Pilates Exercises may be recognisable as a form of exercise, but do you really know what it is and how a Pilates Personal Trainer in London can assist you with your health and exercise goals?
Pilates benefits consists of smart core focused and low impact movements which are ideal for the spine, hips, knee, ankle, neck and shoulders imbalances and it reduces pain levels throughout your joints.
A major Pilates benefit is that it provides you equally with a very effective Pilates for men and Pilates for pregnant women.
Pilates will beautifully shape your six pack, creates better flexibility, optimum range of movement (ROM), strength, and develop neglected muscle reducing your muscle imbalances.
Pilates exercise also improves breathing, destresses the mind, enhances your body coordination and endurance.
Pilates exercises for beginners or intermediates under the supervision of an elite Pilates Personal Trainer in London are very effective in helping you achieve your health and fitness goals faster.
Fig 1. Jazz Alessi 2nd Generation Pilates teacher is demonstratining the The Roll Over, Pilates exercise.
Joseph Pilates the founder of the Pilates Method of Exercise developed this type of exercise in the 1920’s to help people rehabilitate their injuries, correct their posture, core strength, and improve balance [10].
Although it was implemented nearly 100 years ago, due to the unique Pilates benefits, Pilates exercises have a very prominent place in today’s fitness and injury rehabilitation scene.
Pilates Exercise Benefits Highlighted By Many World Class Athletes And A-List of Celebrities
Pilates benefits are constantly highlighted by celebrities like David Beckham, Hugh Grant, Kate Winslet, Megan Fox, Cameron Diaz, basketball star Dwayne Wade, Julia Roberts, Uma Therman, Madonna, Jennifer Aniston who inspires thousands of people to practice Pilates exercises more.
Fig 2. Jazz Alessi works with a fashion model client teaching The Side Plank – as an intro movement towards “The Side Bend”, Pilates exercise.
See below the top five benefits of Pilates exercise, and how your body will benefit from the Pilates Method of exercise.
Pilates can help eliminate low back pain
Strengthening muscles and reducing muscle imbalances is not a new concept in regards to pain elimination, but Pilates can help with non-specific acute, subacute, or chronic low back pain [13].
The movements completed in Pilates focus specifically on proper posture and muscle control.
Muscles such as the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and teres major and minor are all muscles engaged through Pilates back exercises [12].
Fig 3. Practising one to one Pilates with a Personal Trainer Pilates in London helps you to ease or eliminate your back pain.
One study compared the results of mat Pilates and equipment Pilates, and found that equipment-based was superior to mat for a 6-month period [3].
These workouts can benefit both men and women, and can each achieve the results they want. Pilates exercises for beginners is the best to start becoming pain-free and gain core control, six pack and muscular strength.
Better balance can be found through a Pilates workout plan
Balance is crucial to many activities we face on a daily basis. Fall injuries are among the 20 most expensive medical conditions [2], and are expensive in terms of cost and time lost due to injury recovery.
An easy way to reduce the risk of a fall injury is to improve balance, and balance can be improved by implementing Pilates exercises into your workout routine.
Balance will also help you practicing your favorite type of movement or sport.
Fig 4. No matter what hobby or sport you practice. Pilates helps you perform better in your chosen hobby or sport.
One study determined that completing over 2 hours of Pilates exercises a week can greatly improve balance and fall risk over the course of four weeks [1].
Pilates incorporation into your workout plan can help you stay motivated, and keep you in a routine.
Anyone can reach their goal of getting a flatter stomach
In terms of exercise, who doesn’t want a flatter stomach?
Engaging the core and strengthening the abdominal muscles can result in weight loss, which are both outcomes of incorporating Pilates exercises into your fitness routine.
Getting a flatter stomach doesn’t mean you have to complete 1,000 crunches, but rather that overall weight loss needs to occur [6].
Fig 5. Pilates is a method of exercise focused on your inner core, destressing the mind teaching you how to activate and control your muscles.
Moderate-intensity workouts burn lots of fat cells, and Pilates falls directly into this category.
After weight loss is observed, then the abdominal muscles need to be strengthened to improve a flat stomach.
Thus, Pilates exercises are also great for core strength. Several movements through the course of Pilates instruction get the core burning [8].
The rectus abdominis and oblique muscles will be highly engaged.
Both men and women can contact their Pilates personal trainer in London to get the flat stomach they’ve always dreamed of. Beginners can see these changes as well.
Pilates is known for improving posture
Notice yourself slouching or standing with more weight on one leg than the other?
Well, these bad posture habits can have implications on our health as we age.
Workout plans that specifically include Pilates can help with these habits that have become a part of our society [7].
Improving core strength can ensure proper muscles are being engaged to keep a neutral spine.
Fig 6. The Leg Pull Front Pilates exercise variation helps you activate negelected muscles to improve and correct posture
One study demonstrated that in active men and women, exposure to exercise for 12 weeks, for two 60-minute sessions per week, was enough to promote statistically significant increases in strength and posture positioning [5].
The lumbar and thoracic spinal sections are most influenced by poor posture, which can lead to low back pain, and in some cases even disc herniation or bulging [9].
Did you know Pilates can improve relaxation?
It almost sounds too good to be true, but a Pilates workout can help with relaxation.
Correct muscle firing patterns and improved mental concentration are enhanced through a customised Pilates exercise program, which help with stress reduction [4].
Fig 6. Pilates exercise are effective and fun and help you to relax.
Adults today experience great amounts of stress, and most don’t manage it properly.
It is suggested that adults who experience relaxation see greater improvement in reductions of depression and have much better control of their anxiety [11].
Men and women can discuss Pilates with their Pilates personal trainer to find out how to improve their mental health in personal training sessions.
Pilates one to one is a great form of exercise that can be completed by anyone from any population group.
Fig 7. No matter what are your goals or what are your age. Pilates Personal Training helps everyone.
These benefits yield great results, but there are several more benefits that can be noticed when a workout plan consists of.
You can obtain any of your injury rehabilitation, health and fitness goals, all you have to do is start!
If you’re interested in learning more about how to include this great workout into your exercise plan and see some of these benefits, please contact Jazz Alessi, – Pilates personal trainer in London.
Jazz Alessi is a 2nd Generation Pilates teacher and was trained in the Pilates Method of Exercise by Lawrence Hayward who was Joseph Pilates first student trained as a teacher.
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References:
- Barker, Bird, Talevski. Effect of Pilates Exercise for Improving Balance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis. B Hlth Sci (Public Health). Apr, 2015.
- Carroll, N. V., Slattum, P. W., & Cox, F. M. (2005). The cost of falls among the community-dwelling elderly. J Manag Care Pharm, 11(4), 307-16.
- da Luz MA Jr, Costa LO, Fuhro FF. Effectiveness of mat Pilates or equipment-based Pilates exercises in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomized controlled trial. Phys Ther. 2014 May.
- Houglum, Peggy (2016). Therapeutic Exercise for Musculoskeletal Injuries (4th ed.). Human Kinetics. pp. 297–299.
- Kloubec JA. Pilates for improvement of muscle endurance, flexibility, balance, and posture. J Strength Cond Res. 2010 March.
- Kreider RB, Serra M. A structured diet and exercise program promotes favorable changes in weight loss, body composition, and weight maintenance. J Am Diet Assoc. 2011 Jun;111(6):828
- Kritz, E. N.; Croin (2008), Static Posture Assessment Screen of Athletes: Benefits and Considerations., Journal of Strength and Conditioning, pp. 18–27
- Lange, Claudia; Unittham, Viswanath; Larkham, Elizabeth; Latta, Paula (April 2000). “Maximizing the benefits of Pilates-inspired exercise for learning functional motor skills”. Journal of Movement and Bodywork Therapies. 4(2): 99–108.
- Liem, Karel F.; Warren Franklin Walker (2001). Functional anatomy of the vertebrates: an evolutionary perspective. Harcourt College Publishers. p. 277
- Mayo Clinic Staff (2012). “Pilates for Beginners: Explore the Core of Pilates”. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 2012-11-04.
- Oo WN, Suzanne Yew PY, Lau Y. Effects of relaxation interventions on depression and anxiety among older adults: a systematic review. Aging Mental Health, 2015.
- Rossi DM, Morcelli MH, Marques NR. Antagonist coactivation of trunk stabilizer muscles during Pilates exercises. J Bodyw Mov Ther. 2014 Jan;18(1):34-41.
- Yamato TP, Maher CG, Saragiotto BT, Hancock MJ, Ostelo RW, Cabral CM, Menezes Costa LC, Costa LO (2015). “Pilates for low back pain”. Cochrane Database
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