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Your core plays an important role in almost every movement that you do, keeping you stable, and contributing to your balance and coordination. Pamela Paley, a Pilates master trainer for Club Pilates, says that the core muscles are the central support system for your whole body. “Without good core stability, our body would have trouble staying upright and controlled during static positions such as sitting or standing, and dynamic movements such as jumping or running,” she says……..Continue reading….
By: Lou Mudge
Source: Fit&Well
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Pilates is continuously evolving through the use of modern equipment, but the core of the technique is tied to the movement patterns designed by Joseph Pilates. Pilates can be performed on both a mat or on specialized equipment. Pilates often incorporates spring-based resistance machines known as reformers, which consists of a box-like frame, sliding platform, springs, straps/ropes, and pulleys that help support the spine and target different muscle groups.
For example, in order to target the upper back, a typical Pilates move on the reformer involves lying face-down on top of an accessory called a long box which is placed on top of the sliding platform. The participant then lifts their head and chest while pulling back the straps down toward their hips to slide forward with the moving platform and repeating a few times. The straps can be heavier or lighter depending on the resistance that is controlled by the springs.
Pilates accompanied his method with a variety of equipment, which he called “apparatus”. Each apparatus was designed to help accelerate the process of stretching, strengthening, body alignment and increased core strength started by mat work. This included the Reformer, originally called the Universal Reformer, named for “universally reforming the body”. Eventually Pilates designed other apparatus, including the Cadillac, Wunda Chair, High “Electric” Chair, Spine Corrector, Ladder Barrel and Pedi-Pole.
With mat Pilates, people sit or lie with their body weight as the main resistance, using gravity to stabilize their core. For example, a common mat Pilates exercise is called “roll-up”, where participants start by sitting on the floor with their legs straight out in front of them and their arms extended over their legs. Participants then slowly using the breath to control the motion uncurl their upper bodies backward toward a supinated lying down position, until they are indeed lying down on their backs with their arms out over their heads.
They then curl back up into the starting position as they exhale, repeating this process multiple times. Accessories such as resistance circle rings or resistance bands may be used in both mat and reformer Pilates. Modern yoga, like Pilates, is a mind-and-body discipline, though yoga classes are more likely to address spiritual aspects explicitly. Both yoga and Pilates incorporate elements of stretching and breathing. Both are low-impact, low-intensity exercises, but there are key differences.
When practicing yoga, individuals hold certain poses for longer periods of time and flow into others; when practicing Pilates, individuals move their arms or legs while in certain positions. With yoga, breath is used for relaxation and to hold poses. With Pilates, breath is used to power the muscles with more energy. Most Pilates exercises start from lying down, while most yoga poses start from standing up.
Some poses are similar in the two disciplines, for example, open leg balance closely resembles Navasana (boat pose), roll over is similar to Halasana (plough pose), and swan and push-up are essentially identical to Bhujangasana (cobra pose) and Chaturanga Dandasana (low plank pose). Both disciplines develop strength, flexibility and fitness. Pilates, however, emphasises core strength, while yoga emphasizes flexibility.
Pilates developed in the aftermath of the late nineteenth century physical culture of exercising to alleviate ill health. There is, however, only limited evidence to support the use of Pilates to alleviate problems such as lower back pain. While studies have found that regular sessions improve balance, and can help muscle conditioning in healthy adults (compared to doing no exercise), it has not been shown to be an effective treatment for any medical condition. Pilates is not professionally regulated.
In October 2000, “Pilates” was ruled a generic term by a U.S. federal court, making it free for unrestricted use. The term is still capitalized in writing due to its origin from the proper name of the method’s founder. As a result of the US court ruling, the Pilates Method Alliance was formed as a professional association for the Pilates community. Its purpose is to provide an international organization to connect teachers, teacher trainers, studios, and facilities dedicated to preserving and enhancing the legacy of Joseph H. Pilates and his exercise method by establishing standards, encouraging unity, and promoting professionalism.
For the treatment of lower back pain, low-quality evidence suggests that while Pilates is better than doing nothing, it is no more effective than other forms of physical exercise. There is some evidence that regular sessions can help condition the abdominal muscles of healthy people, when compared to doing no exercise. There is no good evidence that it helps improve balance in elderly people.
From the limited data available, it would seem from the statistically and clinically significant findings that Pilates has demonstrated efficacy as a tool for the rehabilitation of a wide range of conditions.
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