Pilates Corps Blog

What do sports such as golf, swimming, hockey, basketball, gymnastics, baseball, tennis, soccer, football, figure skating and dressage have in common? Performance in all these sports can be enhanced by Pilates. Instruction is not limited to adults. Children and teenagers will also benefit in the following ways.

Mental concentration is one of the most important aspects of any sport. If an athlete lacks concentration, their athletic abilities cannot be effectively or efficiently applied to the task. Pilates provides increased focus. The ability to center the breath, hold various positions for a certain amount of time, and concentrate on mind-body fitness are necessary for young athletes to challenge their energies into one activity. Pilates does exactly this and more.

Coordination and balance are an integral part of every sport. Pilates strengthens the core muscles; abdominal, back and pelvic. If the core muscles are weak, the result may be poor body posture, back pain and other injuries. Good alignment of the spine helps keep the head, ribcage and pelvis in balance, and takes away tension and stress.

Body awareness increases self esteem and confidence. Many young people feel self conscious about their bodies. Pilates teaches control over the body which results in improved posture. The tendency to stand and sit up straight are extremely important in all facets of everyday life.

Strength and flexibility are necessary to successfully compete. Everyone knows that those with stronger muscles can lift more, push more and jump higher. Flexibility is important since it allows for increased range of motion. Flexible muscles are more elastic and, therefore, can restore themselves, particularly when the stretch is sudden. Strength can be developed without losing flexibility.

Weight management is important to athletes of any age. Pilates strengthens and lengthens core muscles without adding bulk.

Injuries are, unfortunately, an aspect of every sport. When Romana Kryzanowska, a renowned ballerina, was sent to Joseph Pilates with an injured ankle, she was amazed that he asked her to move her own body rather than just work on her injury. She only kept returning to his studio because he promised her a refund if she did not get better in five lessons. The positive impact these sessions had on her body and career brought her back to the studio again and again. She eventually studied with Pilates for 28 years and was ultimately entrusted to carry on his work as a Master Teacher of the Pilates method.

I think to myself, “I’m an athlete for crying out loud. What on earth could Pilates offer a former football player? Is it like aerobics? Is it just for women?” Admittedly, these are the thoughts running through my head prior to my first professional session with Katie at Pilates Corps. Katie is my wife and has challenged me to a training session.

I consider myself someone who can handle any level of activity. I have trained in the past for endurance, speed and flexibility, utilizing the most common methods of running, free weights and strength training and living by the macho mantra of “no pain, no gain.” While participating in sports, I’ve done wind sprints, run bleachers, and had intense body building sessions. More recently, I’ve trained to keep in shape and stave off the effects of the 30-something metabolism dive. Being fit and strong for any activity has been a priority of my routine. My mindset has been that in order to get fit and stay there you must follow all the traditional cardio/weight routines. Never before had I been introduced to the challenge of core training. Katie explained that Pilates is so much more than just an ab workout. And I was just about to find out!

This is the chronicle of my first experience with the true authentic method.

Upon entering the studio, I see three other people working their way through a Tower Class. I am very happy to see that one of the participants is male. In some way, this makes me feel more comfortable. So I pop my shoes off and look around. No weight stacks or something for me to bench press. Hmmm, I’m wondering exactly what is going to give me enough resistance to create results. It’s here that I am coached to sit on the reformer. I proceed to go through several positions, and Katie, just by viewing my attempts, is diagnosing the imbalances present in my core–abs, hips, and even pelvis. As I continue to work through the positions, my glutes and hamstrings actually begin to burn a bit. As I adjust to proper form, I’m surprised at the amount of focus required to control the movements. Breathing becomes measured. I’m focused on my rib cage, spine, lower abdominals, obliques and glutes. I’m sure if someone were looking through the large glass windows of the studio it would appear like a most simple exercise. In truth, the beads of sweat are beginning to form in the first few minutes. I am surprised that controlling my own body actually creates the resistance I am used to in weight training, simply by engaging the core and releasing certain muscles within a specific posture.

Expertly, Katie develops a routine that addresses my muscle imbalances. I learn that my dominant side actually creates weakness in areas that need to be adjusted to protect my back and increase range of motion with flexibility.

After 55 minutes, it is clear that this is one of the most challenging workouts I’ve ever experienced. Yet, rather than hitting a wall or experiencing the lactic burn, I feel energetic. My head is clear. Upon waking the next day, rather than feeling muscle aches or pulls, I’m more aware of my core and the complex series of muscles that will allow me to achieve and maintain my goals of fitness, strength, and energy. No longer a skeptic, I believe in Pilates.

When I look at my client list, one thing that strikes me is how the majority are women. Yet Joseph Pilates, who developed each and every exercise, was a man. His physique was strong, healthy and limber well into his 80s. Somewhere along the way, Pilates was marketed more towards women. This is probably because the dance world, with leaders such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham, was the first group to really embrace the method of Pilates (called “Contrology” in the beginning.) They would send their dancers over to Pilates’ studio for rehabilitation and strengthening. One of his favorite clients was Romana Kryzanowska, a ballet dancer who eventually became his world renowned protege. She went on to found the best certification program in the world, under which I trained.

Most men don’t think about Pilates as a good workout. If they think they need Pilates at all, it is only to build their core or gain more flexibility. They are not looking for Pilates to build muscles in their arms or legs. This is a false assumption, of course. Pilates is a total body workout. Each exercise does originate from your core, however, once you have that strengthened, you move on to the extremities. You then begin to strengthen your arms and legs in conjunction with holding onto the abdominal muscles. Of course, the flexibility is integrated right away. Unlike most workouts though, you are not taking 10 minutes to stretch before and 10 minutes to stretch after. In Pilates, the stretch is incorporated into the routine. Many exercises have you strengthening one part of your body and stretching another at the same time. This isn’t your mother’s aerobics class…

I used to teach a number of professional athletes. One time a baseball player came in and said, “Today I would like to work on my legs.” Clearly, I thought, he has no clue about Pilates! But because a “Pilates Instructor” in his past had responded positively to those statements, he didn’t know the true purpose behind this method. He didn’t realize that every Pilates lesson is actually a total body workout. You do not focus more on one part than another, everything works together.

Recently, an instructor I know applauded a new client for enjoying and appreciating Pilates, simply because he is a man used to hard workouts in a gym. I thought, of course he likes this method! This is the one workout that leaves you focused, challenged and energized! The exercise where you will work your entire body; stretching, strengthening and gaining control of your movements! The movements that employ your mind and body! So, yes, I suppose you could give him a pat on the back for realizing it…but I think rather that he’d be a fool to NOT realize it.

I know, just what the world needs, another blog…but this one is not about politics or humor (too bad) or child rearing or dog training (no expert there)…this is about PILATES!

Pilates is what I teach, study, appreciate and love. I know, for me, that working out is a must. It makes me feel better and helps me look better. And truly, what I know about this form of exercise, is that I’ll be able to do it for the rest of my life. It will always be just the thing that my body needs, because Pilates is individualized. You can be a stiff football player and do Pilates…or a woman who has never done an minute of exercise in her life and still do Pilates.

When I started taking private Pilates lessons, I did beginner exercises and as I got better, added more and more until now I’m considered advanced. However, when I was pregnant, I had to eliminate and modify certain exercises. BUT I STILL DID PILATES. At times, I have clients call to say that they hurt their back playing with their kids or they injured their wrist and don’t think they can come in for their session. Usually, they still come in and we work on exercises that don’t exacerbate their injury, but help strengthen the rest of their body. I know that when I’m in my 50s, my 60s, my 70s and even my 80s, I’ll still be doing Pilates.

That’s what I really love about it.