Is the market oversaturated with Pilates and Yoga...

F

fab40

Cathlete
Or is it that I cannot find enough energy pumping advanced videos out there? Every once and awhile, I check out Target and Best Buy to see if there are any good fitness dvds. 90 percent of the fitness selection is yoga and pilates. How much of this is necessary? (Same with Collage. Most of the new stuff is yoga/pilates). I am not trying to start an argument about the benefits of these 2 forms of fitness, but I think there could be more creativity on the fitness market. Okay, I feel better now.:)
 
I think that is because Yoga and Pilates are very trendy right now. Just like this lo carb diet thing is all the rage. I'm sure if the stores had other cardio or weight lifting workouts or instructors that people didn't readily know they wouldn't sell as well. Sad as it is stores sell what is popular and what the majority wants.

I personally think that excercises like yoga and pilates needs to be learned in a class because I can see where improper form can lead to serious injury.

Beth
 
Yes, yoga and Pilates and "Nia" and "Tai Chi" and PiYo and Yogalates and bibbity bobbity boo are all the rage these days, and I'm as tired of it as the rest of the responders here.

I think we've all learned that you can't rely on big-box retailers to provide a good, comprehensive selection of fitness vids/DVD's; you are relegated to Collage and individual websites. And as you noted, even there it's all "mind-body" stuff (an expression I'm even more sick of).

That's why I don't really mind that Cathe hasn't coughed up anything along those lines. She's not a lemming in this business. I think she'll continue to be the standard-bearer of high-intensity cardio and strength productions, as well as the standard-bearer for making her DVD's so user-friendly with premixes and mix-n-match options.

A-Jock
 
>I think she'll continue to be the standard-bearer
>of high-intensity cardio and strength productions, as well as
>the standard-bearer for making her DVD's so user-friendly with
>premixes and mix-n-match options.

I can't agree more with this yoga/pilates hypermarketing. I noticed that Karen Voight has breakdowns of her workouts in her current DVDs. I like it because I can do bits and pieces of her yoga workout, but I can't help thinking she might have gotten this idea from Cathe.

Pinky
 
RE: Is the market oversaturated with Pilates and Yoga.....

It is especially distasteful to me that these trendy "workouts" are marketed primarily to women, as though hardcore, no-pain-no-gain programs would be discouraging for us. (Barbie: "Math is hard.") Cathe never insults our intelligence or drive or potential ability. This phenomenon is not unlike the Curves strategy to empty women's wallets while giving them a dumbed-down version of fitness.

However, I do know that both yoga and Pilates are serious disciplines that have many real benefits to serious practitioners. I feel it is unfair to hold against those disciplines the vulture-like practices of marketing.

Also, while I know exactly what A-jock means when she mentions the cloying "mind-body" mantra, that term is firmly rooted in science. A lot of neuroscience advances made in the second half of the last century focused on the chemical receptors found in the brain that recieve signals from the body for all kinds reasons and in all kinds of contexts. The mind and body act in concert. The cheapening of this term again is a ploy of accessibility to the consumer. We all know that IMAX can seem easy one day and difficult another, or that it's easier to rev up for a work out in one emotional state than another. Those endorphins that make you feel good after a workout are what mind-body is really all about. Chemistry. The original separation of mind from body comes from a western religious perspective that sought to claim superiority of humans over other creatures. The replacement of the Cartesian model of separation of mind from body with a holistic outlook merely makes more sense in a secular society, especially now that it is supported by science.

It is sad that good things get turned into crap by people out for a fast buck. I just try to OM my way past all that crap when I'm out shopping. (Just kidding, don't pelt me with sweaty sports bras!)

--Ann
 
RE: Is the market oversaturated with Pilates and Yoga.....

Re the "mind-body" mantra:

To relegate the expression "mind-body" strictly to yoga, Pilates, tai-chi, or what-have-you is specious, and if it came from the scientific community then shame on the scientific community.

Any time one is engaged in purposive movement one is engaging the mind and the body. The mind is directing a part of the body to perform that movement and innervates the appropriate neuromuscular pathways to do so. A biceps curl is as much a mind-body effort as is a sun salutation. And a step routine, a run, a swim, a challenging strength training routine, or other purposive exercise session has the potential to release beneficial hormones the same as a "mind-body" session.

Sometimes more so. I've been reading with interest the posts from people who get zero true feeling of "relaxation" from a mind-body workout, and yet get a wonderful sense of relaxation after a well-executed cardio, strength or blended workout. A lot of MindBodyites (who tend to be a fairly uptight bunch in print, I might add) usually respond by saying You're Just Not Doing It Right, but I'm right there with the ones who want traditional cardio-strength, with stretching and core stability as grace notes rather than as be-all-and-end-all workouts.

A-Jock
 
RE: Is the market oversaturated with Pilates and Yoga.....

A-Jock:
It was not my intention to imply that the scientific community gave us the currently mis-used and misunderstood term "mind-body". What I meant was that a term with scientific grounding is being falsely used by marketers of shallow workouts as an additional benefit offered by their products, e.g. the real disciplines of Pilates and yoga being transformed into ultra-accessible "fluffouts". I was trying to say that science finally gave credence to what we strongly agree are the inseparability of mind and body in everything we do. Maybe the marketing people think folks don't know enough to realize that on their own.

My main point was merely that it's a shame that mass-marketing is spoiling and giving a cheap face to some real and valuable concepts. But that is nothing new in fitness vids. Cathe's appearance on the stage of beginner workouts is wonderful precisely because she won't dumb-down or condescend. People will respond by truly improving their fitness because she won't be telling them "it's okay, you're just a girl," and the like.

Sorry for any misunderstanding. Have a great weekend.

--Ann
 
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