Thinking about adding Pilates to your fitness routine? There are 10 myths you should know and understand first before getting involved in this excellent fitness program. And it’s time for the world to know the whole truth, lol.
In the early 20th century a German anatomist named Joseph Pilates developed a body exercise known today as Classical Pilates. This is where the term “Pilates” comes from. It is a body movement practice that requires intense knowledge and understanding of a human muscle to achieve a holistic workout for the body and mind, even when stressed or injured.
Pilates is both a physical and mental workout. You need all the muscle groups in your body to work together as you work on your body position, usefulness, and pliability. It is also an exercise for the mind that helps you relieve stress by means of breathing exercises. This is the most important principle of Pilates.
Although there are many different types of Pilates, classical Pilates is still the most popular form most commonly practiced.
Since many people doubt this kind of exercise, here is a list of myths that need to be ignored and hope will be able to give you a different perspective on Pilates before you start your program.
1. Pilates and yoga are the same
Although Pilates and yoga have the same function of making body, mind, and spirit unite, they differ in their movement techniques. One of the differences in the way of breathing. Additionally, pilates is intended more for injury rehabilitation and focuses more on strengthening and balancing muscles, while yoga is more of a spiritual way of life.
2. This is only for women
Do you remember Joseph Pilates? The person who developed Pilates is a man. He is not only an anatomist but also a fitness buff and self-educated athlete. Originally, Pilates was intended for men to rehabilitate wounded soldiers with the use of the Contrology method.
Since men tend to do strenuous exercises that cause muscle imbalance, weakening non-dominant muscles and making them more prone to injury, Pilates helps strengthen muscles properly.
If it’s good enough for famous athletes like Kobe Bryn, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods, and LeBron James, it’s good enough for us.
3. It is all about building core strength
Having a strong core is a good side effect of a regular Pilates routine. But not only that, Pilates is truly a total body workout. It develops a unique blend of the pose, agility, muscle resistance, integration, stability, and firmness. It gets every muscle effort to do a more efficient movement, creating a mind-body connection that focuses more on technique and functionality.
4. Pilates Myth – You need to be Flexible to do Pilates
Many people think that you need to show some flexibility to do Pilates. This is not true because Pilates is always associated with yoga. But in reality, flexibility is just one of its effects. Moreover, Pilates is suitable for people of all ages, whether you are flexible or not, the Pilates exercise program can be adjusted according to your flexibility level.
5. Pilates can be self-taught
Pilates is not like any other exercise that you can teach yourself or learn by watching videos. You need to fully understand the human anatomy in order to learn and teach Pilates. You also need to be well informed and trained in the use of various equipment, machine and props.
Most Pilates teachers have a very good eye for detail to recognize different body movements and be able to adapt to people with different needs and abilities.
If you want to become a Pilates teacher, you must complete at least 450+ hours of teaching programs and have a good apprenticeship. Continuous learning plays a big role in becoming an effective and best Pilates teacher.
6. This is only for fit people
Pilates is one of many kinds of exercise. It is suitable for all ages, including active children, athletes, expectant mothers, injured people, and even those who just want to be fit. It is the best exercise program for anyone suffering from skeletal or muscular diseases such as scoliosis, arthritis, and osteoporosis. Over my teaching practice, I had clients coming to pilates with different conditions who wanted to stay active, but keep it safe for their bodies. Pilates way of training always served them right. So being fit in order to start doing pilates is such a myth!
7. Pilates alone can lose weight
If your main goal is just to lose weight, then Pilates is not for you. Doing Pilates just to slim down weight is not right. To lose weight, cardiovascular exercise is needed along with a proper diet and lifestyle. It is more of a conditioning program that strengthens your muscles and flexibility and promotes weight loss along the way of the workout.
8. Pilates is easy
It is not a walk in the park. You have to concentrate and follow the instructions correctly and accurately to get a better result. Not following the principles of Pilates or including them in your exercises, is not the proper way of doing it at all. This is a sensible exercise, meaning the participant must be aware of their own body movements to achieve results at all fitness levels.
9. Pilates workouts are boring
During the Pilates exercises, your Pilates instructor will use a lot of images, and visual cues to make the session more fun and engaging. Pilates is very educational and requires your full attention and concentration to engage both your mind and body in each movement. So there is never a dull moment with Pilates.
10. No pain, no gain
We have often heard the phrase “no pain, no gain” when we want to achieve or get something. But that phrase does not apply to the Pilates exercise program. Although Pilates is a full-body workout, you will not break a sweat doing it; instead, you’ll benefit from your stability, endurance, and efficient movement patterns. You don’t need to injure one muscle just to build another muscle.
So why do you need to pursue Pilates?
Pilates is a gentle exercise program designed to strengthen, stretch and restore balance to the body. A comprehensive and integrated approach involving body and mind is the main concept of Pilates to promote the body’s complete growth.
If you want to lose weight, Pilates alone may screw it up. Traditional Pilates is never touted as a slimming weight program. But you can combine Pilates with your cardiovascular workout and nutrition program to lose or maintain your weight and it works very effectively that way.
Not only will you enjoy the ongoing health benefits of regular Pilates, but you will also be able to see and feel the physical changes. Testimonials from our regular Pilates clients can confirm the effectiveness of its results.
Pilates never leads to swelling or wearing out of certain muscle groups, but rather trains your body for efficiency and balance, leading to improvements in your pliability, strength, and agility. Pilates is suitable for all ages and abilities – even those who cannot touch their toes.
At Pilates Difference, we take our clients’ goals seriously and tailor the Pilates training program to match their needs. Even if you have some body limitations and/or injuries you can still get a great workout without sacrificing the safety of your body and enjoy it at the same time. Contact us today to learn more about our Pilates training programs that we offer in Milton, Georgetown, Halton Hills, Campbellville, and Mississauga.