Pilates: How to Say It, How to Do It
For: Core Conditioning—Build
a Better Platform, February 2003
Like the Jane Fonda workouts of the 80s, Pilates exercises are trendy and rife with celebrity endorsements. Pronounced "pah-LAH-tees" and named for their inventor, Joseph Pilates, these exercises, really a unified exercise technique, were originally developed for dancers in the 1920s. The Pilates Method, as it is properly called, is composed of several hundred controlled, precise movements aimed at stretching and strengthening the muscles of the back, buttocks, and abdomen.
Not a casual home workout, Pilates is a course of training offered at many gyms, YMCAs, rehab centers, and special studios. Lessons can be expensive: $55 and up for a single session, and anywhere from $250 to $1,000 for a course, though some health clubs offer limited training for free. It may take several weeks before you begin feeling positive effects.
What are the benefits?
Pilates has not been studied scientifically, except for the rehabilitation of dancers. Some claims made by enthusiasts are hard to believe: it will make you lithe and slim, will give you long legs, enable you to eat anything you want without weight gain, and so forth. But this is just an exercise system, like any other, and it won’t work magic. Here are some possible benefits:
• It stretches and strengthens muscles in your back, abdomen, and buttocks. These are the muscles that support the spine, and thus Pilates can help improve your posture. Good posture, whether you are standing, sitting, or walking, helps you feel better physically and mentally.
• If you spend your day at a desk and computer keyboard, Pilates can relieve stress, aches, and pains.
• It can help with rehab after injury.
• By strengthening back and abdominal muscles, it can help prevent injury.
• The exercises are safe, and you needn’t be a trained dancer or athlete to try them, provided you have a good instructor to tailor them to your abilities. People with arthritis as well as the elderly can do these exercises, and so can pregnant women.
A few basics
• Pilates focuses on working and stretching the "core" muscles (back, buttocks, and abdomen). The idea is that if the center of the body is toned and strengthened, the rest of your muscle system will perform well.
• Exercises must be done slowly and with coordinated breathing.
• Quality counts, not quantity. Thus 10 repetitions for any given exercise is considered the maximum.
• Exercises are performed mainly on all fours, lying down, sitting, or hanging—on floor mats or on special equipment. One is called, not very encouragingly, "the Reformer" (illustrated below); it is a bed-like contraption with a sliding platform. Another, which looks like a children’s jungle-gym and is called "the Cadillac," features a trapeze and bars. Resistance for working the muscles is provided by pulleys and springs.
Just as an example, below is a simple floor exercise you can try at home—but don’t try to teach yourself Pilates. Pilates should not replace regular aerobic exercise (walking, running, swimming, cycling) but, like yoga, can be part of an overall fitness program. If you decide to try it, you can call the Pilates Studio at 212-875-0189 for a certified instructor in your area.
The Hundred. Starting position: lying flat
on your back with hands at your sides, palms down, raise knees and lift
head and shoulders. Raise your extended arms two inches, reaching forward.
Now pump arms up and down 10 times(inhaling during first 5, exhaling for
last 5). Repeat 10 times. When more advanced, perform with straight legs
held at 45° angle.
The Reformer, a basic Pilates device, is essentially a sliding platform: above, in a beginning routine, you lie on the carriage, moving it by pushing the bar with your legs. This benefits core muscle groups.
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, December 1999