Pilates is a form of exercise that can benefit anyone, giving them an improved posture, balance, flexibility and control and more powerful core muscles. While it’s also great for ‘legs, bums and tums’, it can be just as good for males as females; and actually represents a fairly intense workout that makes yoga look fairly tame in comparison. During every movement in Pilates you will be taught to hold in your abs and core muscles, to use correct posture and to breath in a controlled manner. Doing all this is a workout in itself with many health benefits, but when you do it all while balancing your legs over your head it becomes a whole new board game.

Pilates may surprise you then, particularly when you discover just how tough Pilates exercises are. Read a few of the examples bellow, give them a go and include them in your workout, then see if they are for you.

Before you can begin any of the Pilates exercises you need to know how to stand and lie down correctly. To stand in neutral have your back straight (though with its slight natural curvature) and chin up, then bring the shoulders up and back which should cause your chest to protrude. When lying down the neutral position is similar, with you back flat to the mat apart from a small gap at the small of the back about the size of a child’s fist. From here you are ready to start the basic Pilates exercises.

Roll up: The roll up is an advanced form of ‘crunch’ that works each of the six ab segments as well as the entire core. Here rather than just ‘sitting up’ or crunching the abs, the practitioner slowly rolls their body up one notch at a time, starting from the bottom of the mid section moving through to the top. This is much slower than a sit up or crunch and requires more find muscle control. Pilates advocates claim that it is equivalent to six ordinary sit ups.

Leg lowers: These Pilates exercises are used in many different fitness classes and represent essentially the ‘opposite’ of the sit up, where the practitioner lies flat on their back and gently raises and lowers their out-stretched legs in front of themselves.

Curl up: Here the practitioner curls up in a ball on their back, holding their legs to their chest with both arms and curling the neck in so that they could rock on their back. This again stretches the back and also massages the spinal column against the matt.

Reach long: In this exercise the Pilates practitioner stretches their legs and arms up and as far away as possible while lying on their backs and keeps themselves suspended in this position as they do. This requires incredible ab control and is a great isometric hold, but at the same time it will stretch the back.

Outer thigh lifts: These involve lying on one side, so that you are on one arm with one leg on top of the other. Now raise the top leg straight upwards and ‘bob’ it up and down, then forwards and backwards, then draw circles. Put it down after about two minutes and you’ll quickly realise that Pilates isn’t just for ‘girls’ when you feel the burning sensation in your thigh.

If nothing else, Pilates exercises are a great way to vary your workouts. At best however, they will improve your spine, your breathing, your flexibility and your core strength and muscle tone.

Mack LeMouse

Copyrighted material; do not reprint without permission.

 

View all articles by Mack LeMouse