Pilates – Let’s Start with the Basics
Pilates is an exercise method that builds on progress. It trains the body to optimize the breath, maintain good alignment, and use muscles efficiently. People of all ages, physiques, and strength levels can benefit from this method of exercise. Have you ever seen the Spread Eagle? It is one of the most common pilates images on social media. It is an exercise where you use your hands and feet to hang from horizontal bars, drawing strength from the core to stabilize the body into a long, neutral line. As impressive as the Spread Eagle and other advanced pilates exercises may look, social media can make pilates seem inaccessible to people who are not athletic, agile, youthful, or adventurous. In reality, no one progresses in pilates without a solid foundation in the basics. The Origins of Contrology Joseph Pilates, the creator of what has become modern-day pilates, was weak and sickly in his youth. He was determined to overcome poor health, so he taught himself anatomy, yoga, gymnastics, bodybuilding, and martial arts. During World War I, Joseph was confined in a camp in England with other Germans. Health conditions were subpar, but by then he had already been developing his method of exercise for physical and mental well-being, which he called Contrology. He encouraged everyone to exercise with him daily and improvised resistance equipment onto sickbeds to rehabilitate injured and weakened soldiers. Those who exercised with him were said to have remained among the healthiest in the camp. Who Pilates Is For Today, people do pilates for fitness, rehabilitation, and post-rehabilitation. You will find a wide range of people in a pilates studio: athletes, beginners, college students who spend most of their time at computers, older adults who need to mobilize more, and people recovering from injury or illness. Others do pilates to cross-train for running, high-intensity interval training, or other physical activities. What Happens in a Pilates Class A typical pilates class is done one-on-one with a trained instructor. The exercises are unique to each person because every body is unique, and each body has different needs. Pilates aims to bring the body as close as possible to good alignment, known in anatomy as neutral. A body in neutral alignment is at its most stable and strongest position. Breath, Alignment, and Core Strength Every pilates exercise teaches you to use the breath and develop core strength. The core, those deep muscles forming a supportive corset inside the torso, is the body’s powerhouse. Even the most basic exercise trains you to recruit the core and isolate the correct muscles involved in that movement. With consistent pilates practice, the entire body grows stronger, moves more intelligently, and breathes more fully. Grow stronger and stronger with All Core Pilates, located at Upper Ground Floor, Alabang Town Center. Call or text 0917 187 2207 for more information.
7 Ways Pilates Changes Your Body
Pilates is well-known for developing long, lean muscles, yet the benefits go beyond aesthetics. It renews the body from the inside. Would you really believe doing pilates could give you a whole new body after 30 sessions? It is not a miracle. Pilates is based on exercise science and rehabilitation study, and consistent practice develops mind-body connection so that the body is able to move intelligently. Any exercise or movement will help a person lose weight, tone up and grow stronger. What is different with doing pilates is that it creates balance within the body, trains you to access core strength, and makes your body more resilient. 1. Long, Lean Muscles We develop muscles as we contract them during exercise. There are three kinds of contractions, and in pilates, there is plenty of focus on the eccentric phase. Eccentric contractions work against resistance. There is control and deliberate deceleration of the movement. Muscles in the eccentric phase work harder because they must contract as they get longer. This means we build muscles that are not bulky, but long and lean. 2. More Flexibility Stretching in a fixed position can improve flexibility, but incorporating stretches into movement, like the exercises in pilates, can create more lasting gains. Pilates guides the muscle through its full range of motion in the eccentric phase, which is one key to improving flexibility. 3. A Stronger Core A strong core is not about abs for show. The core, made up of the deepest layer of our abdominal muscle, the pelvic floor, the diaphragm, and deep lower back muscles, wraps the torso in a supportive corset. Pilates helps you find your core and then strengthen it so that you can move with stability, control, and dynamic energy with less risk of injury. 4. Better Mind-Body Connection Pilates emphasizes quality of movement rather than quantity. You cannot have good quality movement without first stabilizing the body and putting it in proper alignment. By training you to lead with the breath, draw strength from the core, and move with intention, pilates enhances mind-body connection during exercise and in everyday activities. 5. Improved Alignment Our bodies have a natural and neutral alignment that should give us the most comfort and stability at rest and when in motion, but we lose this alignment through bad habits and poor movement patterns. Exercises in pilates work the muscles to promote proper alignment. A body in good alignment can move with ease and freedom, with very few aches and pains or none at all. 6. Fewer Aches and Injuries Pilates began as a rehabilitation program for injured soldiers. Today, rehabilitation and post-rehabilitation programs for people with injuries often incorporate pilates principles and exercises. It is also good for prevention, because a strong core and good body alignment protect the back and joints while supporting intelligent movement. 7. More Energy Doing pilates not only makes you feel more energetic, it helps the body use energy more efficiently. The body draws fuel from oxygen, and pilates encourages full breathing into the lower lobes of the lungs. The more of our lungs we use, the more efficient the energy exchange. Change your body with All Core Pilates, located at Upper Ground Floor, Alabang Town Center. Call or text 0917 187 2207 for more information.