The method known as Pilates is able to improve the overall flexibility of the body, stimulate blood circulation, postural alignment, motor coordination, increase muscle strength, and prevent injury.
As the creator already said, “With 10 sessions you will notice the difference, with 20 sessions others will notice the difference and with 30 sessions you will have a new body”.
When Joseph Pilates at the end of his sentence concludes that the difference with the sessions comes to having a new body, it is due to several factors, the first of which is in relation to flexibility.
The Importance of Stretching
In the Pilates method, stretching leads to greater body flexibility, if practiced constantly and is a practice that is applied in every “class”.
The method does not work only one form of stretching, but in its entirety, the stretches are practiced slowly and progressively until reaching a maximum range of motion. And after reaching this range, the next step is to stabilize with static stretching.
Static stretching consists of maintaining the same position for a period between 20 to 30 seconds, remembering that it is not a rule to only do static stretching during Pilates practice.
In Pilates, postural alignment and motor coordination occur because the exercises are performed with postural correction and positioning.
During practice, the instructor is always attentive to observe if compensation is not occurring, if the contraction of the abdominal, transversus abdominis, obliques, multifidus, and pelvic floor muscles is occurring, and also if the “student” is breathing correctly.
Thus, during practice, it is possible to observe the accuracy of the exercise performed. The body awareness obtained with Pilates and the focus on the muscles mentioned above makes the natural curves of the spine are respected, which leads to postural alignment.
Pilates Methods
Pilates works with the whole body, through its principles, which I’ll briefly mention:
Breathing: Breathing should always be coordinated with movement, inhalation, and full exhalation. Proper breathing helps align the trunk and relax the accessory inspiratory muscles.
Centralization: Strengthening the musculature known as “Power House” already mentioned above, provides trunk stabilization and biomechanical alignment. The activation of this musculature during practice is extremely important so that during the execution of the exercise there is no overload in the spine region.
Concentration: It is the transformation of thought into movement. During the execution of the exercise, the “student” must be focused so that the movement performed is as precise as possible.
Control: It is the recruitment of the desired musculature, with no compensation. I would say that control leads to “perfect” movement.
Fluidity: The lightness of movement, without activation of accessory muscles, without joint overload. In this way, a “clean” and well-executed movement is obtained.
Within Pilates, the body gains muscle hypertrophy. The method manages to work several muscles in the body at the same time, in addition to the other gains already mentioned.
Although not the main objective, muscle hypertrophy occurs, as it uses the resistance of springs and body weight during practice, and unlike weight training, Pilates does not work with excessive loads and neither does it work on a specific muscle group.
Injury prevention also encompasses the Pilates method for both athletes and the elderly, injuries are due to wrong movements, lack of coordination, and stress.
In Pilates, when performing exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles (Power House) the “student” will have a better function of the limbs during activities, avoiding joint instability and biomechanical changes.
It will also have the stretch that will help to give more “freedom” to the movement helping to reduce tissue adhesions.
The method works on the sensory stimulus when applied during the Pilates class the balance training requiring postural control, adapting the class with accessories and different postures, always providing the right stimulus.
Compared with other sports, the method stands out for the quality of movement and guarantees that no injuries will occur, as long as it is practiced under the supervision of a qualified instructor. Remember that the first differences noticed will be good body posture and flexibility.
After some time of practice, you will notice a decrease in mental stress, a decrease in pain, especially in the spine, because with the strengthening of the abdominal muscles and body alignment, on a daily basis, the spine will no longer be overloaded for daily tasks.
Although some improvements are already noticeable in the first classes, most of them occur in the medium/long term.
Each “student” works with a specific objective, but the gain in quality of life encompasses everyone. The work of Controlegia (mind and body control) is costly, but with perseverance and patience, it is possible to achieve the goals within Pilates.