Let’s Get Physical

Joseph was born in Germany. He lived in England as a circus performer and also as a boxer. As a German in England during the outbreak of WW1 he was imprisoned in a camp. While in the camp he exercised and developed the floor exercises that are used today in the Pilates mat work.

Over time he spent in prison he worked at helping the other prisoners who were suffering from disease and injury to rehabilitate. He was forced to use anything around him to create resistance, such as bed springs etc. These gave birth to equipment such as the reformer.

As with most of the best things this form of exercise came about by complete accident however it has stood the test of time and is becoming more relevant an exercise now than ever.

The development of core strength and the stability of the torso from following the Pilates principles sets the Pilates training method apart from most other types of exercises.  In particular the use of weights to exercise can put a lot of attention on developing strength in the limbs whilst possibly neglecting the fact that they are connected to the rest of the body.

To be successful in sports where it appears that strong limbs are paramount such as running and swimming, without developing the core correctly you will not get very far. Those who master the use of their core muscles are the ones most likely to succeed at their sport. In Pilates this ability is learned and developed at the start.

Pilates exercises are done on either on a mat on the floor, Pilates Mat Work, or on exercise equipment developed by Joseph Pilates. The workout equipment used in Pilates generally utilizes pulleys and cables which provide resistance from the participants own body weight on the machine and graduated levels of springs. Probably the best-known piece of resistance equipment is the reformer.

If you ever speak to anyone who does Pilates they will tell you of the multiple benefits that they have felt since starting Pilates.

The top benefits that most people doing Pilates mention is that they feel much stronger while maintaining a lean body. They feel longer and taller and not hunched up. Mostly they feel that move with more ease fluidity.

Pilates can be adapted to fit almost any situation and can be used to achieve almost any physical goal.

Freedom to modify is the key to Pilates exercise success with a variety of populations. In fact all exercises are developed with modifications in mind that can make a workout safe and challenging for a person at any level.

The development of Core strength is the mainstay of Pilates exercise. The core muscles can be defined as the deep, internal muscles of the abdomen (stomach area) and back. If the core muscles are strong and doing their job, as they are trained to do from doing Pilates, they work in tandem with the more superficial muscles of the trunk to support the spine and movement.

As your core strength is developed stability is achieved throughout your entire torso. This is can help those who do Pilates overcome back pain. As the trunk is properly stabilized, pressure on the back is relieved and the body is able to move with more freedom efficiency.

The exercise form of Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s. It was originally used for the rehabilitation of prisoners of war but was later found to be of great benefit to anyone seeking a greater level of physical fitness.  Pilates emphasizes the development of achieving a balance throughout the body through core strength, flexibility, and physical and mental awareness in order to support efficient, graceful movement.

The popularity of Pilates is rapidly growing and is fast becoming one of the most performed types of exercise. Everyone is either doing or thinking of starting a course in Pilates. One of the best things about Pilates is that it can be carried out by almost anyone.

It’s more common for its use amongst athletes and dancers; however it is possible for the elderly, women post pregnancy and generally for people through various stages of physical rehabilitation.

Athletes and dancers love it, as do seniors, women rebounding from pregnancy, and people who at various stages of physical rehabilitation.

During the winter months, training for athletics or any other sport is one of the hardest things to do. Just imagine waking up early most mornings while everyone is asleep, gong to the gym for a gruelling workout, then off to work and in the evenings coming home to eat and then needing 8-9 hours sleep for recovery. As a result losing out on having any kind of evening social life? What fun!

To help overcome this whenever possible training as a team is useful for this. it makes the experience a lot more easier to deal with.  There is moral support and camaraderie and you can always get a spot from someone who understands the workout and ordeal you go through. To make it more of a team event and encourage a sense of belonging you might consider printed polo shirts with your team name and nicknames on. A step too far perhaps but fun none the less.

So to conclude team training is a good way to get and stay motivated for those who struggle on their own. As a team you may consider adding variety to your training to keep it interesting but whatever you do remember with team training a problem shared and all that.