FAQs
What is Pilates?
What Happens During the Initial
Consultation Series at Pendleton Pilates?
Why Do I Need To Do the Initial
Consultation Series?
What Should I Wear?
How Many Times Per Week Should
I Do Pilates?
What is the Difference Between
Mat & Reformer Work?
How Quickly Will I See Results?
What is the Difference Between
Pilates and Weight Training?
What If I Am Overweight?
Do Men Benefit From Pilates?
Why Come to A Pilates Studio?
How Can I Pay?
What is Pilates?
According to Joseph Pilates in his 1945 book
"Pilates' Return to Life through Contrology",
it is "complete coordination of body, mind and
spirit." He continues to explain that Pilates
(the method is named for the man), "develops
the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures,
restores physical vitality, invigorates the
mind, and elevates the spirit. In childhood,
with rare exceptions, we all enjoy the benefits
of natural and normal physical development.
However, as we mature, we find ourselves living
in bodies not always complimentary to our ego.
Our bodies are slumped, our shoulders are stooped,
our eyes are hollow, our muscles are flabby,
and our vitality is extremely lowered, if not
vanished. This is but the natural result of
not having uniformly developed all the muscles
of our spine, trunk, arms and legs in the course
of pursuing our daily labors and office activities."
In short, Pilates focuses on building a healthy,
injury-free body by encouraging controlled and
concentrated movement. It centers the body with
breathing awareness while maintaining dynamic
spiral stabilization.
Pilates is a full body-conditioning program
comprised of a series of approximately 500 designed
movements preformed on a mat and with specific
apparatus. Pilates utilizes equipment with spring
resistance that simulated normal muscle physiology,
integrating muscle synergies. Pilates improves
strength, flexibility, balance, control and
muscular symmetry. The rhythmic exercises promote
elongated and toned muscles, and are noted for
developing abdomen, lower back and buttocks
strength, promoting a strong body core.
For further information about the history
of Pilates, see
www.pilates.com.
What Happens During the
Initial Consultation Series at Pendleton Pilates?
Group Reformer Classes, you will see faster
results and be able to more thoroughly enjoy
your sessions. During your four private initial
sessions, you will learn the fundamental movement
principles of Pilates and the breathing technique
we use at Pendleton Pilates. The goal is for
you to experience a wide variety of exercises
on the Reformer and for you to be familiar with
the Pilates vocabulary, both in your mind and
your body. That way, if you choose to enter
into Group Reformer Classes, you will see faster
results and be able to more thoroughly enjoy
your sessions.
Why Do I Need To Do the
Initial Consultation Series?
Even if you have taken mat or Reformer classes
elsewhere, it is a valuable experience to re-examine
your strengths and weaknesses and learn your
body's habits in alignment in movement. Further,
by working privately with an instructor, you
will learn how to get the most out of your Pilates
Group sessions. If you have extensive Pilates
experience, we recommend you sign up for your
Initial Consultation Series. If the instructor
feels you are competent enough to go into groups
within a session or two, we will shorten your
series and credit your account.
What Should I Wear?
It is helpful for our instructors if you
wear comfortable yet form-fitting exercise clothes.
That way we can make sure you are performing
the exercises in the proper alignment. However,
we don't advise you wear loose or "short" shorts
as many of the exercises are done with your
legs open and elevated. You may exercise in
either your bare feet or stocking feet.
How Many Times Per Week
Should I Do Pilates?
Pilates can be quite effective over time
even if you only can do one session a week,
but most of our clients come twice a week. However,
you can do Pilates every single day. There is
no "day on, day off" schedule. So if you are
training for a special event or have a flexible
schedule, you can do Pilates three, four even
five times a week. But we advise that you begin
a reasonable program of exercise and stick to
it over time. Often, taking on more than is
reasonable for your schedule or budget is a
sure fire way to lose in the long run.
You can also combine mat and Reformer work.
So you may wish to take two Reformer classes
a week and one Mat class.
What is the Difference Between
Mat & Reformer Work?
When you work out on the Reformer (a piece
of equipment designed by Joseph Pilates in the
early 1900s and updated and improved by Balanced
Body, the leading manufacturer of Pilates equipment),
your movements and the weight of your body are
supported by the smooth movement of the machine
along the carriage as well as by a system of
straps for the arms and legs. When you do Pilates
on the Mat, you must support your body weight
through the movements, which makes the work
more difficult. However, the Mat work is a great
way to make sure you really understand your
body and the principles of Pilates.
How Quickly Will I See Results?
Joseph Pilates said that "you'll feel better
in 10 sessions, look better in 20 and have a
whole new body in 30 sessions." Most of our
clients have found this to be true and many
start seeing results right away. Perhaps more
important, our clients feel better almost instantly
which keeps them coming back for more. Pilates
helps to relieve chronic back pain, knee and
joint pain.
What is the Difference Between
Pilates and Weight Training?
The difference is that you strengthen AND
stretch various muscles during Pilates exercises.
For instance, you may be doing an exercise for
the back, lying on the stomach pulling the ropes
down and back. But that's not all that's going
on. You must point the toes and stretch the
knees to elongate the leg muscles, tighten the
glutes, which firms the buttocks, and lift the
upper body, which strengthens the low back.
As you reach forward between repetitions, you
stretch the back and shoulders. Or you may be
kneeling facing forward to perform an exercise
similar to a chest flye. Because you are kneeling,
you must contract the abdominals, glutes and
quadriceps for stabilization. You have a greater
range of motion on the return than you would
on a flye machine, which increases chest and
shoulder flexibility.
The bottom line is Pilates typically incorporates
more muscles utilized in one exercise in comparison
to a weight training machine. Further, Pilates
creates better functional movement and performance
than weight training because of the coordinated
exercises and concentration on the core muscles.
What If I Am Overweight?
Pilates is a wonderful program for those
who are starting or already engaged in a weight
loss program. You will learn to activate and
move your body safely utilizing your muscles
rather than your joints and will be better able
to engage in other physical fitness activities.
And Pendleton Pilates works to create a warm
and welcoming environment that can be far less
intimidating than some gyms.
Do Men Benefit From Pilates?
Remember: Pilates was created by a man and
was later adapted for women! Men generally have
less flexibility and a greater degree of upper
body strength than women so Pilates helps to
create longer, more agile muscles as well as
to counter-strengthen in the core and lower
body. At Pendleton Pilates, our male clientele
is fast growing. From CEO's and semi-professional
athletes to men recovering from injuries or
punishing exercise habits, Pilates helps both
men and women retrain and re-strengthen the
body for optimum performance. According to USA
Today, male athletes are using Pilates to increase
performance. Read
USA Today.
Why Come to A Pilates Studio?
Pilates is the fastest growing segment of
the fitness industry. And that means that there
are a lot of new teachers working in the field,
some of them having received only a few hours
of training. At a Pilates studio, you can be
sure that the focus is on Pilates and the quality
of instruction.
If you are taking Pilates where the instruction
is more about counting out repetitions than
explaining what you should be feeling in your
body and how you can help engage specific muscles,
then you aren't receiving good instruction in
Pilates. If you are doing more than 10-12 repetitions
of any one exercise, you are most likely not
doing Pilates but rather some altered form of
it. If you are not concentrating on your breathing,
you are not doing Pilates. If you are not focusing
on the quality of your movements, you are not
doing Pilates. This is not to say you can't
benefit from the work you are doing; it just
isn't Pilates.
Pendleton Pilates conducts a four-month Teacher
Training program that is recognized by the Pilates
Method Alliance and Balanced Body, the leading
manufactured of Pilates equipment.
How Can I Pay?
Pendleton Pilates accepts MasterCard, Visa,
American Express, checks and cash. Clients are
welcome to purchase packages at class,
online (Downtown/Loveland/Hyde Park Square or West Chester) or by
calling 513.478.3232,
and using a credit card.
|
