WHAT IS IT ABOUT PILATES?

Well, it’s been a while since I last posted. Not because I ran out of things to say (can’t imagine that happening, especially about fitness!) but because I seem to have allowed myself to get so immersed in Pilates and everything Pilates-related.

What is it about Pilates?
I mean seriously, what is it about Pilates that I find myself constantly either translating some element of Pilates into my work with my clients or on a personal level, I just can’t seem to keep from constantly reading, reading and reading to learn more about what really goes into making Pilates so relevant to our daily lives and the work we do as fitness professionals.

I know that sounds like quite a sweeping statement but I do not make it lightly.
Why do I believe that it has so much relevance in our lives?

Maybe, because when Joseph Pilates created this exercise method he did so after having made a comprehensive study of yoga, zen meditation, gymnastics and body-building. What he must surely have drawn from are his own personal experiences, not having been very healthy when he was young; and then later from his rehabilitative work, in prison camp, with the sick and wounded soldiers during World War 1.

Pilates, to me, seems to be a method that was devised from the need of wanting to allow for an individual to be able to engage in movement, functional daily life movement, with the least amount of stress to the body in that moment and to help to strengthen the body for the future. To create strength and stability that could take one from daily living activities to more specific activities and movements which would make greater demands on the body, such as in sports.

So what does that really mean to me today and now?
I have been driven by fitness, specifically mind-body fitness, for the longest time and have translated this philosophy, for myself and my clients, through varied workouts with gym-equipment, group classes, yoga, tai chi and more.
Just to be clear, I love taking my step, cardio-boxing or body-sculpting classes; the thrill that I experience after a good run or the inner energy that I feel after my tai chi practice!

But, I have to say that to all these activities, which I have been engaging in through my life, I now find myself constantly applying a ‘pilates element’ to them, seeking to and finding an improvement by doing so.
Whether it is the breath pattern or the execution of the movement through a better neutral, stable position of the body or just the correct sequencing and engagement of deeper core muscles that results in a stronger, smoother movement.

This is because Pilates is not just another method of exercise but can act as a building block / foundation for many other types of training.

In sports (tennis, golf, cricket, swimming, running, basketball, cycling etc) it can be used for improving performance, cardiovascular efficiency and endurance. Strengthening the core, better posture and neutral body alignment acts as a solid foundation for improving results from strength training.
Clients who have been running, cycling, swimming for years have seen their form and time improve considerably after starting on a Pilates program. Others have found that Pilates has taught them to better stabilize their bodies and recruit core muscles that helps them lift and work better in their weight-training program.

In disciplines such as martial arts and dance Pilates not only creates a higher body awareness but through better posture, stability and balance helps to create a stronger, more stable base to work with.

No surprise then that, in for instance my body-sculpting or step class, I find myself correcting and cueing with an even stronger emphasis on correct positioning of the lumbar spine or the shoulders and ribs while going through compound movements involving the upper and lower body; or the necessity of using the vasti muscles to track the knees while going through the step class or the importance of evenly distributing weight across the forefoot and heel while stepping on and off that step!