Why we love Pilates

As I continue to grow within the health and fitness field I am enjoying different forms of exercise. I used to be a meathead and only wanted to squat, bench, and deadlift super heavy.. OR do all kinds of hypertrophy exercises just to get a “pump”. Over the last 2 years my style has shifted. I have thoroughly enjoyed adding pilates into my routine! What really hooked me was how challenging the exercises and workouts are! You see someone demonstrate a movement and think it looks easy, but let me tell you - IT’S NOT THAT EASY! This was something so mind blowing to me. I was thinking “I lift weights, I’m strong this should be a piece of cake for me”, nope. The way pilates activates muscles is far different than the way a dumbbell or barbell activates muscles.

The reason I decided to start pilates is because I had created a significant imbalance through my hips from years of sports and weightlifting. It had started to become an issue every time I did a compound movement i.e. squats. I could feel my hips swaying one way as I pressed up, even if I was trying really hard to stay balanced. My husband, who is a personal trainer, suggested I try pilates to help re-teach my body how to activate + strengthen ALL those small muscles again. I was reluctant at first, but finally gave in and I’m so thankful I did. Not only is it helping me create a more balanced posture + muscle structure, it is helping me become stronger and is beginning to lengthen out my muscles bellies, which is exactly what I have needed!

What is it?

Pilates is a form of exercise that emphasizes on a balanced development of the body through core strength, flexibility, and awareness to support efficient and graceful movement. It was discovered by Joseph Pilates, also known as the Pilates Method. Pilates not only improves posture, but it focuses on bodily alignment, and core strength. It can be done on a reformer - the intimidating machine you see in most pictures or videos, or on a mat which is a great alternative if you cannot afford a group or 1v1 session on a reformer.  

One of the best things about Pilates is that it can benefit a wide range of people — athletes, seniors, dancers, women rebounding from pregnancy + people at various stages of physical rehabilitation. The main movements patterns of Pilates can be adapted based on the needs of the individual, meaning the exercises can be utilized to regain strength for rehabilitation purposes or a strenuous workout to challenge athletes.  

If you’ve had a baby or multiple babies, your midsection can significantly decrease in strength and the muscle structure can get misaligned which can be hard to build up again. Pilates is great for activating the lower abdomen and strengthening up all those little muscles to help get you back to pre-baby core strength + stronger! If you’ve been cleared from your doctor and you’re ready to start working out again, I’d suggest starting with rebuilding your lower abdomen. Exercise postpartum is proven to reduce the risk for postpartum depression, which can be motivating in itself to get back to it. Strengthening your pelvic floor will also allow you to get back to running/walking sooner without the feeling of discomfort. Take it slow and listen to your body.

How you can add it into your routine

If you’re looking to mix up your workout routine or correct some imbalances I highly recommend checking out Pilates! Ideally, the best place to start is with an instructor in a 1v1 setting. They will be able to identify where your imbalances are and cater your session to your needs. After you’re caught up to speed on the basic movements in Pilates, then would be a great time to join a class. A class setting is fun, energetic, and time goes by so fast! I am apart of a class and I LOVE it. My instructor Sam at Life Time Fitness - Lenexa is phenomenal at guiding you through a class all while keeping your focus and having fun at the same time. I lay down on my reformer and what feels like 5 minutes goes by, the hour class is already done! If a class setting is still something out of reach for you, mat pilates is the way to go. You don’t need a reformer to gain the benefits of Pilates. I have seen some mat pilates classes available as well, but if you don’t belong to a gym you can do it on your own - all you need is a mat.

Below I’ve linked 2 different mat pilates series, each 5-7 minutes long. You can utilize them as a pre-workout warm up to get your core firing, for repeated rounds as a full core workout, or a cool down ab series post workout. These would be a great place to get started!

YouTube Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MAyLSxT9gI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaD7aPaWoBs

xx Brit

Resources:

https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/551030

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3666467/