Pilates

M

Mariela

Cathlete
I've been seeing Pilates workouts everywhere and hearing (or reading) people talk about it. I'm not sure what exactly it is, but from the pictures, looks like something like yoga or some kind of toning/stretching exercise. However, I have seen promotions or titles like: "Fat burning pilates". Can this workouts really burn fat? What are pilates all about?
 
Thank you very much. That was very helpful.

Edited to ask a question:

What video do you suggest as an introduction to pilates. (I can't lift my back off the floor unless someone holds my feet. I mean, I can't do sit ups.)
 
Aila,

Can you recommend a good advanced Pilates workout? I just bought a Stott Pilates DVD (Core Challenge),which they rate as 3 out of 4 levels of difficulty. I tried it once, but it just didn't seem effective -- it isn't difficult, and I felt nothing the next day.

I would love to find a good, advanced Pilates workout. Can you help?

Thanks!

Marla G.
 
Hi Marla,

I don't have that workout, but form is very important or you won't feel anything. These are the ones I have been using more often lately:

Pilates for Abs w/Ana Caban
Mtv Pilates mix w/Kristen Mcgee(I like this one better than the 1st)
Mind body and mat inter. & advanced w/Hilary Burnett(these were recommended by Soosan when I first started pilates)
Quick Fix Pilates abs w/Keli Roberts(3rd portion is challenging)

HTH
Aila
 
I am certainly no professional but I'll give you some of what I know. Traditional Pilates have been around for a long time. (30's or 40's) There are now many branches of the same thing with many gadgets and gizmos but it was originally designed by Joseph Pilates if I remember right, in a jail cell during the war - to be done in a very small space with very little equipment.

Pilates is excellent for building muscles in your core region. The focus is on proper form and precision...not a lot of reps or heavy weights. Although I've never done yoga I understand a lot of the moves are similar.

Pilates is a different vein - it seems so slow I can't believe it could possibly make a difference but I invariably break a sweat and feel slight soreness the day after. I believe that's because it targets lots of smaller supporting muscles we don't always work with traditional weight training.

I find the after workout feel is completely different than aerobic exercise or weight training - I don't feel exhausted, or pumped up...just tighter and strangely enough taller!

Fat-burning? Well I suppose it definitely burns more fat than laying on the couch but I can't imagine it is very effective as a fat burner. My opinion on that is they are labelling it for the couch potatoes - just my opinions.

When dh and I sit down to watch tv in the evening I most often find myself sliding to the floor and doing pilates moves - quite often with my stability ball. I credit Pilates with returning some mobility to an injured back. Pilates will never replace my main workout but it is a satisfying addition.

Trish
 
Hi Mariela,

I started with Quick Fix Pilates abs w/Keli Roberts and still use it. There are 3 seperate 10 min workouts, so you can customize by your comfort level. My core was somewhat strong, so I went straight to intermediate/advanced levels within a few weeks. Maybe a few other people can recommend some other ones.

HTH
Aila
 
I enjoy both pilates & yoga. The Kathy Smith article is good, but I think of yoga as macro movements & pilates as micro movements. In yoga while we're working our core to stabilize, we're also usually working large muscles. Pilates is generally about isolation with the focus always on core stabilization.

I find my heartrate does climb when we're using the Bosu or stability ball in mat class, but it's no sub for a cardio workout. One of my beefs about Winsor pilates is her fat burning claims - no way. There are some standing "fusion" pilates workouts (like the Method) that can provide a cardio workout with dance moves.

There are lots of good beginner tapes. Jennifer Kriess and Moira Stott offer very detailed instruction. The Winsor workouts have a great reputation despite the false claims of fat burning. Kathy Smith's 2 pilates workouts are solid intros.

Pilates might not be everyone's cup of tea, but the reason shouldn't be it's too easy. If it's easy, then either form is wrong or you're making modifications that you don't need (e.g. legs at table top instead of straight & at a 45 degree angle.)

Debra
 
Core Challenge

>
>Can you recommend a good advanced Pilates workout? I just
>bought a Stott Pilates DVD (Core Challenge),which they rate as
>3 out of 4 levels of difficulty. I tried it once, but it just
>didn't seem effective -- it isn't difficult, and I felt
>nothing the next day.
>
Marla, I have the Core Challenge VHS tapes, 1 & 2. Does the DVD have all 3? I find some moves on CC 1 to be easier on the ball than on the mat, while a few are more challenging. I tend to use it for an easier session. I don't find CC 2 easy and enjoy Stott co-teaching with PJ. If your form is good, then maybe Moira Stott isn't for you. You wouldn't be the first.

Oh, I rarely have gotten sore from pilates.

Debra
 
Hope nobody minds if I put in my two cents...as I am very new to the forum! I actually teach pilates and am certified to do so:) As far as claims that Pilates is 'fat burning'........it is better to do something than nothing. However, I find that Pilates is much better categorized as "toning". You would have to be doing the moves very fast to get your heart rate into the fat burning zone and probably not doing them with proper form.

My core has developed alot of strength since I incorporated Pilates into my workouts and its great for stretching and for proper posture. There are alot of benefits people see when they do Pilates, but results vary. The basics of Pilates - in my opinion - are the following: core, breathe, alignment, balance and focus.

If you cannot do a situp, Pilates is great for developing the core, so that you can! Its all about the breath!!! :)

I could go on and on..........but if anyone wants to know about a great dvd to buy, I would recommend the following dvd:

Pilates for Weightloss by Body Wisdom Media www.bodywisdommedia.com

The video gives you 35 different workouts from beg. to adv. and its excellent in tips on form and when to breath and cueing! Hope this helps! I try to do Pilates 3X a week to see maximum benefits and even 20 minute sessions really help - you don't have to do the full hour to feel the benefits on your body. :)
 
How difficult should it be? What I mean by, "it's not difficult" is that I could complete all the exercises without working hard, not that it was effortless. I did a lot of Winsor Pilates this past summer and some of those exercises were difficult for me in the beginning, but now they're not.

Maybe I'm not explaining myself very well - sorry. I would just like recommendations for advanced Pilates so that it IS difficult for me in the beginning -- I want to have to work at it. The basic and intermediate Pilates dont' make me work hard enough, that's all.

I do a lot of core work, and perhaps that's the reason.. I believe my form is fine (that's important to me) and I'm not modifying -- I keep my legs at 45 degrees, etc.

I'm not well-versed on what's out there. I've only tried Winsor and Stott (level 3). I'm sure there are some that would be difficult for me. I just need to know what they are.

Thanks,
Marla G.
 
Thank you for the info RWattier!! I currently do Pilates 3-4 days a week for 20 min. and have really seen a huge increase in my core strength. I will have to check out the website you recommended also. Like I need to buy another workout:p !! I am so compulsive!!

Aila:)
 
> "Marla, I have the Core Challenge VHS tapes, 1 & 2. Does the DVD have all 3?

No, it doesn't.

> "Oh, I rarely have gotten sore from pilates."

Hi Debra,

I guess too often I equate difficult workouts with soreness. My mistake? Part of the reason I thought I'd be sore is that the instructor said, "Don't be surprised if you're sore tomorrow." I just assumed I would be -- kind of like the day after PLB or PUB. :)

Thanks for your help,
Marla G.
 
>Like I need to buy another workout:p !! I
>am so compulsive!!
>
>Aila:)

Aila,

Me too! Earlier today I ordered "Fitball Lower-Body Challenge" from Collage Video. It looks good.

Also, I keep adding on Cathe's Hardcore DVDs to my presale purchases -- I should've just ordered them all back in July instead of doing it "piece meal." Not the wisest way to order, but I'd never experienced the Cathe "preorder" before and didn't think I'd want them all. As time went by I kept adding on. Sigh.

I've now ordered 8.

I AM really excited to get them, though! :7

Marla G.
 
LOL!!! I don't feel so bad now!! I think you will find some of the pilates dvd's I listed quite challenging. Believe me I am a Cathe-ite & it takes a lot for me to find anything as challenging to keep my interest. Good Luck with whatever you decide!

Aila:)
 
I've been doing Pilates since '98 and here are my recommendations:
For beginners, The Method Percision Toning/Sculpting with Jennifer Kries is what I learned with and I stand by it. Either that or Romana's Pilates. Romana is the Joseph Pilate's successor. She's in her 90's and still does the exercises daily.
For advanced, go with the Classical Pilates Series. They are for people who have been doing Pilates for a while and move at a real class pace.
Good luck and enjoy :)
Violette
 
For some real toning and that long and lean look try Pilates on a reformer. It is a spectacular piece of equipment!!! Pilates floor work in comparison to doing it on a Reformer is like the difference between a Firm video and Cathe. Not knocking the firm here but once you try Cathe you realize what you have been missing and you never go back!! The reason being is that with the eqiupment you have resistance (adjustable) so you are not limited. Once you get a smooth exercise routine going on a reformer your heart rate can accelerate. Just MHO :)
BooBoo39
 
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