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The principles of Pilates (part 8)

With Pilates the way in which the exercises are executed is of more importance than the number of repetitions completed or the exertion used. Mastering a simple exercise is often far more complicated than producing a larger movement!

Joseph Pilates created 6 principles of Pilates, but over time these have been added to and there are now deemed to be 8 key principles:

1. concentration
2. centering
3. breathing
4. control
5. precision
6. flowing movement
7. isolation
8. routine

Today we’re going to look at routine.

Routine:

“Patience and persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavour” J Pilates

As with anything, repetition and practice lead to greater skill and greater benefits. Obviously the value of the repetition relies on it being of a good quality but that aside, it stands to reason that a regular routine of practice will be of more benefit than exercising sporadically.

An established routine of Pilates exercise will improve physical and mental well-being and the more you practice the more improvement you can expect to see. It is the same with learning to play a musical instrument or a sport – if you practice once a week it will take you far longer to master it and become proficient than if you practice for several hours a day.

The amount of time you have to practice will obviously depend on your personal circumstances but practising a pilates routine twice a week would be a good place to start. If you are short on time try shorter sessions whenever you can. However much time you have, try to develop a routine which works for you.

As you master the exercises and see improvements, your confidence in your abilities will grow and you may notice changes about your body, in terms of how it feels and looks, but try not to bring about these changes by putting too much forced effort into your movements. Don’t panic if visible results take time – you are working from the inside out, developing a stronger foundation on which to carry the more superficial muscles, and this will inevitably take time.

Remember to try to incorporate the different principles of Pilates so that your movements are controlled and flowing whilst coordinated with your breathing. Think of your Pilates exercises as being natural, like walking in the park.

Remember too that it has taken a great deal of time to bring your body to where it is now – if you have poor posture or dysfunctional movement patterns they cannot be unlearned in a hurry, so be kind and give your body the space to learn new habits.

Imagine your Pilates exercises as everyday movements rather than something you do in class! Try to incorporate an increased awareness into everyday life – feel your gluteal muscles engage as you walk up an incline; visualise your abdominal muscles supporting your back when lifting a load; feel yourself supported from the inside whilst sitting or standing.

Ultimately Pilates is about improved quality of movement which can lead to an improved quality of life. Grasp it with both hands and enjoy the process.

Jx

Please click here to find out more about of my current Pilates classes

The principles of Pilates (part 7)

With Pilates the way in which the exercises are executed is of more importance than the number of repetitions completed or the exertion used. Mastering a simple exercise is often far more complicated than producing a larger movement!

Joseph Pilates created 6 principles of Pilates, but over time these have been added to and there are now deemed to be 8 key principles:

1. concentration
2. centering
3. breathing
4. control
5. precision
6. flowing movement
7. isolation
8. routine

Today we’re going to look at isolation.

Isolation:

“Each muscle may cooperatively and loyally aid in the uniform development of all our muscles” J Pilates

Isolating a muscle means that you are specifically targeting the muscle you are supposed to be working, rather than using other more dominant muscles near-by.

Concentration alone is not always enough to fire up the receptors to engage a faulty/weak muscle. You may first need to spend time identifying the muscle you are trying to work. If you cannot visualise where you should feel a movement, try this tip from Allan Menezes (founder of the Pilates Institute of Australia):

Press your fingers into the relaxed muscle to create a mental connection.

For example, when performing single leg circles [lying on your back with one leg extended vertically], press your fingers into the inner thigh, close to the groin so that you identify your inner thigh (adductor) muscles. Keep pressing the fingers into the inner thigh as you take your leg out to the side and then press the muscle against your fingers when bringing your leg back to the centre.

This will give your mind a better connection to the muscle you want to activate (the adductors) rather than the muscles you want to relax (the quadriceps), which might otherwise control the movement.

When trying this technique, an increased pressure can be more effective in provoking the correct response.

Don’t worry if it takes several attempts before you master this technique – just keep trying until you get the muscle to respond. Routine and repetition will gradually help you to recognise and feel incorrect movement patterns/muscle recruitment so that you can gradually learn to isolate and recruit the correct muscles in the correct order.

It’s worth mentioning that a muscle does not need to feel sore the next day for you to know that it is working. If the muscle you are targeting feels firm to the touch when you are doing the exercise that is a good indication that it is working well. Conversely the muscle you are trying to relax should feel soft to the touch and this is an indication that it is not taking over the workload.

Over time, once you have gained control of the weaker muscles you may not need to rely on this type of kinaesthetic feedback to ‘feel’ that the muscle is working, but it is always a good way to check-in with what is happening in your body.

Successful isolation of working muscles will lead to greater flexibility in the muscles and joints. If you can isolate a part of the body and allow it to move independently you will also be better able to coordinate movements using different muscle groups.

Jx

Please click here to find out more about of my current Pilates classes

The principles of Pilates (part 6)

With Pilates the way in which the exercises are executed is of more importance than the number of repetitions completed or the exertion used. Mastering a simple exercise is often far more complicated than producing a larger movement!

Joseph Pilates created 6 principles of Pilates, but over time these have been added to and there are now deemed to be 8 key principles:

1. concentration
2. centering
3. breathing
4. control
5. precision
6. flowing movement
7. isolation
8. routine

Today we’re going to look at flowing movement.

Flowing movement:

“Contrology [the original name for Pilates] is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in [all you do].” J Pilates

In Pilates, exercises are performed as smooth flowing movements so that muscles are continually being toned. When there is no control of the movement muscles are being under-utilised and there will not be the same toning result.

Fluidity of movement when exercising (practising) will also create fluidity of movement in everyday life so that the muscles are being actively toned for much more of your waking time.

In addition, by moving with conscious muscular control and flow, you will eliminate stiff/jerky movements which may over time create faulty movement patterns and contribute to injury.

When we extend limbs to their end-range, we are more likely to lose control over the associated muscles and joints. For example, if you extend your leg to kick something without consciously controlling the muscles, the fast movement can create a ‘snapping’ or ‘locking out’ of the joint. If this movement is repeated frequently it can lead to joint pain caused by wear & tear and weakness in the supporting soft tissues. Allowing the movement to flow with control will reduce the possibility of damaging the joint.

In particular, people who are hypermobile (double-jointed) need to avoid over-extending their joints – they should extend only to the point where the joint remains ‘unlocked’. Initially they will feel that they have not fully straightened the limb but to anyone else it will look quite normal. Over time they may be able to reduce their hypermobility by consciously limiting the range of movement at the susceptible joints and by increasing the fluidity of their movements to avoid snapping or locking out.

Stiff movements can also occur when there is relative muscle tightness in certain areas of the body. For example if the hamstrings (back of thighs) are tight/shortened the gluteal (buttock) muscles will usually be lengthened and weak which will have an impact on postural alignment and movement patterns. Over time, increased fluidity of movement will help to establish a better balance between the opposing muscle groups and restore improved function and posture.

When practising Pilates (and in everyday life) try to keep your movements flowing & continuous. Think of ten repetitions as one continuous movement rather than one separate movement repeated 10 times. Think of moving in a relaxed manner with graceful transitions between exercises.

Jx

Please click here to find out more about of my current Pilates classes

The principles of Pilates (part 5)

With Pilates the way in which the exercises are executed is of more importance than the number of repetitions completed or the exertion used. Mastering a simple exercise is often far more complicated than producing a larger movement!

Joseph Pilates created 6 principles of Pilates, but over time these have been added to and there are now deemed to be 8 key principles:

1. concentration
2. centering
3. breathing
4. control
5. precision
6. flowing movement
7. isolation
8. routine

Today we’re going to look at precision.

Precision:

“Correctly executed and mastered to the point of subconscious reaction, these exercises will reflect grace and balance in your routine activities” J Pilates

When he talked about ‘precision’ Joseph Pilates was referring to a precision, or exactness, in movement. Through repeatedly practising the same movements with the same precision each time, our movements will become graceful and seemingly effortless – think of a classical ballet dancer or a gymnast practising over and over again until they can perform a move with exact precision each time.

To move with precision requires concentration and mental feedback from visualising and understanding how the movement will look & feel when it is correct. Without feedback we will not know whether or not we are moving precisely but it is often difficult to receive feedback from our bodies when stronger muscles groups take over from the weaker ones we are trying to target.

In order to improve the feedback, movements need to be controlled. We must first start with our body in neutral alignment and we can then slow exercises down so that movements become synchronised – ie the movement speed in one part of the body (eg an arm) matches the speed of movement in another part of the body (eg a leg) and also co-ordinates with the pace of your breathing. When movements become out of time with another part of the body or out of time with the breathing, the exercise ceases to flow and becomes stressful to the body instead.

Initially when you perform an exercise, your body may not want to move in the way you are asking it to – it will tend to move in the way that it usually moves, as it will have a well-established pattern of movement already. It is said that it takes 1000 repetitions for the body to accept a new movement pattern. Obviously this takes time but can be achieved with regular repetition and practice.

The more accurate your movements when you practice, the sooner your body will adapt to the new movement patterns. Next time you are practising try to stay focused on:

• the position your body is in at the start of an exercise
• how the movement looks and feels as you perform it
• whether your movements are co-ordinated with each other and with your breath

Jx

Please click here to find out more about of my current Pilates classes

The principles of Pilates (part 4)

With Pilates the way in which the exercises are executed is of more importance than the number of repetitions completed or the exertion used. Mastering a simple exercise is often far more complicated than producing a larger movement!

Joseph Pilates created 6 principles of Pilates, but over time these have been added to and there are now deemed to be 8 key principles:

1. concentration
2. centering
3. breathing
4. control
5. precision
6. flowing movement
7. isolation
8. routine

Today we’re going to look at control.

Control:

“Ideally, our muscles should obey our will. Reasonably, our will should not be dominated by the reflex actions of our muscles” J Pilates

Once the first three principles have been mastered well enough, the next principle, control, can be applied more easily.

Control is important in preventing injury and avoiding overuse of dominant muscles at the expense of smaller, weaker muscles. Control is especially important when working against gravity in mat work exercises and ensures that limbs are moved in a smooth and controlled manner, activating the muscles we want to use.

Gaining and maintaining control of every movement takes a great deal of focus and effort along with awareness of what the rest of the body is doing at the same time. Although it takes time to develop this skill, we can gradually improve our control by repeatedly practising Pilates exercises over time.

The level of control and awareness required may be the same regardless of the size of a movement – ie. a small local movement is not necessarily an easier movement to control than a larger sweeping movement.

What is important is that we move with mindfulness, whether we are performing Pilates exercises or carrying out activities of daily living. By moving mindfully, we can seek to gain more control over weaker muscles in order to improve their strength and function and thereby improve our general posture and movement patterns. An improved posture will in itself also lead to even better recruitment of the structural muscles, which will then further enhance posture and movement.

Without control, any exercise that we do becomes ineffective and potentially harmful. The more often we repeat movements without focus and control, the more deeply ingrained our poor movement patterns becomes, leading to greater muscle imbalance and postural instability.

When practising Pilates try to stay aware of what your whole body is doing but with extra focus on controlling the moving limbs. For example:

• when we are performing a leg slide (lying supine and extending one leg along the floor away from the bottom) try to notice how your lower back, pelvis and rib cage feel in relation to the mat – the aim is that the position of the torso will be maintained (as far as possible) while you are moving the leg in a smooth and controlled fashion
• when you change to the other leg try to notice if the pelvis rocks from side-to-side – the aim being that you control movement in the pelvic girdle whilst shifting from one leg to the other
• if you don’t apply any control during a leg slide, you might notice:
  • your lower back and/or your rib cage arching away from the floor
  • your tummy doming (rounding upwards)
  • your pelvis tilting

The challenge is to control your movements whilst also applying concentration (a strong mind/body connection), keeping a centre (core) and breathing to activate your deeper abdominal muscles… let me know how you get on

Jx

Please click here to find out more about of my current Pilates classes