Pilates is an exercise system or method that uses resistance and low-impact, thoughtful movements to improve flexibility, strength, and body awareness. It creates long, lean muscles rather than bulky ones, which is why dancers are known for preferring this as an exercise method. The point of the exercise is to rebuild the core, help align the spine, and center the mind.
How It All Started
In the 1920s, a physical trainer named Joseph Pilates developed the exercise program to help rehabilitate people who had injuries – such as soldiers, dancers, and athletes. Pilates wanted to help individuals coordinate their mind, body, and spirit during the exercise. In his book “Pilates’ Return to Life Through Contrology” he describes the connection “Contrology”, which consists of 34 exercises that are still taught as the core of the Pilates method today.
The Health Benefits of Pilates
Due to the focus on the quality of movement over quantity of movement, Pilates has a lot of health benefits involving muscle strength. When you consider that most of the aging process is due to muscle degeneration, you can quickly see how important muscle strength is – especially those that make up the core.
Core muscles include the major muscles in the pelvic floor, all the muscles in the abdomen, the diaphragm, and the muscles in the back that support the spine. When these are strong and healthy, you tend to experience fewer problems normally associated with aging such as leaking urine, lower back pain, and aches and pains due to lack of strength.
Improved Core Strength
The most obvious health benefit of Pilates is the fact that your core strength will be greatly improved with regular practice. You only need to do two to three hour-long sessions a week, or just ten minutes a day if you prefer, to experience these benefits. Most people say that they can feel the benefits within three weeks or 10 hour-long sessions, and see a difference within 20 sessions.
Better Stability
When your core is stronger, you’ll naturally experience better stability with your body and have less of a chance of falling accidentally due to having trained and strong muscles. The exercises themselves require you to “balance” your body, so just the act of training to balance yourself is going to give you more stability.
Improved Posture
When your core is strong and your spine is aligned, your posture will become naturally better. When your body moves more easily, your posture will also be a lot better because you’re not adjusting to prevent pain.
More Balance
When your core is improved, you’ll notice that you have a lot more balance and can avoid dizzy spells better. In fact, you may find you’re better at other sports when you practice Pilates, which is why dancers and athletes love the method.
Restored Flexibility
As humans age, often one of the first things to go is their flexibility. It becomes harder to touch your toes, to reach things in the high cabinet, and injuries from simple movements such as reaching into the back seat of the car become a problem. But, if you practice Pilates, you can avoid or improve these problems.
Less Back Pain
Often, back pain can be traced to a weak core. If you have lower back pain and your doctor has tested you, and there is nothing “there” but you are feeling the pain, it is likely due to a weak core. Pilates will help.
Better Posture
It’s just a fact that if you don’t have pain, and all your muscles are engaged and working properly, your posture will naturally improve and become better over time. Pilates focuses on doing the exercises correctly rather than quickly, which also improves your posture by bringing it to your consciousness.
While Pilates is not an aerobic exercise, it can be helpful in other ways. Due to the thoughtful nature of each movement, your mind, body, and spirit will become more in tune and centered – thus helping you reduce stress, which has a huge effect on your health.
Pilates versus Yoga
There are a lot of similarities between Pilates and yoga. Also, both are very good for your overall health. Pilates focuses on core strength, toning muscles, controlling your body movements, and flexibility with the emphasis on strengthening your core. Yoga places the emphasis on flexibility and extensive muscle groups and not just the core.
Both offer a lot for your body, such as increased core strength, flexibility, and mind-body awareness that can help you avoid injury in everyday life. Many people who practice Pilates also practice yoga, because they both offer a lot of similarities. However, Pilates provides more attention to detail, especially on the abdomen, as well as focusing more on doing the movements carefully.
Different Types of Exercises
In Pilates, there are 34 main exercises that need to be learned. There are others that have been added throughout the years by other teachers, but the actual program as Mr. Pilates created it consists of 34 movements or exercises. You can visualize them here: https://youtu.be/VWZl_wIZxOI
1. The Hundred
2. The Roll Up
3. The Roll Over with Legs Spread
4. The One Leg Circle
5. Rolling Back
6. The One Leg Stretch
7. The Double Leg Stretch
8. The Spine Stretch
9. Rocker with Open Legs
10. The Cork-Screw
11. The Saw
12. The Swan-Dive
13. The One Leg Kick
14. The Double Kick
15. The Neck Pull
16. The Scissors
17. The Bicycle
18. The Shoulder Bridge
19. The Spine Twist
20. The Jack Knife
21. The Side Kick
22. The Teaser
23. The Hip Twist with Stretched Arms
24. Swimming
25. The Leg-Pull Front
26. The Leg-Pull
27. The Side Kick Kneeling
28. The Side Bend
29. The Boomerang
30. The Seal
31. The Crab
32. The Rocking
33. The Control Balance
34. The Push-Up
(Classical Pilates Technique: The Complete Mat Workout Series Available on Amazon Prime.
Link: http://amzn.to/2nsPo0l)
Each pose and exercise requires precise directions and movements. Most people can do at least one of the movements if they don’t have any prior injuries such as a slipped disk, in which case you should not attempt Pilates without talking to your doctor.
One thing you need to learn first is how to breathe right for Pilates. They have a special method that they call “lateral breathing” or “rib cage breathing”. This means that when you inhale properly, your rib cage should expand both up and to the side. And when you exhale, your abdominal muscles should engage even more as you get all the air out of your lungs. The point is to relearn how to breathe properly as most people breathe incorrectly on a regular basis, with shallow breaths or even regularly holding their breath. This is bad for your health and can contribute to stress.
Almost every exercise requires you to “zip and hollow” in the preparation of the movements. That means that you need to tighten your abdominal muscles. The way that you do that is to get into what is called the “start” position. This means that you lie down on your back with your knees bent toward your chest. Put your hands over your pubic area where a small bathing suit might cover it. Then let your thumbs touch your belly button while your fingers are below.
Now, to get to the “zip and hollow” you want to suck in your belly as if you’re trying to put on a tight pair of pants. “Hollow” the area under your thumb and fingers, moving it toward our spine. Do not move your pelvis to get this accomplished. Depending upon your current condition, you may not notice anything visually but may feel something.
Keeping the rest of your body relaxed while you’re sucked in, make that area feel hard. Doing this can be tricky. But if you’re sucked in and have the muscles engaged without any other muscles hardening or your pelvis being tilted, then you’re doing it right. This is the position you use for many of the exercises. As you can see, this movement alone can do wonders for your core.
The Basic Movements
Speaking of “zip and hollow”, let’s talk about the basic movements or starting positions you need to know to do the 34 exercises of Pilates. These basic movement are from Mr. Pilates’ revised book on Contrology. http://amzn.to/2n78VPV
Starting Position
The point of this position is to get your spine into a neutral position to avoid injury and essentially force your core muscles to engage. Lie down on the floor with your knees bent, your feet on the floor comfortably hip distance apart. Take a deep breath but don’t hold it.
On the inhale you’re lying down; on the exhale you’re using your ab muscles to press your lower spine into the floor. When you inhale, release; when you exhale, pull your lower spine up in order to create a small arch – often called the pelvic tilt.
Head Nod
Understanding this will keep your neck from hurting or from putting pressure where you shouldn’t. Get in the starting position mentioned above, then at the inhale tilt your chin down toward your chest. Your head should stay on the mat. When you exhale, go back to the neutral position which is the starting position.
Arms Over
Get into starting position. When you inhale, bring your arms up with your fingers pointing to the ceiling, then on the exhale, bring the arms down toward the floor behind you above your head without touching the floor. Remember to keep your abdomen engaged during the movement, and not to allow your arm movements to affect the alignment of your rib cage.
Angel Arms
Go back to the starting position. When you inhale, sweep your arms along the sides like you’re making a snow angel but don’t touch the floor. On exhale, return your arms to your sides. Keep your abs engaged, and keep your rib cage steady and down. Don’t allow your shoulders to move up with your arms; they should stay down and away from your ears.
Pelvic Clock
This movement requires that you see your navel as 12 o’clock; your pubic bone is 6 o’clock, 3 is your left hip and 9 is your right hip. When you do this movement, your abdomen must be engaged and be powering the movement around the clock from 12 down. This is a very small move as your hips do not come off the floor, and the movements of your pelvis should not cause you to lose stability.
Knee Folds
This is a movement that we do unconsciously, but it can be impaired due to poor muscles. You use these movements sitting, walking, and lifting. Get into the starting position. When you inhale, use your abdominal muscles to lift one leg off the floor; exhale and return to the floor, using your abdominal muscles to control the movement. Only lift your leg high enough to cause a deep fold at the hip, keeping your tailbone on the floor.
Once you get the hang of these exercises, you can move on to the 34 exercises which are supposed to be completed each time you practice. You can perform these exercises in 10 minutes, or you can do more reps and finish them in 55 minutes.
How to Get Started
There are a lot of ways that you can get started practicing Pilates. With all the benefits you can gain from doing Pilates, you might think it’s hard to get going. But the truth is, it’s easy and you’ll start feeling and seeing results quickly.
The first thing to do is assess your general health with your health care professional. Are you healthy enough to do this type of exercise? If your doctor is not familiar with Pilates, you should take a handout or book that details the 34 movements. This is especially important for anyone with a pinched sciatica nerve or slipped disks in their back.
Once you’ve been cleared to do it, you can find a way to learn. You can learn from books, DVDs, digital video, and classes. Once you start you’re literally just thirty 55-minute sessions away from seeing a huge change in your body.
- Health and Fitness Clubs – Many clubs either have Pilates classes, or they offer machines that you can also use with Pilates. This is a great way to start if you can go to a club because you’ll have a leader who knows how to do the movements correctly, which will help you avoid injury.
- Pilates Studios – You can go to facilities which are Pilates certified as well. They will either offer mat work or they’ll also have machines. A Pilates studio will be even more expensive, but likely more helpful due to the expertise that they have.
- Rec Centers – Some YMCAs and other community recreation centers also offer Pilates. You can look at the websites for your local rec centers to find out what they offer. This is also a great place to learn.
- Wellness Centers – Many wellness (rehab) centers recognize the importance of core strength in getting healthy, and offer expert lessons for those interested in incorporating Pilates into their exercise routines.
- At Home – The best thing about Pilates is that you can do it at home. Since it’s a low-impact type of workout, you will not be in danger of too much injury if you stay body aware and keep your positions proper. You can watch Pilates right on your TV via Amazon Prime, or purchase DVDs to help you get the exercises right.
In addition to these options, you can do group exercises or you can find a trainer who specializes in Pilates who will do customized one-on-one work with you. If you can afford to hire someone one-on-one for just a short time to help you get the movements correct, you’ll improve faster than trying to learn it all yourself.
Pilates is a great way to improve your health, reduce the signs of aging, and get your body into great shape without jarring your joints, running or difficult movements. What are you waiting for?
