It’s a common misconception to only associate Pilates as one of the ways to relieve back pain or improve muscle weaknesses. While it’s brilliant for both these things, Pilates can equally provide an intense workout for clients of varying fitness levels with absolutely no injuries, weakness or concerns to think about.
If you’ve never been to a Pilates class, or you’ve not attended for a while, a workout can be as challenging as you want to make it. At a mat class or in one featuring equipment like the Reformer and Cadillac, your instructor will push your body to its limit, with movements which get harder, the smaller they are.
This is because very small movements are harder to control. A very simple way to try this at home is with an abdominal curl. On the gym floor or in a class, you may engage the core, more of which in our blog post, curl all the way up towards your knees, cradling your head in your hands. Instead, by curling just onto the bottom of your shoulder blades, drawing them down in the direction of the waist and not pressing the back into the floor, you’ll be using not only the rectus abdominals (the ‘six pack’) but the deeper transverse abdominals in the lower abs as well as the pelvic floor.
Pilates equipment can make every movement, that can be done on the mat, more demanding. You’ll challenge your balance and all muscle groups to build, reverse or halt muscle wastage, which all become more important the older we get. In fact, starting Pilates when you are fit and young(ish!), will strengthen any hidden weak areas and prevent any inevitable injuries that can happen in everyday life.
Pilates will get your heart pumping when you perform jumps on the Reformer, step-ups on the Wunda Chair or with a suspended fly in the Cadillac trapeze. We have also just added the new Bodhi Suspension System, which is similar to the TRX but with four points of contact so your whole body is suspended, to our Farnham and Hampton Wick studios. Trust us when we say a chest press using this piece of equipment is a real toughie!
To complement your fitness training with a Pilates workout at any of our studios, please contact us.
