Pilates Workout, Your Key To Fitness

Madonna is probably the most famous and ardent Pilates practitioner but, there are loads more celebrities who owe their hot, toned bodies and washboard abs to Pilates. Julia Roberts, Uma Thurman, Sharon Stone, Jenifer Aniston, Gisele Bundchen, and Oprah Winfrey are just some of the endless list of celebrities swearing by Pilates.

I’m a Pilates person. It’s great. I had a chronic back, a pinched nerve and a hip problem and it’s completely solved all of it. I love it. It makes me feel like I’m taller ~ Jennifer Aniston (Tweet this)

A Pilates workout is a type of exercise designed by Joseph Pilates (born in Germany, 1880). Joseph Pilate developed this form of exercise to strengthen the mind and body in the early 20th century.

His method was based on contrology—using the mind to control the muscles. This method aims at building strength, flexibility and control of the body. The Pilates method seeks to develop controlled movements and a strong core by using a variety of equipment, including simple mats.

The Principles of Pilates are based on concentration, control, centering, flow of the movements, and precision. A Pilates workout puts immense emphasis on core strength and stability.

The Benefits of a Pilates Workout

1. A Mind-Body Workout

By stressing on proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment and following smooth, flowing movements one becomes in tune with their own body. One learns to control their body movements with their mind.

Proper breathing is essential to execute movements with maximum power and efficiency. Breathing properly helps to reduce stress significantly.

2. A Strong Core

Pilates can strengthen your core like no other exercise. The core refers to the muscles in and around the abdominals and the back. The body’s core muscle facilitates movement and carries the weight of most of the parts of the body.

3. Gain Long, Lean Muscles and Flexibility

Pilates elongates and strengthens muscles it also helps in improving muscle elasticity and joint mobility. A body with flexibility, stability and strength is less likely to be injured.

4. Better Motion

In Pilates many muscle groups work in a continuous motion together which makes it easier to move from one position to another. These smoother movements help to avoid injuries and give good posture.

5. Gentle and Safe

It is important to use your mind during Pilates which makes you alert and conscious of your movements, thereby minimizing injuries.

Exercises are low-impact and are so safe that they are used in physical therapy facilities to rehabilitate injuries.

6. Challenging

Pilates is extremely challenging, having an extremely wide and flexible exercising system. Slight modifications in exercises allow for challenging and pushing your body. One can feel a difference in their bodies with as little as 6 Pilates workout classes. One starts to feel their body stretched, toned and flexible. Energy levels are high and one starts to feel stronger.

Pilates is also appealing because it can be practiced in different contexts: at home in front of a video, as part of a class in a gym/health club, or in a studio setting.

Where to do a Pilates workout

Exercises can be done on mats, with swiss balls, with elastic tubing or rings, or on weird and wonderful contraptions unique to Pilates. Things like a Reformer, a Trap Table, a Wonder Chair or even a Thoracic Barrel. The variety in Pilates keeps the interest and enthusiasm up to workout. Ideally, Pilates is practiced in a studio under the careful supervision of a certified instructor—either one-on-one or in small group sessions.

Read our post on the benefits of using a certified personal trainer

A well-trained specialist knows how to tailor a Pilates workout regime to meet individual needs and abilities, monitoring movements to ensure correct form for optimum results.

One must inform the instructor if he/she suffers from any injuries so that exercises are modified accordingly. While a Pilates workout has been known to be extremely beneficial during pregnancy, for example, one may do so only under qualified supervision.