Is Pilates for You?
Pilates is suitable for everyone, from the beginner to the advanced level. You can perform exercises using your own body weight, or with the aid of specialist equipment.
A typical Pilates workout would include a number of exercises performed at low repetitions in sets of five to ten, with a session lasting up to 90 minutes. Each exercise is performed with attention to proper breathing techniques and abdominal control. To gain the maximum benefit, you should do Pilates at least two or three times per week.
Postural improvements could be observed after 10 to 20 sessions.
PILATES CAN HELP
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improve flexibility and strength
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reduce/eliminate back/neck pain
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flatten abdominals
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improve posture and breathing
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tone thighs/buttocks/triceps
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manage stress
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relax
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throughout pregnancy
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ease migraines
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increase your metabolism
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promote healthy cardiovascular, respiratory, and digestive systems
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relieve lumbar/sacral disc problems
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aid problems like Incontinence
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improve physical coordination and balance
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improve stabilisation of the spine
WHAT SHOULD YOU WEAR?
The ideal clothing for classes shows the alignment of the body. It should also be comfortable and stretchy (not baggy).
Most clients wear leggings, shorts, t-shirts, track bottoms. Clothing that is too loose tends to make it difficult for the instructor to observe your movements - incorrect use of your muscles results in limited benefit. The best way to improve your postural muscles is to give the instructor an opportunity to see what your muscles are doing.
Please bring a medium-sized towel or small pillow (for head support). Barefoot or socks are prefered. Some clients find a sip of water during class to be useful.
THE ORIGINS OF PILATES
Born in 1880, Joseph Pilates was a German performer, boxer and long-time student of Eastern philosophy who lived in the United Kingdom during the outbreak of WW1. Interned in a camp for German nationals, he began holding fitness classes which combined Yoga, ancient Greek exercises and Roman physical routines. He developed these further when he became a nurse and caretaker to wartime casualties – making use of old hospital beds, mattresses and bedsprings as accessories. From these experiences he devised the mat exercises which are used in Pilates classes today. He also used bedsprings to create resistance therapy which contemporary teachers duplicate with therabands (elasticised bands).
In the mid-1920s Joseph and his wife Clara, also a nurse, moved to New York where they opened up a body conditioning studio. With its emphasis on flexibility and strength, the studio became popular with dancers and athletes. By 1964, there were numerous Pilates studios around the United States. Since 2000, the Pilates philosophy has spread to the UK, Canada, Europe, Asia and Southern Africa.
Pilates is partly inspired by yoga, but is different in one key respect: yoga is made up of a series of static postures, while Pilates is based on putting yourself into unstable postures and challenging your body by moving the limbs. For example, imagine you are lying on your back, with bent knees and both feet on the floor. An exercise may involve straightening one leg so that your toes point to the ceiling, and using the other leg to slowly raise and lower your body. You need tight abdominal and buttock muscles to keep your hips square, and focused attention to stop yourself from tipping over. Once you've been doing Pilates for a while, you find yourself sitting, standing and walking (for example) more gracefully and economically.
WHAT THE LITERATURE SAYS
It feels really weird,
Firstly, nobody is wearing Lycra. Secondly, I can’t see a single MTV video. Thirdly, I'm breaking into a sweat, despite the complete absence of loud music and the obligatory background whir of cycling machines that usually seems to accompany indoor exercise. I’m lying flat on my back on a mat. Around me, similarly flotsamed in a neat pattern on the floor are several other mats, each bearing a horizontal body. We are doing a series of exercises designed to strengthen our stomach muscles. For some, it means the chance to tighten up that six-pack, should Men's Health decide to call for a cover shoot. For others, looking at a more realistic goal: namely being able to sit up several times in a row without moaning. The first thing I learn about the Pilates method is that it works for everyone. If you're a marathon runner with the London Marathon on your mind, or a computer programmer with stiffness in your back, you will benefit either way. There's something satisfyingly egalitarian about this which I like. That, and the calmness of the class. The pace is slow, measured and we're encouraged to breathe deeply, from our bellies. The breathing becomes a rhythm, a comfortable beat. Still lying on our backs, we raise our legs 90 degrees to our bodies, then lower them to the ground. Again, then again. Just as it begins to seem monotonous, we are each handed a small coloured plastic ball, and attention shifts to our arms. We hold the balls above our heads (still lying down), and lower them. Again, then again. And then it's on to another set of stretches, this time focusing on our backs. And we're still breathing deeply, providing a gently sibilant accompaniment to our exertions.
I'm here partly out of curiosity (everybody's been talking about Pilates) and partly out of necessity (everybody's been telling me I need therapy for an old sporting injury).
Pilates can be to build up strength with clients who have specific injuries that need not be permanently life threatening. It's about looking at longterm benefits too.
Pilates boosts strength so you can start to enjoy other exercise, as well as generally improve your lifestyle
If you're working at a computer all day, you're bound to get back pain at some point unless you're sitting and breathing properly. It's all about control, as opposed to power.
According to Pilates philosophy, the control is housed in the centre of the body. You're working on the deep abdominal muscles (all that breathing), and the muscles close to the spine, in combination with the trunk, pelvis and shoulder girdle.
Pilates is not about bulking up, it's the opposite. You build long, lean muscles and a flat stomach. Obviously, you will also have a stronger back. If you're already quite active, it'll help to make you more flexible. Even if you're a couch potato, you are going to feel a change and who wouldn't mind morphing from lumpy to lean, in this body-conscious age?
Keep in mind it's not only about one's figure. The meditative breathing and inner focus help keep the mind healthy as well as, no bad aerobics music, no competition from the gym jocks, no pressure to wear a g-string. Plus it all happens in tranquil studios.