Pilates Article Excerpt: First Time Pilates

Everything you need to know before beginning a Pilates mat program
by Elizabeth Larkam

As director of the Pilates program for Western Athletic Clubs, I receive several calls a week from our members and the general public "I've heard so many good things about Pilates," they say. "I'm curious and would love to try it, but I'm a little intimidated. How do I get started?" Here's what I tell them.

What is Pilates mat exercise?
There are about 40 mat exercises designed by Joseph Pilates that are performed lying on your back, side or front. Some of the exercises are done seated or on all fours. The mat exercises target the deep abdominal and spine muscles in order to provide core strength.

Though mat classes were traditionally done with just your body and a mat, some classes today incorporate props such as rings, balls and foam rollers.

What results can I expect from Pilates mat exercise?
Regular practice of Pilates mat exercises several times a week can result in improved posture and increased abdominal tone. You may stand taller and your lower abdominal area may appear more flat. You may also experience increased comfort in the movements of your spine. Pilates mat exercises will develop strength, flexibility, coordination and balance, but they will not provide a cardiovascular workout.

The fact that dancers and movie stars swore by Pilates just made me more suspicious. I'd seen too many infomercials in which Hollywood celebrities hawked every type of "miracle" gadget meant to tone abs, butts, and thighsÉ "in just three minutes a day!" And who can trust dancers, anyway? They can do things with their bodies that we normal people could never imagine. Pilates was just a passing fad.

The Pilates Method

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
The Pilates Method is a physical fitness system which was developed in the early 20th century by German-American Joseph Pilates. Joseph Pilates called the method The Art of Contrology, which refers to the way the method encourages the use of the mind to control the muscles.

In World War I, Joseph Pilates served as a medic for the captured German forces interned in Britain. He was investigating ways that soldiers could rehabilitate themselves while bed-ridden. Thus the creation of a series of movements that could be done in this position was created. The Pilates Reformer is based off an old hospital bed. Instead of performing many repetitions of each exercise, Joseph H. Pilates preferred fewer, more precise movements, requiring proper control and form.

He designed more than 500 specific exercises. The most frequent form, called "matwork", involves a series of calisthenic motions performed without weight or apparatus on a padded mat. Joseph Pilates also designed five major pieces of unique exercise equipment that should optimally be used for best results. Despite being taught separately now, Pilates Technique was always meant to combine Mat and Equipment exercises. In all forms, the "powerhouse" (abdomen, lower back, and buttocks) is supported and strengthened, enabling the rest of the body to move freely.

Pilates Article Excerpt: History of Pilates
The Pilates method of exercise was created by Joseph Pilates, who was born in 1880 near Dusseldorf, Germany. Joe was frail as a child, suffering from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever. He overcame his physical limitations with exercise and body building, becoming a model for anatomical drawings at the age of 14. He became accomplished in many sports, including skiing, diving and gymnastics. Joe went to England in 1912, where he worked as a self-defense instructor for detectives at Scotland Yard. At the outbreak of World War I, Joe was interned as an "enemy alien" with other German nationals. During his internment, Joe refined his ideas and trained other internees in his system of exercise. He rigged springs to hospital beds, enabling bedridden patients to exercise against resistance, an innovation that led to his later equipment designs. An influenza epidemic struck England in 1918, killing thousands of people, but not a single one of Joe's trainees died. This, he claimed, testified to the effectiveness of his system.

After his release, Joe returned to Germany. His exercise method gained favor in the dance community, primarily through Rudolf von Laban, who created the form of dance notation most widely used today. Hanya Holm adopted many of Joe's exercises in her program, and they are still part of the "Holm Technique." When Joe was asked to teach his fitness system to the German army, he decided to leave Germany for good. In 1923, he emigrated to the United States. During the voyage he met Clara, whom he later married. Joe and Clara opened a fitness studio in New York, sharing an address with the New York City Ballet.

Pilates Article Excerpt: The Intelligent, Elegant Workout

Pilates...The Intelligent, Elegant Workout
Katherine Robertson
A decade ago, few people could pronounce the name Pilates (pih-lah'-tees), much less describe this sensational workout. Today, however, Pilates studios are springing up across the country while Pilates equipment is making its way into many American homes. People who want a toned, lean body, as well as people working to overcome injuries are all discovering the many benefits of Pilates. The recent surge in popularity is driven primarily by Pilates dramatic results, including:

· Great Posture and Body Awareness · Abdominal strength · Flexibility · Strength · Stamina · Confidence · Energy · Mental focus

The Man Behind the Sensation
Joseph Pilates grew up in Germany between the two world wars. A sickly, skinny child and very self-conscious about it, he became intrigued with the Greek ideal of balance in body and mind - that a beautiful body is flexible as well as strong. He taught himself physiology and anatomy. And eventually he became an acrobat.

Touring with the circus when World War I broke out, he was interned as a National Alien in England. Pilates kept everyone on his cellblock breathing and moving their limbs. For the bedridden, he created his first piece of equipment, the "bednasium," converting an iron hospital bed into something resembling a four-poster bed with a spring and a foot loop attached to the frame. Patients not only slept in them; they exercised in them.

While thousands of people were dying from the flu epidemic of 1918, legend has it that Pilates kept every person on his cellblock alive and well to the end of the war.

A Dancer's Dream
After the War, Pilates emigrated from Germany to escape the Kaiser. He set up his first studio in Hell's Kitchen, teaching what he called "Body Contrology." Dancers - many of them with injuries - were the first to discover his work and they made it famous.

Former New York City Ballet dancer turned Pilates trainer Toni Bentley says, "The center of all the work is your solar plexus, your belly, which is why it goes so well with ballet work. All of your body strength comes from that, and every exercise starts with the breath. There is a kind of beauty to it, a smooth aesthetic, and the movements are harmonious and graceful."

Pilates Article Excerpt: Why is Pilates so Effective?

Madonna does it, ad so does Julia Roberts , Tom Cruise , Catherine Bell, Jason Kidd and the New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Indians, Ruben Brown, Curt Schillling, Tiger Woods, Sharon Stone, Mel Gibson, Hugh Grant, Terri Hatcher, Jodie Foster and many more.

So, what is this Pilates that you have heard so much about lately? You're right. It is a form of exercise. Go to the top of the class. But, what is it that makes it different and gives it the reputation of being far more effective?

1) Deep Muscle Strength. Pilates makes you aware of, turns on and builds the strength of deeper inner muscles around the joints and particularly in the weight bearing center of the body. This makes the whole muscle system that much more effective, deeper in fact. In the center of the body these muscles are referred to as the "core".

2) Strength with stretch. Pilates teaches the muscles how to exercise and coordinate with each other. It teaches them how to elongate as well as contract to get stronger.

3) Breathing. Pilates teaches you how to breathe during exercise. Maximum oxygen intake means more efficient use of muscles and that's a good basis for fitness.

4) The together body. Pilates works on the principle that the body is a unit and no one muscle works without something else knowing about it, being influenced or joining in. Pilates makes the joints work in alignment.

Harmony of movement is the key.

Pilates Article Excerpt: Taking Off with Pilates Training
SUSAN W. MILLER, M.A, Career Counselor


I frequently see Pilates Studios and am thinking perhaps this form of exercise will soon be as popular as yoga. Maybe I should look into what it takes to be a Pilates trainer.

Question: Can you tell me more about becoming a Pilates Trainer? I have a background in dance and I recently went to a Pilates class with a friend. When I drive down the street I frequently see Pilates Studios, and I am thinking that perhaps this form of exercise will soon be as popular as yoga. Maybe I should look into what it takes to be a Pilates trainer.

Pilates Article Excerpt: The Power of Pilates

An estimated 6 million people across the country are now strengthening their bodies and minds, and losing weight with the help of pilates exercises, the fastest growing fitness trend in decades. Among the Hollywood celebrities publicly touting its benefits, Goldie Hawn, Candace Bergen, Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, and Matthew Broderick.

Pilates Article Excerpt: What is Pilates?

What is Pilates? An exercise technique that was invented for injured dancers nearly a century ago by ex-carpenter and gymnast Joseph Pilates. There are two ways to practise Pilates (pronounced pih-LAH-tees). You can join a mat-based group class where you'll do specialised calisthenics exercises, or you can take private lessons on a series of specially designed machines with exotic names such as the Cadillac and the Reformer.

Whether you take the mat class or use the machines, all Pilates moves are designed to work your powerhouse muscles: abs, lower back, thighs, and buttocks and to gently lengthen them. The result is a body that is properly aligned and at less risk for injury. Not to mention, practising such exercises on a regular basis can help you move more freely and gracefully.

Why we love it: Pilates increases strength, flexibility and endurance. It also improves posture, alignment, co-ordination and balance without bulking up your muscles. In Pilates, nothing is forced. You emphasise correct form rather than going for the burn.

Pilates Article Excerpt: Set the Stage for Pilates

The star at many clubs these days - next to personal training - is Pilates. But is Pilates' future bright enough and lasting enough for club owners to dedicate valuable real estate to a dedicated Pilates studio? Pilates enthusiasts say yes.

Pilates isn't a trend that will soon fade, says Elizabeth Larkam, director of the Pilates and Beyond program at Western Athletic Clubs. Having watched Pilates evolve since 1985, she has seen its influence in dance, exercise, sport sciences and physical therapy.

"It's my impression that Pilates will continue to evolve and serve different population niches so that some aspects of Pilates will continue to make significant contributions to fitness centers even though five years from now the types of Pilates programs in vogue may be different from what we see now," says Larkam. The Pilates programs prevalent in fitness centers are much different from the form taught by originator Joseph Pilates.

Pilates Article Excerpt: To The Core
In this recent training trend, attention turns to the torso

WHEN IT COMES TO catchy trend names, "core training" has to be right up there.

"Core" refers specifically to the body's center of power, the torso, including the back and abdomen. Who among us doesn't have back problems or want a flat stomach? Or both? But "core" also implies something fundamental, crucial, maybe even essential. In the eternal search for the most efficient exercise program, the essentials must be included, no?

Pilates Article Excerpt: How to Choose the Right Pilates Instructor
(ARA) - The Pilates Method, developed in the 1920s by Joseph H. Pilates, is an exercise system focused on improving flexibility and strength for the total body. The Method consists of a series of controlled movements engaging the body and mind, performed on specifically designed exercise apparatus and supervised by extensively trained teachers.

Over the past few years, the Pilates Method, once used mainly by dancers, has been discovered by legions of devoted fans, from celebrities to soccer moms. With this growing popularity comes the issue of locating a reputable instructor. So many fitness centers and trainers have hopped on the Pilates bandwagon, it is more important than ever to make sure that the instructor you choose is comprehensively trained to teach the Pilates Method.

"Comprehensively, competently trained and knowledgeable instructors are the essential elements to realizing one's potential and enjoying the process of learning Pilates," says Kevin Bowen, president of the Pilates Method Alliance, a nonprofit alliance dedicated to advocating high educational standards for instructors.