| What
is the difference between Pilates mat and apparatus workouts?
Which should I do?
The work on the mat and the
apparatus complement each other. When Pilates is taught
one-on-one (the ideal way), the instructor typically incorporates
work in both locations. The apparatus is designed to assist
in the development of the strength and flexibility required
to perfect the mat work. Generally speaking, the apparatus
uses springs of various strengths that, depending upon the
exercise, either act as resistance or work as an extra muscle.
When performing the mat work, however, your muscles create
the resistance needed for strengthening and stretching.
Consequently, as you get stronger, the exercises often grow
more challenging and more fulfilling.
So, which should you do? Your physical health, personal
goals and financial reality should be factors in your decision.
If you have very sensitive injuries, a chronic health condition
that has kept you from doing other forms of exercise or
extreme difficulty in lowering yourself to the floor, the
best bet would probably be Private Instruction. Someone
looking for a lot of personal attention and fast results
would also likely prefer Private Instruction. Mat Classes
are best for those who like to work out in a group setting
and are fairly healthy/uninjured. Mat Classes also are the
least expensive way to get good Pilates instruction. Many
clients choose to do a combination of Private Instruction
and Mat Classes – doing Pilates 2-3 times per week.
How
often should I do Pilates?
While Pilates is ideally
done at least 3 times per week, most people feel the benefits
from even 1 workout a week. As you become more proficient
with the sequence of exercises, you can easily supplement
classes with mat workouts at home!
For a virtual class experience , The Pilates Center recommends
using Pilates In ABSentia: Matwork Series, an audio CD created
by Baltimore-area instructors Laura Ward-Moran and Julia
Clime. It includes three different mat workouts (Basic/Quick,
Intermediate, and Advanced) taught using the same verbal
cues and corrections that one hears in an actual class.
This is not an instructional tool, however. It is meant
to motivate the experienced student through a real-time
workout. For more information or to purchase, please contact
In ABSentia Productions, LLC at (443) 939-9001 or visit
www.pilatescds.com.
Who
can do Pilates?
Perhaps the best aspect of
Pilates is that nearly anyone can do it, progress in it
and benefit from it. It is a highly adaptable form of exercise.
Men and women--from teenagers to senior citizens, couch
potatoes to athletes--will find the Pilates workout challenging
and satisfying.
What
should I wear?
Generally, the only requirement
is a pair of socks. Otherwise, wear comfortable clothes
that you can move and stretch in. If you choose to wear
loose-fitting shorts, it is suggested that you wear long
ones.
There
is a Pilates class at my gym. Why should I take Pilates
lessons at The Pilates Center?
Not all Pilates classes/instructors
are equal!!! Now that the courts have allowed the term “Pilates”
to enter the public domain, gyms (among others) can use
the term to describe or promote a workout, and someone without
formal training can call him/herself a Pilates instructor.
It is true that many gyms require their instructors to have
some sort of certification, but often this certification
has been obtained after only attending a weekend mat workshop
and without having any prior experience in Pilates. Certification
can even be obtained though correspondence courses! That
is not to say that there aren’t any good instructors
out there; you just must be very careful about choosing
yours. Your safety and quality of experience are at stake!
All Pilates instructors at The Pilates Studio received extensive
Pilates training before ever contemplating teaching. The
apprenticeship program in New York through Pilates, Inc.,
under the leadership of Romana Kryzanowska (Joseph Pilates’
own protégé), requires a minimum of 75 prerequisite
hours of private instruction and an evaluation in order
to be considered for the program. Once accepted into the
program, the apprentice embarks on an intensive series of
workshops and over 600 hours of apprenticeship, including
practical and written exams. The training emphasizes the
philosophy and method of Pilates that Ms. Kryzanowska had
learned over her many years studying with and working alongside
Joseph Pilates. All certified apprentices learn this traditional
or authentic Pilates as a system; thus, they are trained
in the intricacies of teaching the exercises on both the
mat and the apparatus. Above all, apprentices in the program
learn to teach Pilates with a great concern for the safety
and well-being of the client.
I
have heard that there are two different techniques for using
the spine and that one is better than the other. Why is
this? What is the difference? Should I be worried? (The
“Flat” Spine vs. “Neutral” Spine
Debate)
Every spine is different.
Each spine develops in a unique way due to such things as
scoliosis or muscular imbalances or weaknesses. Both genetic
and environmental influences play a role in shaping the
curvatures (or lack thereof) of the spine. Traditional Pilates
works with an elongated spine. Many have misinterpreted
this to mean a “flat” spine. These misinterpretations
have often led people to believe that traditional Pilates
advocates “tucking the pelvis under” (curling
the tailbone upwards toward the chest) in order to achieve
a perfectly flat lumbar spine. In fact, elongating the spine
simply means that the individual strives to put as much
distance as possible between the top vertebra of the cervical
spine and the tailbone. Thus, many of the curves of the
spine will appear to slightly flatten, but not every spine
will become flat. Traditional Pilates uses the elongated
spinal position in order to stretch the spine by “reversing”
the natural curves of the spine. It also functions to protect
the lumbar spine (lower back) when exercises are performed,
particularly those exercises done lying on the back with
the legs held in the air.
Other methods encourage the use of the “neutral spine
technique,” meaning exercises are performed while
maintaining the natural curves of the back. Traditional
Pilates prefers the elongated spine as opposed to the neutral
spine in order to ensure that Pilates students do not encourage
the “enhanced” curvatures of the spine created
through years of poor posture and weak abdominal and back
muscles. An unsupervised or novice student without the proper
training or supervision may mistake her exaggerated curvatures
as her true neutral position and cause injury to her already
weakened and overtaxed back. Whatever method you choose
to study, make certain that the instructor is well-trained,
strict and alert. A good instructor in any method will be
versatile enough in her teaching to adapt the method to
the needs of the student.
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