Pilates

Inner thigh lift

A friend asks about Pilates the other day. Seribadan does not offer Pilates per se but it is taught as part of ABT class where Pilates is paired with cardio exercises. Or sometimes in Bodyworks session but only a tiny bit.

So what actually is Pilates?

Pilates is a body conditioning routine that seeks to build flexibility, strength, endurance, and coordination without adding muscle bulk. In addition, pilates increases circulation and helps to sculpt the body and strengthen the body's "core" (torso).

Pilates (pronounced: puh-lah-tez) improves your mental and physical well-being, increases flexibility, and strengthens muscles. Pilates uses controlled movements in the form of mat exercises or equipment to tone and strengthen the body. It was originally used to rehabilitate bedridden or immobile patients during World War I.

Joseph H. Pilates, the founder of the pilates exercise method, was born in Germany. As a child he was frail, living with asthma in addition to other childhood conditions. To build his body and grow stronger, he took up several different sports, eventually becoming an accomplished athlete. As a nurse in Great Britain during World War I, he designed exercise methods and equipment for immobilized patients and soldiers. In addition to his equipment, Pilates developed a series of mat exercises that focus on the torso. He based these on various exercise methods from around the world, among them the mind-body formats of yoga and Chinese martial arts.

There are two ways to exercise in pilates. Today, most people focus on the mat exercises, which require only a floor mat and training. These exercises are designed so that your body uses its own weight as resistance. The other method of pilates uses a variety of machines to tone and strengthen the body, again using the principle of resistance. At Seribadan, only mat exercises is offered.

The best exercise combination

For many people, variety is the key to a successful program, so don't limit yourself to the same aerobics video or walking trail day after day if you don't want to. Your prescription may include exercises from each of the following groups.

Aerobic exercises.

Aerobic exercises use low- to moderate-intensity continuous motion to increase your breathing and heart rate and improve your cardiovascular fitness — the health of your heart, lungs and circulatory system. Aerobic activities cover a range of exercises, including walking, biking, swimming, hiking and aerobic dancing.

Strength exercises.

Strength (resistance) exercises build your muscle strength and endurance, which in turn help improve your posture, balance and coordination. These exercises involve working with resistance (pulling or pushing against a force) to increase muscle force-generating capabilities. These exercises can also help build muscle size and improve muscle definition. Activities include lifting free weights, using weight machines, working with resistance bands and using your body weight in exercises like push-ups.

Core stability exercises.

A subset of strength exercises, core stability exercises strengthen and stabilize your trunk muscles. Building strength in these muscles supports your spine, improves posture and balance, promotes better sports performance and may help prevent back injury. Examples of this type of activity include Pilates and using a fitness ball.

Flexibility exercises.

Flexibility exercises increase your range of motion, make your muscles more limber and may help reduce the risk of injury. They also improve your posture and aid in your body's recovery from vigorous activity or exercise sessions. Activities which improve flexibility range from simple stretching exercises to yoga.

Balance exercises.

Balance exercises help you maintain balance, reducing your risk of falls and injury. They also help improve performance. Activities include tai chi, yoga, weight shift and single-leg balance reach exercises. Many strength exercises can be modified to improve balance.

The myth of ABT

Actually, not just ABT. Bodyworks as well. Now and again I've met people bent upon doing crunch, and only crunches all the time to get a flat tummy. Or somebody might be unhappy that the fitness instructor included cardio excercise in her bodyworks class because all she wanted to do is lift weight, that's all.

The thing is, there is no such thing as spot reduction. You can't just lose the fat on your, say, waistline alone. It did not work that way. You need to reduce overall body fat before your ABT (body conditioning) and weight training would show their effect. You could do chest press all day and all you could achieve is increase in muscle endurance.

So that was the reason why ABT and Bodyworks classes were preceded with cardio workout. To start the calorie burning.

Here is an interesting article i found on the net:

Now for the “what won’t work” glute list:

Butt Blaster Machines – These machines, sometimes called “butt blaster” or “butt burner units,” have you positioned on your hands and knees. You place your foot on a platform above your glutes and behind your upper body – and then push up towards the ceiling with your foot.
This is an ineffective exercise. It places some resistance on the butt, but nothing that will stimulate any type of significant change. It doesn’t matter if you perform 10 reps or 30.
You’d be better off performing a lunge which places excellent resistance on the glutes/legs and allows it to be worked more effectively, or even an angled leg press, which works the legs and glutes as well.

Focusing Only On Butt Exercises – Some people will do a 10-minute weight workout, 10-minute cardio workout and then spend 20 minutes working the glutes. This will not give you the results you seek. This method assumes that constant work of the butt will make it smaller.

Fire Hydrant Exercise -- Did you ever walk by a cardio class and see people on all fours as they raise one leg (with bent knee) up to the side. This is called a Fire Hydrant. Again, an overrated exercise that is ineffective.

Why is it ineffective? A muscle responds to overload and resistance. You simply can’t place enough overload on the glute in that position. You’d need the heaviest ankle weights on earth and it still wouldn’t work.

Very High Repetitions –- This applies to any lower body movement, including the glutes. Very high reps for the lower body (over 20) will not place enough overload and stress on a muscle to make any cosmetic change. So, the people who perform 100 kneeling rear leg kicks, 50 reps of leg presses etc. are simply training for muscular endurance -- that’s about it. One might say that at least they’re burning calories, but if that’s the goal, there are better ways to burn calories (i.e. cardiovascular exercise)

The formula for success remains clear -- calorie reduction to lose fat; cardiovascular exercise to burn more calories, weight training to stimulate the metabolism, including strategic lower body exercises such as squats, lunges and leg presses to tighten the legs and glutes.

Now, go get that bodacious butt you’ve always wanted.

Article from eFitness.com (by Raphael Caldazilla)