So, your gym buddy swears she can handpick Pilates practitioners at the grocery store, simply by scoping their gripping finesse around the broccoli bunch. And, thanks to Miley Cyrus's 2024 Grammy performance, the internet was ablaze with speculation about the singer's 'Pilates Arms.' But is there actually a one-size-fits-all muscle molding that screams "I heart Pilates?"

Dr. Laura Hagan, an associate professor at Touro University, hurls a cold water bucket onto these fiery claims, stating, “Spotting Pilates enthusiasts via a bicep examination is about as reliable as divining your dinner plans from a tortilla chip's shape.”

According to Hagan, even if you grudgingly get up at 5 am and religiously copy Miley Cyrus's workouts, you should drop your expectation that you'd glow with an identical sculpted look. People don't share the same body response card–exercise outcomes vary by a cocktail of factors, from your age, diet to your genetic makeup.

But hey, let's not discount Pilates entirely. Besides gifting you with better posture, flexibility, and balance, it nabs you some mental health brownie points. And if you're obsessed with arm gains, yes, it can juice up your upper body strength.

Alright, so you're game for Pilates, but not sure where to start? Trip over to New York City's Pilate guru, Lynda Lippin, who's got a set of seven exercises guaranteed to amp up your upper body strength–or at least get you moving in that direction.

There's no grand equipment necessary for these moves–just you, your willpower, and a mat. Start with 3 to 5 reps of each exercise and then paddle up to 10 once you're comfortably sailing.

Remember, the goal here isn't to fuse you into a Miley Cyrus doppelgänger, nor spit out an assembly line of 'copy and paste' Pilates bodies. It's about embracing your unique build while rallying toward fitness and health. A delightful bonus? You might just sculpt some killer arms in the process.