PILATES: WHAT IT IS AND ITS BENEFITS

Pilates is a philosophy of movement that enhances motor skills, improves circulation and balances the muscles. Let’s discover it better.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is a type of gymnastics (fitness method) of rehabilitation, preventive and hypothetically therapeutic (rehabilitation), focused on the control of posture - through the "regulation of the center of gravity" - in turn necessary to gain greater harmony and fluidity in movements. Especially the spine and balance control should benefit from the regular performance of Pilates.

Unlike many types of gymnastics, the Pilates method strictly follows principles based on a precise philosophical and theoretical basis. It is therefore not a simple set of exercises, but a true method, which in the last sixty years of practice and observation, has developed and perfected continuously.

Sen kehittäjän, Joseph Hubertus Pilateksen, tavoite oli lisätä ihmisten tietoisuutta itsestään, kehostaan ja mielestään yhdistääkseen ne yhdeksi, dynaamiseksi ja toiminnalliseksi kokonaisuudeksi. Tietyllä tavalla hän pyrki yhdistämään länsimaisen fysiikan parhaat puolet idän tekniikoihin, vaikka menetelmällä – jonka alkuperäinen nimi oli "Contrology" – on aina ollut vahvasti tieteellinen perusta ja se on olennaisesti vastoin itämaisten maiden esoteerisia oppeja.

What is Pilates good for?

The goal of Pilates is to achieve physical and mental harmony, strengthen the muscles without weighing them down in an unnatural way, improve elasticity and tone every part of the body, especially thanks to breathing techniques. The welcome and professionalism of the teacher play a fundamental role. Pilates should improve:

• liikkuvuuden ja liikkeen laajuuden lisääntyminen;
• koordinaatio;
• voima ja lihaskestävyys;
• static and dynamic posture;
• control of the center of the body (core), which also includes the pelvic floor;
• elämänlaatu;
• adaptability and perception;
• self-esteem and responsibility towards one’s body;
• control and mental concentration;
• breathing, which becomes more efficient;
• Mind-body connection.

The versatility of the technique has allowed its use in rehabilitation. In this method, the position and movement of each part are extremely important and the body moves like an integrated system. The more correctly you use the body in the course of exercises, the more correctly it will be used in any other circumstance. If practiced continuously and systematically, in fact, Pilates improves:

• Flexibility
• Strength and resistance to isometric force
• Control and balance.

Pilates on yleisesti hyödyllistä erityisesti vähän liikkuville, mutta ei ole näyttöä siitä, että se olisi tehokkaampaa kuin "vaihtoehtoiset hoidot".

A typical lesson of Pilates

A Pilates lesson can be bodyweight or with machine, individual or collective. In any case, it is essential that the instructor during the performance shows the correct posture and how to do the exercise. The main machines that the Pilates teacher must know how to use are four:

• A bed on which a platform slides through some rails, similar to the rowing machine of traditional gyms. It’s usually wood and steel.
• A kind of bed with an upper steel structure, on which the practitioner can hang in different positions, using ropes and pulleys.
• Very useful for the legs, similar to a simple chair but with some pedals connected that allow you to increase the resistance.
• It is fundamental for the elongation of the spine; it is a half-cylinder shaped structure.

On tietysti myös lattialla tehtäviä harjoituksia matolla. On erittäin tärkeää, että ohjaaja osaa tunnistaa rajat tai fyysiset vaikeudet, erityisesti jos kyseessä on Pilates aloittelijoille.

Nyt olet valmis astumaan Pilateksen maailmaan! Meillä on kuitenkin vielä yksi viimeinen vinkki: parantaaksesi selkeyttäsi ja suorituskykyäsi kokeile ProLon®: ainoa 5 päivän ateriaohjelma, joka jäljittelee intermittent fasting-paastoa. Osta nyt!