Ever wondered: what even IS Pilates, or whether you should be doing Mat, Reformer, Group, or Clinical Pilates? From how often you should be doing Pilates to whether or not you’ll lose weight, read on for the answers to the questions I get most often from clients.
Question: What IS Pilates?
image from Streamline Pilates.
Pilates is a physical fitness system that is for the whole body. You want abs? Ok sure, you’re in the right place.
But you can’t have (the real-deal) abs without first addressing the alignment of your spine over your pelvis, your posture, your breathing and balance. But don’t let that frighten you, we’ll address everything one part at a time and rest assured you’ll work your abs every session! That I can promise you.
Joseph Pilates didn’t refer to his work by his namesake ‘Pilates’, he called it Contrology. The name may give you a hint that the control of one’s body is key to the execution of the Pilates exercises. Only, after Joseph’s death in 1967 did it then get called the Pilates Method.
Pilates improves flexibility, builds strength and develops control and endurance in the entire body. The Pilates system allows for different exercises to be modified in range of difficulty from beginner to advanced and to the client's specific goals and/or limitations.
Question: I’m a total rookie, what can I expect?
Great question! Expect to:
Feel muscles you didn’t know you had
Use your brain
Change the way you used to think about what defines a ‘workout’
To see changes in your body, but not overnight
To think differently about animals such as the Elephant, Crab, Seal and Swan.
Question: How many times a week should I be doing Pilates?
Joseph Pilates famously said, “In 10 sessions you will feel better, in 20 you will look better, and in 30 you will have a whole new body.” If you are doing 2-3 classes a week, you should start to see results in 10-12 weeks. If you attend one class a week, you will still see results but it might take longer. Ultimately, it comes down to the your goals, other activities, financial situation, etc. The Pilates Alliance Australasia's website states that 2-3 times a week is recommended, but I also have clients who maintain their fitness goals by attending only once a week.
Question: Will I be sore?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The key here is recognising what your measure of a ‘successful workout’ is to you. Speaking from absolute experience here, I used to think that a ‘workout’ meant you had to sweat, big time. If I wasn’t, sweating, panting and puffing, pulling up sore everywhere then why was I bothering. Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy getting the heart rate up, but I’m not so obsessive about it being the bees knees now.
Like at the beginning of any physical fitness program, you can expect to be sore in various different places of the body. Pilates works the body as a whole, this means those smaller or less dominant groups of muscles that often get left behind (willingly or not) will start to come out to play… hello triceps, adductors, serratus (to name a few). Jospeh Pilates wanted all his clients to walk away from his classes feeling better than when they walked in. That was his measure of success. Legs burning so much that you can not sit down on the toilet was not a goal of his, nor mine these days actually. See ya later 150 lunges at the gym.
Me ‘squeezing the juice’ out of Over Head Balance Control. Pic by @hudlow.photography
Lesley Logan nailed it with this…”There are a lot of myths about muscle soreness. People believe that without muscle soreness they are not working hard enough. And, while you want to be challenging your muscles and soreness is a sign that the muscles are challenged you also should be able to live your life and move!”
When you can walk out of an exercise class with more freedom of movement, feeling lighter, feeling toned, feeling taller and carry on with everyday life, sometimes even better than ‘everyday standards’ eg, you can pick up the grandkids with ease, you can bend down to do the gardening without back pain or you can work a day at your job without the shoulder aching, then shouldn’t those be a true measure of a successful physical fitness program?
In Pilates the emphasis is on quality over quantity, often you will only have 3-5, sometimes up to 10 opportunities to challenge the whole body in one exercise. Especially when you are on the Mat, this is ample opportunity to throw your body weight around in space to build strength and stamina. Pilates is a challenge at the beginning, Pilates is also a challenge when you have been doing it a while. When you know how to work deeply to the centre, all the juice can be squeezed out of the moment and no muscle is neglected.
Question: Will I lose weight?
The short answer, no. The long answer, probably yes. Like any wellness plan, a healthy lifestyle will always trump a short, sharp, drastic diet. It might take longer to see results but it will be sustainable. The thing with Pilates, is that if you are truly committed to it, you will easily complete 30 session (see question above about the number of times a week to attend classes), if you do 30 session, you will notice a change in your body. Now that might not necessarily be weight loss straight up, but perhaps you feel taller, more toned, stronger, fitter, more flexible. Simply put, your body will change. And then subsequently it is likely to spark further interest or additional motivators to keep the positive changes going. Pilates will make you feel good and it could evolve into the exploration of other lifestyle choices that continue to make you feel good. Nutrition being one of those, cardiovascular activity, being the other. At an intermediate - advanced level, Pilates can become more of a cardiovascular workout, as you move quicker, can focus the breath to get more out of the exercise and transition between the exercises, (therefore getting less rest time), then cardiovascular levels increase. A note on the breathing in Pilates - when you can use the Pilates breath to it’s full potential during exercises, breath has the ability to calm your nervous system down, with a calm nervous system you can reduce your cortisol levels and thus making it easier to lose weight (Catriona Harvey-Jenner). So in summary, as you progress in your practice AND take a 360 degree view of health and wellness, weight loss becomes an achievable outcome of Pilates.
Q-What should I look for in an instructor?
Ah derrrrr…. me! I kid, I kid. But seriously, me.
Ok, ok, all jokes aside for a moment…
I always remember my year 12 Psychology teacher. He was passionate, enthusiastic, and full of new and interesting ways to hold the class’ attention. He was the reason I wanted to study Psychology at University. He knew how to get the best out of me, and he demonstrated that he cared about the quality of my work, so in return he had my commitment and full attention. Ultimately, I loved the subject, my grades were my highest for this subject and I was motivated to learn more and more and more. I think this applies to anyone that is going to teach or instruct another person. When it comes to finding your teacher, a good place to start is Google. Look at websites, read reviews. Then check the industry bodies’ websites.
This is directly from the Pilates Alliance of Australasia’s website: “An instructor should have their authentic (comprehensive) certificate of qualification. Alternatively you may check the list of instructors on industry body websites, such as the PAA, The Pilates Method Alliance or the Australian Pilates Method Alliance. The latter two are not exclusive, as they only list those instructors who are members. It is guaranteed that any instructor listed under the PAA have completed a certificate level of education through a registered training organisation and are competent in all aspects of theory and practice. Finally, all leading registered teaching organisations also list successful graduates on their individual websites”.
Question: There seems to be a lot of different Pilates out there. Physio, rehab, clinical, group, privates, duets, classical, machines, mat, props etc. How do I know what to choose?
Answering this is similar to answering the question above. It depends. However, there are a couple of broad categories you may find helpful when trying to narrow down some initial enquiries.
If you are injured or have chronic pain you may be better suited to Clinical Pilates where rehabilitation will be the focus. If this is not you, then Pilates might be your jam. It doesn’t mean you won’t have certain complaints/ailments/niggles/old injuries and concerns that you are looking to improve. Conversely, you might be a healthy body and looking for new ways to challenge and train your body.
If teachers are comprehensively trained- (see FAQ above) then both Clinical Pilates Instructors and Pilates Instructors can use the machines (for example, reformers, towers, chairs) as well as mats and props. Whether you do privates/groups/semi privates it will come down to a few things like, which studio you choose, if you choose a studio at all, maybe you choose an instructor who travels to your own home (hint, hint, nudge, nudge), your budget, your experience with exercise programs and movement based programs previously, priorities around convenience, personal attention and goals you want to achieve.
Joseph Pilates started his first studio in America in 1926 sharing the building with the New York Ballet company, where his first clients were largely injured Ballet dancers. Pilates is far more main stream now, it’s diversified and therefore there are more options for both teachers to train in and clients to workout with. There are varying approaches, or styles, within the Pilates Method that are equally valid and relevant to the individual. Be open to trying different approaches to find the one that works for your personal needs and requirements.
And I might be biased, but Mat work is the best work. I mean Joseph Pilates invented the Mat repertoire first, these were exercises that serve as the foundation for his entire method. Yes the apparatus and accompanying exercises have a place in the system… of course! But when it comes down to it, the equipment serves as stepping stones, with the ultimate goal of getting the body ready for the Mat exercises. Romana Kryzanowska (one of Joseph Pilates original students) said in an interview with Washington Post in 2003 “The apparatus are good, but the mat work is everything. If you can do the mat work perfectly, you don't need the apparatus. But people love toys.”
So if you want to experience the ‘real work’, come and try my Mat classes. No experience? No worries. I have beginner classes and all-levels classes. Virtual for now. Hopefully some of these classes will return to face-to-face soon and I’ll be able to travel to your doorstep (if you live in Bayside, Melbourne)… let’s just see how ‘Rona plays out.
Me teaching pre-Rona. Pic by @neetaphotography