People often ask the question how effective is Pilates?. This article from our friends at Body and Mind answers that question... People often wonder what pilates is and what the benefits of it are. Pilates is a systemized form of exercise developed by Joseph Pilates who was an immigrant from Germany in the 1920s and landed in New York City. The emphasis is on core strengthening with your abdominals, back and trunk muscles. A lot of people think pilates is just for dancers to help them get more balanced and toned but it has evolved into a more mainstream exercise practice that is also used for rehabilitation. With the core abdominal strength you get from fitness pilates if you just have a desk job you will be able to have better posture and improved body mechanics which help to prevent injuries and body asymmetries. Pilates can be intimidating with the equipment such as the pilates reformer. Joseph Pilates invented the pilates reformer which uses springs, tension and resistance but it can also be performed with just a mat using just your own body weight. On the mat you are more responsible for maintaining proper alignment. Mat pilates also called “stott pilates” can often be more challenging since you have to be more mindful of your form while being on the reformer helps you to be in proper body positioning without the same amount of attention from you. Pilates provides a great foundation if you want to become a body builder and really bulk up since you will be developing your core muscles which will support your arms and legs getting more muscular from weight lifting. It is a safe, sequential form of exercise which is much safer on your joints. It promotes long, lean musculature and helps you maintain grace in your posture. There are a lot of flexion, rotation and extension to help you get a full body workout. Since pilates is a system you need to go through all of the movements in sequence in order to balance, tone and sculpt in an even fashion as opposed to just doing bicep curls at the gym to get stronger arms. Fitness Pilates is ideal for those recovering from injuries or getting physically rehabilitated since there is an emphasis on form, function and corrective and prescriptive exercises if you are working with a trained pilates teacher. Pilates also incorporate controlled breathwork in order to maximize oxygen intake and outtake which help to revitalize the body. After a pilates workout you end up feeling energized due to the increase amount of oxygen your body receives so it ends up being a more complete workout for your muscular, respiratory and skeletal systems.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 18:34:25 +0000
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