The Benefits Of Pilates
This article explains the key elements of Pilates and takes you through a range of exercises. The program aims to be user-friendly: it is designed for beginners but advanced variations of many exercises are included so that you can progress.
The “first position” in each exercise is the most basic. If you are new to Pilates, start with this one, or you will not master the control and focus needed to perform the exercise correctly, not how many repetitions you can do. The “second position” should be attempted only when you understand the first position. For some people this may take two or more months. Others may take a little as three weeks. Just progress at your own rate. The “third position” is a more intense variation still.
A Holistic Approach:
It is important to look at exercise in a holistic way and to integrate it into your daily life with minimal disturbance. The program does not set out to turn you into an Olympic Athlete. It might, however, give you that push you need to start exercising by explaining just why it is important, not just for aesthetic purposes but to help you avoid pain and injury, to make you feel good about your body and to increase your self-esteem. We hope that the program is clear, logical and simple to remember, so that it will be easy to make it a regular part of your daily routine – just like brushing your teeth – because exercise really should be a matter of course.
Everyone Can Benefit:
Pilates can benefit everyone, whatever your age or fitness level. Although you will get stronger all over, one of the main benefits of Pilates is to increase core strength. This is a phrase that is used a great deal in Pilates, and it refers to the important abdominal and back muscles at your center that support your whole body whether moving or at rest. As these muscles are strengthened your posture will improve. If you are new to Pilates, you will find these exercises different from others you may have tried. Pilates involves a series of movements that flow into one another without pauses, and concentrates on the body as a whole, stretching some muscles, strengthening others and, by helping you to function more effectively, reducing the risk of injury in everything you do.
In Pilates only a few repetitions are needed per exercise in comparison with other methods. If you are performing the movements correctly, upto 10 repetitions will be more than adequate. This means that you can give each repetition your full effort and concentration: you will maximize the potential of the exercise without growing tired or bored with continual repetitions.
