WHAT IS PILATES?
Pilates (“puh-la’-teez”) is a movement philosophy and form of mind-body exercise, similar to yoga or martial arts. Students learn precise, controlled movements that tone and firm muscles while increasing flexibility. Pilates develops the body’s core muscles in the abs, back, glutes and thighs.
DO MEN DO PILATES?
Yes, men can benefit greatly from pilates. Pro football players and golfers are just some of the guys who have rediscovered pilates. After all, pilates was invented by a male boxer to train soldiers. Benefits include improved flexibility, increased core and pelvic strength (impress your mate!) and decreased stress. If you are in terrible shape, pilates will pull you back into the light without the joint strain and pounding of some traditional workouts. If you are in great shape, pilates will take you to the next level. Rather than spot training different areas each workout, you will get a total-body workout each session.
WHAT ABOUT CARDIO?
While pilates will get your body leaner and more toned, pilates is not designed to be a cardio workout. At the higher levels pilates flows from one exercise to another and can become aerobic (my advanced students leave drenched in sweat) but for a beginner I would suggest that you focus on the form for now and not the sweat factor. I usually recommend that clients incorporate some outside cardio whether it’s swimming, running or walking. If you are already an avid runner or swimmer, pilates will enhance and support your existing activity so that you can continue with less risk of injury.
CAN I DO PILATES WITH AN INJURED KNEE/BACK/SHOULDER?
With any serious injury you should first get your doctor’s OK before you embark on a new training program. That said, I have some clients with who started pilates because their doctors referred them! Pilates is used in physical therapy settings to relign the body, correct posture and muscular imbalances and rehabilitate injured areas. Because the exercises are gentle to begin with, we can easily modify exercises to work around your injury or we can focus on the therapeutic aspects of pilates to get you better.
BESIDES STRONG ABS WHAT CAN PILATES DO FOR ME?
Pilates is famous for building strong abs. But the core exercises we use also include your back, shoulders, thighs and glutes – the muscles of your trunk that support your body through efficient, pain-free movement. Pilates can also relieve stress, alleviate chronic back pain and give you confident control of your body so you can enjoy life’s activities with ease.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PILATES AND YOGA?
Both pilates and yoga involve mind-body exercises that build strength and flexibility. They both incorporate breath control and concentration with each movement. Both are considered a gentle form of exercise and (in the hands of a qualified instructor) are accessible to a wide range of ages and athletic ability.
Yoga is posture based, with more influence on flexibility. Postures are meant to support long periods of meditation. Breath happens in the belly with students encouraged to release the belly to achieve calmness and prepare meditation. The breath and poses of yoga originated as tools to achieve higher levels of meditation.
Pilates is movement based. Concentration and movement combined are tools to condition the body. We do not incorporate a spiritual or meditative element into the workout. Pilates uses diaphramatic breathing (in through the nose, out through the mouth) to prepare the body for movement and emphasize abdominal contractions on the exhale.
In pilates you will get a workout focusing on the core. You will feel energized and invigorated.
Pilates and yoga may complement each other. Clarify your own goals and understand the unique benefits of each discipline. Remember that ultimately, pilates helps you perform all of life’s activities better, including becoming a yoga diva if that is your aspiration!
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PILATES AND WEIGHT TRAINING?
In pilates, purity of form and total concentration on each movement takes precedence over hitting a certain quantity of reps or weight. Pilates is akin to martial arts, yoga or dance where you are taught to use your mind to sculpt your body.
A traditional weight regimen often stresses repetitions and/or weights that “max out” or exhaust individual muscle groups, which is why you may not be able to work out the entire body in one day. After maxing out at the gym you may feel exhausted and shaky. At the end you may feel like you need to stretch your muscles.
Pilates works the entire body as a system so that muscle balance and core stability are challenged through each workout. We perform a lower number of reps and spring resistance instead of weights. The springs simultaneously lengthen and strengthen the body while improving range of motion and flexibility. Exercises are more complex and incorporate the whole body. This style of movement reflects how the body naturally moves together to perform activity.
After pilates you should feel energized. You won’t need extra stretching at the end because you stretch and strengthen throughout the whole session. Pilates feels good during the workout – students say that pilates is a workout they don’t want to miss!
Should you choose one over the other? That is up to you. Some students that enjoy working with weights find pilates improves their form.
Pilates is a philosophy of movement that is a great complement ALL of your activities, including weight lifting if that is what you like to do.
WHO WAS JOSEPH PILATES?
Many myths surround Joseph Hubertus Pilates (1880-1968) the inventor of a movement philosophy he called “contrology” later referred to by the public simply as “pilates”.
In 1914, after World War I broke out, Pilates was interned with other German nationals and put to work in a hospital. For his rehab patients with limited mobility he devised machines out of hospital beds and springs so that they could exercise while lying down. These machines were the prototypes for today’s reformer, Cadillac, chair and barrel equipment.
Pilates returned to Germany after the war. Pilates’ success drew the attention of the German government which attempted to recruit him to train their new army. Instead, in the 1920s, Pilates and his wife Clara brought the pilates method to New York City. Their Eighth Avenue studio happened to share the building with several dance studios. His philosophy of movement caught the attention of the dance community and Pilates’ technique became an integral part of dance training. He became a teacher at the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow dance festival. Dance legends such as Martha Graham, George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins practiced and taught pilates to their students. Time and People magazine featured Pilates’ work while Henri Bendel’s featured pilates equipment in their upscale Fifth Avenue store. That the popularity of Pilates’ method continued to grow in later years reflected Pilates’ prediction that his work was years ahead of his time.
Pilates died in 1967 and was thus described by the New York Times in his obituary:
“a white-maned lion with steel blue eyes (one was glass from a boxing mishap), and mahogany skin, and as limber in his 80s as a teenager”
Today his innovative work is one of the fastest growing methods of mind-body exercise.
Ongoing training improves and realigns the body back to its natural center.
The wide breadth of exercises allowed for customized programs appropriate for anyone interested in improving their body’s strength, alignment and flexibility – from physical therapy patients to professional athletes.
The practice is named after Joseph Hubertus Pilates who originally called his philosophy of movement “Contrology.”