Pilates: The Path To Overall Fitness

By Chris O'Brien

      If you're looking for a sleek physique, strength and energy, drop the dumbbells and hop off the treadmill-Pilates is for you. One of the fastest-growing exercise techniques in the United States today, Pilates uses specific mat routines in conjunction with specialized equipment to hone the body. The Pilates method promises muscle toning and balancing of muscle forces at the joint level, improved circulation, range of motion and skeletal alignment. This type of training helps prevent sports injury and in some cases may relieve chronic pain related to injury. Pilates also improves overall physique, increases energy, and may even add an inch or two in height.     

      The Pilates method was created by Joseph H. Pilates, born in Germany in 1880. As a child, he was frail and sickly, suffering from rheumatic fever, rickets and asthma. Early on, he developed a fierce determination to excel physically. Studying basic anatomy and the movement of animals, he began to cultivate his fundamental exercise routines, and by the age of 14, was modeling for anatomy charts. Overall, he spent more than 60 years developing and fine-tuning the series of exercises today known as Pilates. He lived to be 87, and inspiring photographs of him in his 50s and 60s show an ageless man sporting the body of a 20-year-old.

      "The ultimate function of Pilates is to prepare your body to be able to do whatever you want to physically-successfully and with energy," says Brooke Siler, author of The Pilates Body (Broadway Books, 2000) and The Pilates Body Kit, a beginner to intermediate CD-flash card instruction set. "Joseph Pilates said that after practicing Pilates, you should be able to perform your everyday tasks with ease and energy, and that your training would enhance every other sport and physical endeavor in your life."

      Siler, also the owner of Manhattan's re:AB studio, where she has coached the likes of Madonna and Liv Tyler, used Pilates personally to overcome asthma, lose weight and cultivate an optimal physical strength, energy and physique.

      Pilates is like yoga in some ways: successful execution of the postures requires proper form, including lengthening of the spine and neck, opening of the chest and widening of the shoulders, tightening of the abdomen and proper breathing. But the postures differ slightly, focusing on strengthening specific muscle groups, and all originating from the waist area and abdominal muscles.                     

      "The Pilates method is based on the band of muscles that encircle your lower abdomen," says Siler. "These are your center and stabilizing core. When you use the muscles of the lower abdomen and those in the pelvis, it gives you a strong core to support the spine, as well as a longer, lean torso with room for the organs. Good technique may even add an inch or so of height as the rib cage moves to its proper position away from the hip." The practice of hunching over a keyboard not only contributes to poor muscle tone and loss of height, but is the main culprit in back pain and slipped disks, which Siler claims can be remedied though Pilates training.

      Starting out, beginner exercises include pelvic curls and rolling up/rolling down exercises to strengthen the waist, abdomen and pelvic areas. Moving on, beginners learn regimens such as "the hundred," where, lying on the back with legs raised, they bring the shoulders, neck and head forward a hundred times-like sit-ups from hell. Intermediate territory introduces more advanced leg criss-crosses and stretches, as well as specialty postures such as "the corkscrew" and the "seal.' All the exercises are about control-smooth and perfect form gets the best results. You should expect to be challenged-even break a sweat-but not in danger, because you are only pushing yourself to your own personal limits.

      The mat exercises are the essence of Pilates and the original foundation of the method. They focus on strengthening the body from the abdomen out without using weights or other resistance props. A more advanced practice incorporates the use of specialized machinery for even further physical development. The basic machine, called the Reformer, is a bed/bench apparatus with spring-loaded handles that introduces resistance to the workout. The other machinery includes the Cadillac, the Electric Chair, the Wunda Chair and the Barrel, each for a specific strength-building purpose.

      To get involved, several options are available:

. Take a private lesson. Usually in the $55 to $70 range, an initial lesson is more of an intake where a qualified instructor can help you assess your needs and goals and determine your level.

. Take introductory classes. Introductory mat classes typically cost $10 to $20, Reformer classes $20 to $30. Both are great ways to test the waters, learn the basics and find your comfort level.

. Jump in. Commit to a series of classes or buy a package with a private evaluation followed by a combination of mat and machine classes.

      But most important, just try it. If it's for you, you'll know right away and you can embark on a journey of physical fitness. Aficionados and instructors swear that Pilates also contributes to a consistently positive, energetic mood.

      "Pilates is not a wimpy workout, but it's not a mindless gym workout either," says Siler. "More akin to a dancer's training, it highlights the potential of the human body. It's all about functionality, strength and energy."

 

Pilates Resources

      If you think you're ready, check out some of these resources to find out more.

. The Pilates Body by Brooke Siler (Broadway Books, 2000)

. The Pilates Body Kit by Brooke Siler (Padma Media, 2003)

. The Everything Pilates Book by Amy Taylor Alpers and Rachel Taylor Segel (2002, Adams Media)

. re:AB, New York, www.reABNYC.com

. The Pilates Center, Boulder, www.thepilatescenter.com