The Good in Pilates reformers
Posted on 19 October 2007 | No responses
Happy Birthday Zanya 
Pilates is a method of exercise invented by Joseph Pilates in the early 1910’s. Joseph Pilates was a frail child, getting sick most of the time, he eventually got into exercising to improve his health. When he was detained in an English detention center for being an “enemy alien” in World War I, he used springs from hospital beds, for the resistance exercises that he used. It was these exact springs that inspired him to make the exercise machine that is now called the Pilates Reformer.
Joseph Pilates invented the Pilates technique of exercising to form a low intensity workout that is suitable for anyone in any condition. And indeed, Pilates has been successful both in the healthy and the slightly not well of population because of its low energy requirement. The Pilates reformer is just one of the many Pilates equipment that the technique employs and it is also the most popular of it all, with its simplicity and its economic size.
Essentially, doing Pilates Matwork would be the most ideal form of exercise that you can do, but reality wise, nobody can really do the demanding exercises of matwork without first experiencing less tiring methods; this is where the Pilates reformer comes in. But remember, it is really better to do Pilates of any form with an instructor. The Pilates instructor knows which part of the body to focus on, which exercise would benefit you most and which machine to really use.
But if you’re hell bent on using the Pilates reformer, then to each his own, the truth is the reformer is one of the most effective equipment of all the Pilates machines. Just its name entails something that is a big claim on its own, “reformer” meaning something that reforms, and indeed it does, reform, reform your body.
The first basic exercise would have you, the exerciser lying face up on the carriage, as they call it. This is where the instructor comes in, he positions you to prevent strain on your body, and then you push your body, carriage and all, up and down or back and forth, depending on the type of Pilates Reformer that you are using.
The good thing about a Pilates reformer is that it doesn’t even equal the leg presses that you usually do in a gym, it does something much more. The instructor guides you in order that you may maintain a neutral spine and pelvis, to prevent you straining them. And in addition you can even feel the movement come from your deep core muscles. Pilates aims to strength\then your core muscles, and this is just hat a Pilates Reformer does. Aside from this you must relax your quads, hip flexors and knees, these are the mostly tired parts of your body, what with all the walking, the Pilates reformer and with the help of the instructor, helps these parts of your body relax more, and put the other parts, such as the back of your legs and your hips in a way that can absorb most of the strain instead of the knee.
The Pilates reformer exercise progresses into much higher intensity ones, once your instructor has given the go for the removal of the foot bar, to circling your legs and to more complex movements. This is for increased intensity, and this is also where things get complicated, that is why it is really important to have an instructor. AS time goes, step by step all the mechanical support for your body are removed and your body will have to do more to compensate, this is what is good about a Pilates reformer, you only need one machine for increased intensity.
After every session, your body becomes stronger, your core harder, and with the Pilates reformer, you’re sure to be able to do strengthen yourself more and do more challenging workouts for a very long time.
About the author:
Authored by Michael Bens – For more great information on how to lose weight, get in shape, and live healthy, visit Gabae Weight Loss for great resources, training and motivation!
Written By: Michael Bens
The Basics of Pilates Exercise
Posted on 11 October 2007 | No responses
If you’re highly informed or even if you’re one of those people that just stay home, no doubt you’ve heard of the Pilates Exercise. Pilates Exercises sometimes used an acronym for Proximal Integrating Latent Agile Toning Exercise; it aims to stretch and to strengthen your body that is why most contortionists and ballet dancers get into it. But just because people are taking it for physical improvement, and weight loss, it doesn’t mean that a Pilates exercise is a cardiovascular exercise. Pilates is basically a low intensity exercise, but you could still exert a bit, but not like how much you exert during an aerobics class. Most instructors recommend Pilates with aerobics and other forms of exercise for best effects.
The Pilates Exercise was invented by Joseph Pilates, a German National, as a self exercise. Pilates was born a fragile child, sickly and asthmatic, so he took to exercise to improve his body. When he was a bit older, he was living in France, and was arrested as an “enemy alien.’ During his internment, he was assigned in the medical facilities of the prison and this is where he put Pilates into use, as rehabilitation exercises for the sick. He attached springs to Hospital beds for Later he moved to the United States and opened his own Studio.
Since then the Pilates exercises has gained its reputation for helping improve the overall physical state of the body. Pilates exercise is a series of breathing techniques combined with stretching and a simple machine. Pilates exercises improve the body’s core, which includes the muscles in the abdomen, back, and buttocks. Some say it is better than yoga overall because it strengthens the body through improving posture strength and flexibility through stretching. The machines used in Pilates, are there to challenge the body, by making it stay in certain positions while moving the other parts in differing directions, thereby training the body to endure strain, thus increasing strength.
The basic Ideology of the Pilates Exercise is the use of the body’s mental ability to improve movement, efficiency and muscle control, which is also why they say that Pilate exercise somehow improves one’s mental state. Pilates also makes you aware of proper posture, due to the exercises that you do, it also develops the muscles in the back and abdomen, further contributing to your good posture. Pilate exercise also uses breathing techniques, which further increases mental focus. And probably one of the greatest focuses of Pilates is flexibility strength of the muscles. It is this ideology that made Pilates popular among dancers when it first started out.
Many Pilates enthusiasts and users have testified to the effectiveness of Pilates. With regular classes, the bodies become well balanced and stronger. Some say that after each workout, you can instantly feel the difference it has made to the parts of the body, mainly the legs back and abs. Aside from increased strength, there is also the topic of weight loss, this is what most people aim for when they do Pilates exercises, and this is achieved indeed when you do Pilates. Aside from the ones above other results of Pilates include increased energy levels, higher endurance, better flexibility, great abdominal workouts, and overall physical well being. Aside from those stated above, Pilates exercises are also used for the rehabilitation of physical injuries, because of its low intensity level and focused form of exercise, some doctors say that it is best for the treatment of injuries on the limbs.
About the author:
Authored by Michael Bens – For more great information on how to lose weight, get in shape, and live healthy, visit Gabae Weight Loss for great resources, training and motivation!
Written By: Michael Bens
The Power Of Winsor Pilates Resistance Band
Posted on 3 October 2007 | No responses
The Winsor Pilates exercise has many Pilates equipments that can create a whole new level of interest and intensity to the Winsor Pilates experience. One of those is the Winsor Pilates resistance band. It is noted that some of the Winsor Pilates equipments provide support and offer resistance and the Winsor Pilates resistance band function as such.
For Boosting Strength
The Winsor Pilates resistance band is considered to be an extremely accommodating workout tool that can be used anytime, anywhere for a speedy and well-performed exercise in just minutes. Many of the Winsor Pilates resistance bands have various colors and for such quality, many clients chose Winsor Pilates resistance bands with a color that suits their personality and even their strength level. Each of those Winsor Pilates resistance band with different colors has a dissimilar resistance band level.
As such, most of the Winsor Pilates resistance bands are being applied more often for strength training. This particular function of the Winsor Pilates resistance band is widely applied because the Winsor Pilates resistance bands are said to be portable and perfect for traveling. Aside from that fact, the Winsor Pilates resistance bands are small and can be place away without much effort and amazingly it is affordable that will grant you to acquire multiple cables for various exercises. In addition, the Winsor Pilates resistance bands are acclaimed for its effectiveness which is often referred as powerful as weights for exercising.
For Improving Flexibility
For further information, the Winsor Pilates resistance band, which is also known as the Flex Band or Thera Band, is actually a flexible and elastic strip of latex that can beef up an element of light resistance to a Winsor Pilates exercise. It is also interesting to note that the Winsor Pilates resistance band is an excellent tool that is used in other fitness disciplines and rehabilitation techniques. Being an excellent tool, the Winsor Pilates resistance band specifically can help to lengthen the major muscles, target the lower and upper body, functions in the core abdominals, and can enhance flexibility. The pleasure with Winsor Pilates resistance band continues with its ability to improve the joint mobility and create a certain focus on the mind and body, and the Winsor Pilates resistance band also sculpt a strong and streamlined appearance.
The Winsor Pilates resistance band, additionally, can be employed for stretching, toning and sculpting from the ankle to wrist. One of the common methods of using the Winsor Pilates resistance band in which most Winsor Pilates clients practiced is by wrapping the Winsor Pilates resistance band around the back with the arms in front and then got a chest press. After that, most of the people who use Winsor Pilates resistance band step on the Winsor Pilates resistance band while standing and then by curling up with the biceps or lunging forward and reaching back to rouse the triceps. And with Winsor Pilates resistance band, you can lie on the back with your foot in the strap and you can execute a single leg stretch, which is one of the major Winsor Pilates moves. The Winsor Pilates resistance band, after those steps must be placed on the feet and hold the Winsor Pilates resistance band firm to aid with abdominal roll backs.
With the use of the Winsor Pilates resistance band, many considered that the possibilities are seemingly endless.
About the Author:
Evan Chloe, author, is a fitness specialist who writes articles for http://www.bodybuildingdirect.com
Written By: Evan Chloe
Winsor Pilates 20-Minute Workout: A Challenging Method
Posted on 25 September 2007 | No responses
The Winsor Pilates having created a new trend in the fitness industry continue to conquer the whole arena of popularity with its new tools to further create a great result to most of the Winsor Pilates clients.
Aside from the Winsor Pilates introduction of the 3-D Training and the Win-in-10-Meal Plan, the Winsor Pilates program devised the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute Workout for those who are Winsor Pilates fitness junkies.
The Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout is actually the second video produced by the Winsor Pilates fitness program to introduce the Winsor Pilates junkies to some of its exercises and kinesics. According to some researches, the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout is surprisingly much difficult than the first tape that contains the seven main Winsor Pilates movements. However, many of the movements contained in this Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout are viewed to be on the standard level.
To better challenge the readers, the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout is a fussy and complicated workout even if this Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout is done correctly. But you guys dont need to worry because this Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout is for the beginners so this 20-Minute workout is somewhat easy to realize. It basically has a main emphasis on the body control or the core of the body which is commonly known as abdominal muscles.
Most of the clients who undergo and experienced the feeling after taking the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout recommended that the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout movements create a great result if done in front of a full-length mirror. This method will surely help you hold your abs in place without wobbling and tottering, and this method will help you control your movements. Challenging isnt it?
Moreover, the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout is generally sequenced to aid the participants reshape their bodies with great speed. Since we are informed that the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout is a 20-Minute exercise, it is understandable that the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout contains the primordial Pilates exercises executed in 20 minutes. The Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout is somewhat like a rhythmic method because in this workout, you will be focusing and spotting every portion in your body with monitored and orchestrated kinesics.
Just like the first Winsor Pilates video that contain the 3-D Training, the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout comprises the seven basic Winsor Pilates movements, which include the Pilates 100, Roll-Up, Single Leg Circles, Rolling Like a Ball, Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Stretch, and Spine Stretch Forward. Aside from these seven major Winsor Pilates exercises, the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout also contain exercises like Single Straight Leg, Double Straight Leg, Criss Cross, Saw, Side Kick Series, Leg Lifts, and Seal.
As it is commonly noted, in the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout you also need to start each set of exercises with the basic breathing exercise before you can undergo the much intricate Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout movements.
So with the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout, I am sure that everyone will be pleased and challenged. However, in the Winsor Pilates 20-Minute workout, I will further say that you watch out for wobbling torsos, lifting of the back and abdomen off the ground when performing leg exercises, simmering and motion of the hips, and jacking up of the shoulders.
About the Author:
Evan Chloe, author, is a fitness specialist who writes articles for http://www.bodybuildingdirect.com
Written By: Evan Chloe
Discount Windsor Pilates Packages
Posted on 17 September 2007 | No responses
The Windsor Pilates program because of its continuous recognition from all parts of the world begins to provide the Windsor Pilates clients with discount Windsor Pilates tools to maintain the Windsor Pilates image and to further win many Windsor Pilates fans.
Winsor Pilates Videos
Among the many discount Windsor Pilates program tools, the discount Windsor Pilates videos are the most common. As such the Windsor Pilates offered discount Windsor Pilates videos to new customers to help themselves achieve great results by doing the Windsor Pilates such as the basic system television offer that mainly involves the basic step by step method of the Windsor Pilates exercise, 20-Minute workout, and sculpting journal. Such discount Windsor Pilates item is worth keeping because this discount Windsor Pilates item has free bonus of Win-in-10-Meal Plan which is designed as one of the discount Windsor Pilates items for a healthy diet. This particular discount Windsor Pilates package is intended for those who want to lose weight, improve their fitness level, and sculpt their body slim.
The Basic Value
Another discount Windsor Pilates package includes the basic value. This certain discount Windsor Pilates package includes the basics step by step of the discount Windsor Pilates exercise, 20-Minute workout, sculpting journal, power sculpting abs, power sculpting buns and thighs, upper body sculpting, and power sculpting advanced. These mentioned items presented in this discount Windsor Pilates package have its own distinctions and functions. Aside from that, this specific discount Windsor Pilates package has free bonuses that compromise the Win-in-10-Meal Plan and discount Windsor Pilates resistance band. This second discount Windsor Pilates package is designed for those who have desires to use the discount Windsor Pilates basic system to lose weight, strengthen and tone the body, plus additional intensity workouts to target areas of the body for much quicker results. Imagine how worthy the customers of those discount Windsor Pilates are.
Endless Fitness System
The beauty of the discount Windsor Pilates still continues with its third set of discount Windsor Pilates package. This next discount Windsor Pilates package is entitled as Endless Fitness System. Such discount Windsor Pilates package is also worthy of appreciation because this discount Windsor Pilates package involves the basics step by step Windsor Pilates exercises, endless fitness for beginners, endless fitness for strength and body slimming, the Windsor dozen, and sculpting journal. Just like the other two discount Windsor Pilates packages; this certain discount Windsor Pilates package has also a free bonus of the back workout. Cool isnt it? In addition, this third discount Windsor Pilates package is intended for those who are at a lower to beginning fitness level or even in a mature age group. This bizarre discount Windsor Pilates package is easy to follow and slower in pace. So with that unique feature of this discount Windsor Pilates package, the client is expected to lose weight, build strength, flexibility, and enhance the overall fitness all at his/her own pace.
Finally it is very important to note that those discount Windsor Pilates packages has its own functions and distinctions. For further information, I further recommend you to visit the Windsor Pilates program online to see the various discount Windsor Pilates packages that they offer.
About the Author:
Evan Chloe, author, is a fitness specialist who writes articles for http://www.bodybuildingdirect.com
Written By: Evan Chloe
What Is The Difference Between Yoga And Pilates?
Posted on 9 September 2007 | No responses
Yoga is a transformative art, and deceptively simple. At least, although the advanced yoga postures are in fact difficult to the unpracticed, and look it, the changes that yoga can bring into one’s life belie the apparent simplicity of stretching muscles.
After all, we stretch muscles at the gym during a warm up. So what is the basic difference between yoga and regular workouts, including pilates. Pilates, after all, took some of its inspiration from yoga. Or at least the aspect of yoga that is made of the physical exercises, the asanas.
Yoga integrates the breath and consciousness with physical stretches in a way that I haven’t even felt in pilates, although pilates is great as a way of strengthening the internal muscles of the body as well, particularly the pelvic floor.
But in yoga, through the breath, and focusing on it within our body, we come to a greater understanding of both our body and ourselves. We begin a more conscious relationship with our individuality. We meet that unique expression of ourselves expressing physically in that moment. And we are able to begin a process of changing that which is blocking the vital flow of our energy.
That is why it doesn’t matter what state we are in when we begin practising a yoga posture. We might be more or less stiff, or in pain, or distracted, than usual. It is a journey of discovery, not of trying to fit ourselves into an external idea, even if that idea is represented in that moment by the yoga posture we are trying to do. Desikachar writes that the body can “only gradually accept an asana”. We should not strain ourselves, or judge ourselves, if we cannot fit into that posture. That posture is a possible outcome, yes, but what we do in our practice of yoga is to take the journey.
Desikachar makes another important point: “We should remain flexible so that we are still able to react to changes in our expectations and old ideas. The more distanced we are from the fruits of our labors, the better we are able to do this… Paying more attention to the spirit in which we act and looking less to the results our actions may bring us – this is the meaning of isvarapranidhana in kriya yoga”
The asanas are a way of preparing ourselves to more fully meet the challenges of life in a way that does not throw us off balance, and increases our capacity to adapt to those changes that are inherent in life. They allow us to be more sensitive and aware to what is really going on inside us, and in life itself. This growing self knowledge then provides us with a more complete picture in which our responses to whatever situations confront us more accurately reflects what is truly present. There is a deeper engagement that goes beyond the vagrancies of the mind, the self doubt, the domination of our preconceptions and expectations, or our need for something to be a certain way.
When we are distracted or preoccupied with doubts, worries, and fears, and even hope that is attached to an outcome (need), the vital energy of our whole being is leaking, diffused. Through yoga practice, we are able to clear the detritus, to redirect our diffused energy within, to sit within the body, our being, again. This is an energetic aspect of self-mastery. Integral to this is the knowledge of oneself as whole, and simultaneously a part of the wholeness that is within everything.
About the author:
If you’d like to learn more about yoga poses, see this article. Rebecca Prescott runs the site Yoga To Health.
Written By: Rebecca Prescott
Reaching Nirvana With Winsor Pilates Workout
Posted on 1 September 2007 | No responses
Have you ever seen Winsor Pilates workout on television or heard it from the other medium of communication? If not yet, here are some facts about Winsor Pilates workout.
As a Body-Sculpting System
Winsor Pilates workout became popular for its successful and incredible results offered to most of the celebrities like Patrick Swayze, Madonna, Sandra Bullock, Vanessa Williams, and many other. Winsor Pilates workout is generally considered as a powerful tool or an excellent body sculpting system for losing weight, sculpting long and lean muscles and reshaping your body from top to bottom. It is frequently noted that with just a single look on the Winsor Pilates workout videos and other mode of Pilates sytem, you will attain a great feeling of nirvana. Not bad because Winsor Pilates workout is ideal for everyone whether you are physically fit or out of shape, young or old.
Blending the Mind and Body
Winsor Pilates workout is in fact considered as the best workout the industry ever made. Just like any other Pilates-based workouts, Winsor Pilates workout bestows a great workout routine with the rhythmic blending of mind and body that can actually uplift your energy levels over time. Winsor Pilates workout, as a body-honing fitness program, is no doubt create a great positive impact to most of the Winsor Pilates workout clients.
Boosting Strength
Moreover, the Winsor Pilates workout has been widely used for decades by popular dancers, athletes, and even celebrities to enhance their strength throughout the body while developing the overall muscle tone. However, the Winsor Pilates workout kinesics is actually not really easy at first, especially to those amateurs or to someone who is never been into this kind of fitness program, but no problem because Mari Winsor, one of the most acclaimed Pilates instructors, does a great job in teaching the Winsor Pilates workout proper techniques and exercise form in all the available Winsor Pilates workout videos.
The Pitfalls
But let us accept the fact that when we talk about something, there is always an accompanied negative aspect to every positive manner. Most of the Winsor Pilate workout clients, however, comment that the Winsor Pilates workout program has been marketed as a weight loss solution. This is due to the fact that the Winsor Pilate workout program has never been considered as an effective exercise for burning fat. This claim holds true for the nature of the Winsor Pilates workout program is done much slower than the other to get the heart rate up sufficiently. And many still claim that even though the Winsor Pilates workout involve a kind of sped up Pilates which indeed can reduce inches while doing it, the Winsor Pilates workout is still not a great weight loss solution.
Oops! Hold On
Although claimed to be not so effective, the mystery of Winsor Pilates continues when a physical Winsor Pilates workout is combined with a healthy eating habit and some form of aerobic exercise, which is performed 2 to 3 times a week. Such method of Winsor Pilates workout will certainly result to a leaner, firmer, healthier body. Finally, Winsor Pilates workout is still considered as the great alternative to a typical weight training due its ability to build the kinds of functional stamina and suppleness which can help you stay free from injury for a lifetime.
About the Author:
Evan Chloe, author, is a fitness specialist who writes articles for http://www.bodybuildingdirect.com
Written By: Evan Chloe
Winsor Pilates Basic Principles
Posted on 24 August 2007 | No responses
If you are looking for some fitness program that will help you flatten your abs, shape and sculpt your body slim from top to bottom, Winsor Pilates basic principles to body conditioning can answer for you.
Before anything else, I would like to state that the Pilates fitness program is first developed by Joseph Pilates who had a lifetime interest in body conditioning in 1920s. His interest in physical fitness rooted from his strong determination to strengthen his body and improve his health after a sickly childhood. From that, Joseph formulated a distinct sequence of movements that worked the mind and muscle in harmony.
Oops, enough for history. Now, lets go to the core message of this article Winsor Pilates basic principles. Winsor Pilates program focuses mainly on bodyweight which incude exercises which stretch, strengthen , and tone all the muscles of the body, especially those of the core or abdominal and lower back regions. As such, the Winsor Pilates provide Winsor Pilates basic principles for those who are interested in such area. Among those Winsor Pilates basic principles are: Concentration; Control or Precision; Centering; Stabilizing; Breathing; Alignment; Fluidity; and Integration. Each Winsor Pilates basic principle has its own essential characteristic.
Concentration, as the first Winsor Pilates basic principle, is very important to attain a successful workout. With this Winsor Pilates basic principle, the awareness of the body will be enhanced due to the mind-body connection which results to conscious control of movement.
The second Winsor Pilates basic principle, Control or precision, is not about intensity or multiple reps but it is more of descent form of snug, emphatic results.
Centering, as the third Winsor Pilates basic principle, functions mentally within the body to calm the spirit. In this Winsor Pilates basic canon, a focus on the torso abs, pelvic girdle, lower back, gluts results to the improvement in a strong core and enables the rest of the body to function properly. All action with this Winsor Pilates basic principle performs from the trunk and flows outwards to the extremities.
The fourth Winsor Pilates basic convention Stabilizing is important because in Winsor Pilates, before you move you have to be still for a safe starting place for kinesics.
Breathing, on the other hand, as the fifth Winsor Pilates basic principle, must range from deep, coordinated, conscious diaphragmatic procedures of inhales and exhales to initiate mobility and help in the activation of the muscles and to keep you focused.
Furthermore, the sixth Winsor Pilates basic canon which is alignment is very essential because it is the key to good posture. With such Winsor Pilates basic principle, you will be conscious of the position of your neck on the spine and pelvis, right down through the legs and toes.
In the seventh Winsor Pilates principle Fluidity a smooth, continuous motion rather than jazzy repetitions will create an elegant and graceful look. Lastly, the integration of all those Winsor Pilates basic principles will result to a holistic mind-body workout.
So with those above stated Winsor Pilates basic principles, I am sure that everyone will enjoy their adventure to a stronger and healthier looks.
About the Author:
Evan Chloe, author, is a fitness specialist who writes articles for http://www.bodybuildingdirect.com
Written By: Evan Chloe
Pilates: A Relaxing Way To Exercise
Posted on 16 August 2007 | No responses
It is perhaps the Hollywood glitz and glamour that has everyone into the dieting and exercising fad. One of the most popular exercise programs is Pilates, which is especially designed to stretch, strengthen and balance the body through a series of routines. It combines both body movements and breathing patterns.
Pilates is known to increase lung capacity and circulation through exercises that focus on breathing. It also promotes strength and flexibility in the abdomen and the back muscles as well as improving on the coordination of the mind and the muscles. And because the program centers and emphasizes the importance of balance and posture, general health improves along with bone density.
It is perhaps these numerous benefits and the fact that Pilates can be tailor-made and incorporated in routines that make each class costly. Prices for classes range from $10 to $20 for group classes and about $50 to $100 or even more for individual lessons with trained instructors.
How did this start?
Joseph Pilates is a performer and a boxer in England. His fascination for exercise and health issues stem from his being a sickly child. Determined to strengthen his body, he studied, practiced and developed exercises that will improve his health. True enough, he grew to be really strong, choosing professions that would utilize body strength and endurance.
When he was detained with German nationals in Lancaster, he taught fellow camp members the concepts and exercises he developed through years and years of self-study and training in yoga and Zen, not to mention all the other Greek and Roman physical regimens.
It was at this time when he began to devise a system of original “Contrology” exercises now known as “matwork,” which refers to exercise routines done on the floor. When he was taken to another camp where he served as caretaker, he devised equipment that would help rehabilitate his “patients. The equipment that he made was not much different from what is being used today by people who subscribe to the Pilates program. Spring tension straps are also used in routines to hold the feet and to support the shoulders, neck and head in routines.
Because of its focus on balance and flexibility, Pilates holds much appeal for dancers and performers. Some celebrities, actresses and models, in fact, are enamored by the graceful movements that are incorporated in each routine. Not only does Pilates help improve health and well-being, it also develops proper posture and blood circulation, preventing the occurrence of osteoporosis.
What is more, Pilates does not involve a lot of muscle stress because the routines are gentle and slow similar to dance. There is no running and jumping around. Practitioners do not even need to lift heavy things. This is the reason why doctors often recommend Pilates to patients who have back and spine injuries as well as those afflicted with Arthritis and other muscle ailments. The routines are also good for people who are undergoing rehabilitation and physical therapy.
Pilates is also good for people who are a bit older and those who are overweight. It is in essence a relaxing exercise program, which not only helps in the reduction of weight and improvement of health but also in de-stressing and relaxing the body, mind and the spirit.
About the author:
Shannon Brown is the editor of PilatesFactor.com. This site caters to Pilates enthusiasts. You can visit the site at: http://www.PilatesFactor.com
Written By: Shannon Brown
Pilates Equipment: The basics
Posted on 8 August 2007 | No responses
Pilates, is nothing without its equipment, from the simple mat to the complicated trapeze, Pilates Equipment is very integral to the program itself. Pilate equipment is what produces the resistance that your muscles overcome, and these resistances are what make your core strong. Here is an overview of the basic Pilates Equipment
Reformer.
The reformer is probably the most popular Pilates Equipment; it is used by a lot of Pilates practitioners, and can be seen on almost every Pilates Studio in the world. It is basically a sliding carriage that has foot bars, jump boards, leg and arm pulleys. These features allow the exerciser to work on different parts of the body with the same machine.
There are two types of reformers, spring reformers and gravity reformers. A spring Pilates equipment reformer, makes use of springs for resistance, it is usually used while lying on the back and pulling with your arms or pushing with your legs. The Gravity reformer has the same concept of push and pull, but instead of springs, it makes use of the person’s own weight. The person is diagonal in position in order for the gravity to pull down on him/her, creating the resistance needed for the exercise.
Cadillac
The second type of Pilates equipment is the Cadillac or the trapeze table. This Pilates equipment looks like a cage, without the bars though, just the frames, and attached along the bars are springs, straps, and extra bars that are used for several types of exercises. For example, for the legs, you can lie down facing the opposite direction of the strap that you are going to use, and then putting the strap around your leg, you pull it down, and the resistance goes through your thighs and calves. Another way to use a Cadillac is to sit down, this time facing the strap that you are to use, and then holding the strap in your hands pull on it while simultaneously lying down, then sit back up again, this works on your abdomen.
Wunda Chair
One other Pilates equipment is the Wunda chair, which looks like a bench only slightly higher; it has two bars on each side with spring attached to it. One exercise that can be done is to push on the bars while standing or sitting on the bench, or standing or sitting on the floor.
Mats
Pilates has a series of mat exercises that improve certain parts of the body, therefore, the Pilates Mat, is definitely a must have Pilates equipment. Mat exercises are usually taught as to groups. These exercises focus mostly on the trunk and hip, to strengthen then, and on the spine and hips again for flexibility. The mat, is probably the least expensive of Pilates equipment, and it is also the most limited, the amt is basically for back protection and doesn’t offer any form of resistance for the user, but still mat exercises are very good ones, especially for those on a budget.
These are only few of the most common exercise equipment that you may see in a Pilates studio, there are however, other equipment that you might be able to use at home, like barrels, Pilates balls, and Pilates rings, these are however, not part of the original Pilates equipment that Joseph Pilates designed initially, but rather a derivation and application of the different Pilates techniques from other types of exercises.
About the author:
Authored by Michael Bens – For more great information on how to lose weight, get in shape, and live healthy, visit Gabae Weight Loss for great resources, training and motivation!
Written By: Michael Bens