Just because I live and breathe Pilates, I’m fully aware that not everyone else does. From time to time I hear questions or concerns pop up from my newbies that I think, ‘if you’re thinking them, then there must be others thinking the same thing’. Below I have answered the 9 most common Myths about Pilates.
Pilates is just for women....
Pilates is popular with women, but it is absolutely not just for women. The person who started the Pilates movement was a man, Joseph Pilates. He was a solid unit who enjoyed boxing, drinking and smoking (I know, massive contradictions to health but it was the 1930’s- things were different back then), who made some of the earlier small props out of beer keg tops! When you think about its origins, it’s clear to see the intentions of the method very much included men.
Most men I see in class, NEED to be there, they are tight, sore and misaligned: 3 tops reasons for doing Pilates. I enjoy teaching men as there is so much for them to gain, and progress can be seen and attained each and every week.
Pilates is easy….
Pilates has some exercises where if you were walking past a studio and looking in the window, you might think ‘what even is that, that can’t be very hard’. But it’s not because it’s easy, in fact, it’s the opposite. Pilates requires coordination of limbs, torso, and breath, and keen concentration for specific muscle engagement. Sometimes a lot of effort and work goes into a seemingly “simple” move, but it’s these “simple” movements that have the most impact. That’s because you are always working your whole body throughout an exercise, and when you slow that movement down, it requires a lot of core control. Because Pilates can be modified or scaled back (which is personally a reason why I love it so much as there really is an option for everyone), some people think that is must be easy. But a good teacher will teach to the body in front of them and what version of an exercise one person does might not be the exact version you do.
Pilates is just stretching
Pilates has a bit of a reputation for producing long, lean, toned muscles, not a bad thing right- I mean, I’m totally here for it! But I think there is a bit of a misconception out there about how the ‘long’ is achieved…that it must be because of the ‘stretching’ in Pilates.
Wrong.
The stretching in Pilates happens throughout each and every exercise. Where there is Strength, there is Stretch. Romana , one of Joseph Pilates’ original students famously said ‘Pilates is stretch and strength with control- control is what is most important because it uses your mind’. We don’t passively stretch and ‘hangout’ in the joint pulling a limb as close to us as possible, we actively stretch and resist and reach away through the limb being stretched. In Pilates we are always trying to achieve the ‘two way stretch’ eg, if one part of my body is reaching one way, how can I send more effort and more energy to achieve the other part of my body reaching the other way. Take a look at my example in this blog where I demonstrate the difference between Pilates and stretching using the hamstring stretch.
Pilates is only for people with injuries….
One of the great things about Pilates is that it really is for everybody. But that does not mean that you have to be injured to start Pilates. When Pilates really took off in it’s popularity in the 1990’s and 2000’s (it has been around since the early 1920’s), it’s because it had been adapted from the original work to suit people with various injuries, a form of rehab to recovery. And that’s not a bad thing, it means more people were experiencing the benefits of Pilates and becoming a healthier version of themselves. What came along with that was an association that you needed to be injured to do it. It’s just simply not the case. Pilates is fantastic for non-injured people too. Some people are looking to go faster or for longer when they run, bike, swim for example, or some people are looking for a mode of fitness that will keep them fit and moving but have never experienced an injury in their life (lucky ducks). For myself, no injury brought me to Pilates in the beginning, just the promise of a 6 pack… which brings me to my next myth.
Pilates is only for the core….
I was 25 years old, fit, loved to go to the gym for a sweat session, was doing triathlons and always looking for the next level of cardio to feel the burn. A couple of different friends were raving about Pilates, one even said ‘it’s the only thing that has given me a 6 pack’, my ears immediately pricked up. My vain, superficial self was thinking, ‘oh maybe I could finally have those bikini abs I’ve been looking for’. So I booked into a class asap. My thoughts were quickly validated, ‘yes, this is a fantastic core workout’ BUT, I also discovered that there is soooooo much more to it than burning your abs. Firstly, Pilates’ main priority with the ‘abdominals’ is to work them ALL. This means, not just the Rectus Abdominals aka, fancy 6 pack abs, but everything else too. Wait, what, there’s more to it? Yep, Pilates aims to engage from the inside out, that is, from the muscles in your deep centre to stabilise the spine. Your core muscles include the diaphragm, all the abdominals (rectus abdominis, transverses abdominis, internal obliques and external obliques), the deep intersegmental spinal muscles, and the pelvic floor. Once we can work from the centre, everything is impacted, from the way we stand and our posture, to the way we breathe and how we utilise breath to get more out of the exercises, to the way we use the rest of our limbs including and very importantly our feet and toes and how they have a direct relationship to our centre. The more Pilates I do, the more layers are revealed, the more I realise just how impactful the method is to every facet of being and the more I love it.
You need equipment to do it…
Somewhere along the way, Reformer Pilates has made its way up as the gold standard of Pilates. It has a bit of a reputation that if you are not laying on a moving bed with springs and pulleys -then it’s not Pilates. And actually, it’s kind of the other way around. You see, Joseph Pilates invented the machines and equipment to support people in building the strength and flexibility with the ultimate goal of getting to the Advanced Mat work unassisted. There’s nothing quite as demanding or challenging as throwing your body weight around in space on the mat. In fact, Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates infamous protege, once 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.”
Reformer Pilates is harder than mat…
Following on from the point above, the ultimate test in strength is pushing and pulling your own body weight around unassisted. That’s why the Pilates Mat work was deemed as the ultimate goal when starting a Pilates practice with Joseph Pilates way back in the 1920’s and 30’s. Although the springs and pulleys of the Reformer are supportive to stiff or injured joints and muscle tissues, they also add load to the resistance you are working with and this increases the effort, conversely, having light springs, doesn’t automatically make things easier, with lighter springs, you need to work harder for core control and balance. Basically, there is no slacking off or resting when it comes to using the Reformer and I think this gives the perception of the Reformer being hard! It’s also a strange looking contraption and takes a bit of getting used to, then add in trying to coordinate your limbs with the springs takes practice too!
I have to be flexible to do Pilates…
Yes, it might help if you come to Pilates with some flexibility up your sleeve, but it’s not necessary. Gaining flexibility is one of the reasons so many come to Pilates in the first place, it’s not a prerequisite by any means. In fact, while not enough flexibility can feel limiting in a class, too much flexibility or hyper mobility can be a whole other set of limitations to work with. Have a read of my blog, All Flex and No Pecs to find out more.
Pilates is the same as yoga…
I can see why the unknowing person could think this. Both offer numerous health benefits, both use a mat and body weight, both practice particular movements and poses, both work on strength and flexibility and both place importance of breath in movement. But that’s about where it ends. Yoga’s main point of difference is in its roots, Yoga is a spiritual philosophy that originated from ancient India. Pilates came from 20th century Germany. Pilates is a physical system that uses very specific targeted exercises to improve strength, flexibility and posture with a particular focus on the core. It is a disciplined practice that needs to be done on a regular basis to provide benefit. Modern Yoga in the West has become largely about movement but the practice has much deeper roots. The physical practice makes up only one of the eight parts of the yoga path. The other parts are ethical standards, self discipline, breath, sensory transcendence, focus, meditation and a bliss state where you transcend the self. The last four parts are involved in meditation (Zoe Bartali, Yoga teacher at The Refinery, London).