A Pilates Exercise Routine Can Develop A Strong Core

But before we look at the pilates exercise system a brief history on pilates:

Joseph Pilates, part greek and born in 1880 in Germany, developed his "pilates exercise system" which he called contrology (because he believed his method used the mind to control the body) during the first world war.

The system is based on aerobics and yoga postures of Surya Namaskaras.

Pilates, who was quite a sickly child suffering from asthma, rickets and rheumatic fever, became an avid bodybuilder at 14 with a well sculpted physique.

He became quite a sportsman and practised all kinds of sports such as skiing, diving and gymnastics.

• At age 32 he moved to England where he made a living as a boxer, circus performer and self defence instructor for detectives.
• When world war I broke out he was interned at the Isle of Man and decided that his fellow internees should get fit by training them. This was a success as he and none of his fellow internees succumbed to the great influenza epidemic that broke out and killed millions after the war.
• However it was while working as an hospital orderly he really started to develop his system. He encountered many war casualties, and started to help the disabled by using his own body weight to move their limbs and by developing special equipment to help condition the patients bodies.
• He did this by adding springs to the beds to provide some resistance and stretching training to help develop their muscular strength and flexibility - these were the prototypes for the machines used today.
• He recommended a few, precise movements emphasizing control and form to aid injured soldiers in regaining their health by strengthening, stretching, and stabilizing key muscles.
• Joseph Pilates believed mental and physical health are essential to one another. He also recorgnised that imbalances in the body and habitual patterns of movements cause injuries. He noticed it was the weak parts in the body that caused these imbalances and that other areas of the body would have to compensate for this.
  Pilates created "The Pilates Principles" to condition the entire body: proper alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement.
• In 1926 Pilates and his wife Clara moved to New York where they set up an exercise studio. By 1940 the dance community became aware of his fitness programmes, especially the ballet community. Pilates had a number of students who set up there own studios and so the method spread with each teacher adding their own individual twist. This is still the case today and it would be rare to find one teacher who taught the same method in exactly the same way.
• The original 34 exercises Pilates developed have been modified by his followers to make them more accessible for all kinds of people. Two main methods are taught these days. The first is the method using the Re-former (an updated piece of equipment similar to the spring system pilates developed earlier) and the mat method.

So what are the main benefits of a pilates exercise program?

First let us look at the muscle groups. These can be divided into two main groups "prime movers" and "postural"

Prime movers

Probably quite obviously are responsible for movement such as the hamstrings in the back of the thighs or the deltiods in the shoulders.

Postural muscles

Such as the deep abdominal muscle called the Transversus abdominis, maintain your core stability.

This core stability is essential for creating a firm platfrom and keeping the pelvis still while running or controlling the position of the shoulder blade whilst throwing a rugby ball for example.

Muscular strain or faulty mechanics can cause imbalances and result in an uneven pull of a muscle around a joint.

Even after the pain has gone the muscles will still be weak as they do not automatically strengthen again. This is why injuries tend to reoccur.

Core stabilty requires strength, endurance and co-ordination of the stabalizing abdominal, pelvic floor and lower back muscles. This is vital for proper protection from injury and support of the lower back, general postural alignment and to allow the release of the hips for greater freedom of movement.

As you are aware by now a pilates exercise program can strengthen you core stabalizing muscles but what are the "other benefits".

These can be:

• Improved balance
• Greater flexibility
• A longer, leaner and more toned body (some people say they feel they have "grown taller")
• Reduction in aches, pains and stiffness.
• As posture is improved you will look to have lost weight.
• More confidence and a genral sense of well-being.
• Better sleep.
• More energy.
• Extra 'alertness' during waking hours.

Some of the most expierenced athletes comment that they feel like beginners when embarking on a pilates exercise routine.

These methods are still relevent today and have been incorporated into physiotherapy routines to help aid rehabilitation today by helping in the deveopment of a strong core

So do not let the simple looking exercises fool you they are very challenging and can be extremly beneficial for developing and maintaining those core muscles as well as keeping fit and lean!!(If you want to further read and learn about his methods he wrote two books concerning the Pilates method, Return to Life through Contrology (1928) and Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education (1934).

As this site grows I shall start adding a special section for Pilates exercises but for now why not try enrolling in a class you might find it helps you alot more than you could imagine!!