The pleasure of doing what you love can often be met with an oppositional force of loving it so much it makes you crazy! Can something be both fabulous and maddening at the same time? Fabulous because of the enjoyment, satisfaction, and energy it brings to your life....maddening because of the desire to do it better, reach more people, and expand your practice. Practices like Pilates or yoga cannot be explained through words but must be experienced. The same might be true of a hobby like photography, pickle-ball, or tennis. As an occupational therapist, one of the key proponents to the motor-learning theory is that people learn by doing. Thus the maddening part of Pilates is no explanation of how good Pilates can make you feel will ever convince one of its value...it has to be experienced.
Which leads me to my question: What deters people from participating in Pilates? There are a few common misconceptions or beliefs that I often hear at work and within the community that I would like to address.
Fallacy # 1: Pilates is for women. No! As I have blogged previously, Pilates was invented by a German athletic trainer, boxer, and gymnast...Joe Pilates. He used his strength-training method to rehabilitate injured war veterans. In addition, Joe Pilates used his method on professional athletes and everybody in between. Today many male amateur and pro athletes practice Pilates, including Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, former Badger football player Chris McIntosh, and the entire San Diego Padres baseball team. Pilates strengthens the core, enhances flexibility and decreases injury risk. If you are a man, do not be intimidated if a Pilates class is predominantly female...Be glad!:) There is a larger percentage of women who participate in all organized classes---use it as an opportunity to try something new. Many times what we choose to avoid is in actuality what we need to be doing! I have been delighted by the consistent practice of guys this past year in my "Pilates for Men" class. Because men are inherently less flexible and perhaps more muscle-bound, a special class designed with the male physique in mind is often advantageous. No matter, if the class is co-ed your instructor still should be able to give you suitable recommendations for your body-type.
Fallacy # 2: I should lose weight before starting Pilates. No!! Just because you cannot see your muscles does not mean they don't exist! We all have layers of adipose--welcome to the human race. Pilates can create a deficit of about 300 calories a session and develop lean muscle mass which will increase your metabolism. In addition consciously moving your body in certain positions using your mind to govern the control of your muscles will improve the results in other areas of exercise. How often do we mindlessly hit the elliptical or treadmill moving lopsided, hunched over, and disconnected from our center. There are interesting research articles that suggest merely envisioning a muscle engaging, for instance picturing bicep curls before actually doing the exercise increases the resultant strength outcomes. Visualization is hallmark to each exercise in Pilates--it takes concentration. And as Joseph Pilates said, "It is the mind that builds the body." He did not say it takes expensive equipment and violent, jarring motions to build the body. Do Pilates as a compliment to all your other wellness activities and use its principles of center, control, concentration and breathing to aid in accomplishing your wellness goals.
Fallacy # 3: Even if I do Pilates, I still need resistance training. No!! The truth: Pilates IS resistance training. Our body is one entire lever system of fulcrums, vectors, and resistance arms. Pilates consciously works core stabilizers while performing stretches and resistance training. After much practice the body unconsciously and habitually braces against the potentially destabilizing movements of arms, legs and torso. Put your body in a plank position...do a pushup. Lift one leg and do a push-up...lift one arm and maintain your plank. Lie on your back with your feet extended to the ceiling..start to lower your legs without arching your back. All these moves require stability in the center, power in the center, and constant adjustments to bear the resistance weight of your body. I have met many clients who have made the switch from a heavy gym presence to a Pilates studio regimen to gain the benefits of resistance training without the unwanted bulk that comes from weights. Pilates develops muscular strength and definition without adding bulk and has minimal joint impact which lessens the risk of injuries. Obviously, this does not mean that the pure Pilates practioner is going to be stronger than the avid weight-lifter. By standard definition the weight lifter will be stronger...however programming and conditioning your body with a well-designed Pilates program improves your spine health and creates lean muscles which move with ease.
I always welcome your feedback and comments. We learn from one another though this online community. Thank you for reading! I hope you are crazy in love about something!
Which leads me to my question: What deters people from participating in Pilates? There are a few common misconceptions or beliefs that I often hear at work and within the community that I would like to address.
Fallacy # 1: Pilates is for women. No! As I have blogged previously, Pilates was invented by a German athletic trainer, boxer, and gymnast...Joe Pilates. He used his strength-training method to rehabilitate injured war veterans. In addition, Joe Pilates used his method on professional athletes and everybody in between. Today many male amateur and pro athletes practice Pilates, including Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer, former Badger football player Chris McIntosh, and the entire San Diego Padres baseball team. Pilates strengthens the core, enhances flexibility and decreases injury risk. If you are a man, do not be intimidated if a Pilates class is predominantly female...Be glad!:) There is a larger percentage of women who participate in all organized classes---use it as an opportunity to try something new. Many times what we choose to avoid is in actuality what we need to be doing! I have been delighted by the consistent practice of guys this past year in my "Pilates for Men" class. Because men are inherently less flexible and perhaps more muscle-bound, a special class designed with the male physique in mind is often advantageous. No matter, if the class is co-ed your instructor still should be able to give you suitable recommendations for your body-type.
Fallacy # 2: I should lose weight before starting Pilates. No!! Just because you cannot see your muscles does not mean they don't exist! We all have layers of adipose--welcome to the human race. Pilates can create a deficit of about 300 calories a session and develop lean muscle mass which will increase your metabolism. In addition consciously moving your body in certain positions using your mind to govern the control of your muscles will improve the results in other areas of exercise. How often do we mindlessly hit the elliptical or treadmill moving lopsided, hunched over, and disconnected from our center. There are interesting research articles that suggest merely envisioning a muscle engaging, for instance picturing bicep curls before actually doing the exercise increases the resultant strength outcomes. Visualization is hallmark to each exercise in Pilates--it takes concentration. And as Joseph Pilates said, "It is the mind that builds the body." He did not say it takes expensive equipment and violent, jarring motions to build the body. Do Pilates as a compliment to all your other wellness activities and use its principles of center, control, concentration and breathing to aid in accomplishing your wellness goals.
Fallacy # 3: Even if I do Pilates, I still need resistance training. No!! The truth: Pilates IS resistance training. Our body is one entire lever system of fulcrums, vectors, and resistance arms. Pilates consciously works core stabilizers while performing stretches and resistance training. After much practice the body unconsciously and habitually braces against the potentially destabilizing movements of arms, legs and torso. Put your body in a plank position...do a pushup. Lift one leg and do a push-up...lift one arm and maintain your plank. Lie on your back with your feet extended to the ceiling..start to lower your legs without arching your back. All these moves require stability in the center, power in the center, and constant adjustments to bear the resistance weight of your body. I have met many clients who have made the switch from a heavy gym presence to a Pilates studio regimen to gain the benefits of resistance training without the unwanted bulk that comes from weights. Pilates develops muscular strength and definition without adding bulk and has minimal joint impact which lessens the risk of injuries. Obviously, this does not mean that the pure Pilates practioner is going to be stronger than the avid weight-lifter. By standard definition the weight lifter will be stronger...however programming and conditioning your body with a well-designed Pilates program improves your spine health and creates lean muscles which move with ease.
I always welcome your feedback and comments. We learn from one another though this online community. Thank you for reading! I hope you are crazy in love about something!