mechanistic model explaining how respiratory–postural coupling, neuromuscular control, and connective-tissue adaptation contribute to functional outcomes under systematic practice. The practical contribution of the article is a scientifically grounded framework for structuring Pilates programs for girls and young women in educational and sport settings, with attention to safety, progression, and outcome monitoring.

Pilates, young women, functional capacity

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