March 27, 2009, Newsletter Issue #147: What are the Principles of Pilates?

Tip of the Week

In many fitness centers, Pilates is one of the most popular types of abdominal exercises for women. In order to make the most of your Pilates abs workout, it behooves you to adhere the basic principles of Pilates:

Concentration: This refers to the body-mind connection, which makes consciously aware of your movements.

Control and Precision: In a Pilates abs workout, you are never just “going through the motions.” Make use of your concentration skills to perform precise, accurate movements, which will result in impressive muscular definition.

Breathing: In a Pilates class, when you exhale, your deeper abdominal muscles, called the core musculature, press against the diaphragm to assist in expelling the air. This helps you use your transverse abdominal muscle. Observe your stomach as you do this. Doesn't it look flatter? Think of a balloon. If you wanted to flatten the balloon, you would let the air out. Your stomach works the same way.

Centering: All Pilates abs exercises initiate from the core, and flow outward to the extremities. Many people refer to the Pilates Powerhouse, the front to back area between the pubic bone and the ribcage. It includes the lower back muscles, stomach and the upper buttocks. Learning to engage these muscles enhances coordination, as well as the appearance of your entire body.

Fluidity and Continuity of Movement: Pilates exercises flow in a continuous sequence with each other. This enhances grace and movement efficiency.

Integration: You will find that many of the Pilates exercises work a few muscles simultaneously, which makes it a highly functional form of exercise. This also means that your abs are still working as you perform exercises for the other body parts. How cool is that?

Alignment: Postural alignment is an important element of the Pilates method. As your mother probably told you, when you stand up straight, your abs look flatter.

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