We all know that if you are committed to classes (I'd say at least 2-3 a week), you will, without a doubt, see and feel results with Pilates. I think it's important to understand WHY Pilates works so well. Many people are attracted to certain types of exercise because it's the latest fad or it sounds cool. I think anything that gets people up and moving is awesome, but don't you want to know why and how your Pilates sessions work so well? I've thought long and hard about this and these are the reasons why I believe Pilates does the trick.
1. Pilates works your core during every single exercise. Even when you aren't specifically doing abdominal exercises you are holding all those deeper core muscles (transverse abdominis, internal obliques, etc) nice and tight in order to help support and power your extremities. Ever noticed how your abs burn while you are doing seated armwork on the Reformer? (And if they don't, they should!! Close your ribcage, sit up tall, and slightly tuck your pelvis, shortening the distance between the top of your hipbones and the bottom of your ribcage. Now, you'll feel it!) Think about when you have to hold your leg(s) up in space. Assuming you aren't gripping in your quads and hip flexors, how do you think they stay up there? Your core! Everything that you do during a Pilates class is working some part of your core.
2. You are working in spinal alignment, keeping your back safe while strengthening the muscles around it. Many people come to Pilates with lower back pain. In fact, I've noticed that many people in general have lower back pain! Working in proper spinal alignment will allow you to strengthen your supporting muscles in a safe fashion.
3. You work unilaterally, or one side of your body at a time. Single leg and arm work is SO important. Most of us have imbalances, meaning one side of the body is stronger than the other. When you work bilaterally (ie both legs at the same time), your stronger muscles automatically take over and you continue to strengthen your stronger side, while your weaker side falls behind even more creating a bigger disparity. This can lead to all sorts of problems including scoliosis, back pain, knee injury, etc. Training your body unilaterally also helps improve range of motion for the same reasons. Mobility training on one side at a time allows your body to get deeper into stretches. The more even your musculature, the more stronger and more balanced your body will be.
Pilates Caveats:
~Unless you are taking a very fast paced class or are using the jumpboard, Pilates is not aerobic. In other words, you aren't torching calories. This means that you can't justify eating pizza and cake for dinner just because you went to Pilates. It also means that you are not getting your heart rate up, and therefore you need to supplement your Pilates with cardiovascular activity for heart health.
~Be wary of using DVDs unless you really know what you are doing. I know Pilates classes can add up and a 20 dollar DVD you can use over and over again is very tempting. A DVD does not replace a certified instructor who can watch your alignment and make sure you are not doing anything to hurt yourself. In fact, Joseph Pilates meant for matwork to be done as a supplement to equipment and to really only use once you were strong enough to support your own body weight in space. There are a ton of things you could be doing wrong, and the more times you do something incorrectly, the more it becomes ingrained in your muscle memory and hard to undo and retrain.
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