Pilates is a sport
No.
Pilates is a training method -
Neither.
Pilates is a philosophy.
Better. Let's see in detail what it means that "pilates a philosophy", and as you can match it with CrossFit®.
Index
Practical history of pilates
A few years ago you made fun of the colleague who, in his forty poor years, was already considered so physically flawed that he could do at most a "sweet" physical activity. He had just joined pilates.
Five years ago you attended the weight room, but in front of the distributor of drinks supplements and protein bars you took the poster with Zumba that advertised Zumba ... and pilates.
Then jump on the leg day, and jump on chest and biceps. For the third workout in a row.
now your box offers you an extra class at the pilates week.
And if this name is associated with your beloved, sweaty, destructive, heroic CrossFit®, something right will have to be there.
But then the question is: is it worth registering?
True story of Pilates
Pilates is a form of intelligent training, which maximizes the time ratio in the gym - benefits.
But above all it is a philosophy.
And maybe it's something more.
Make yourself comfortable, I'll take you on a journey back in time.
At the same time, Joseph became a diver, boxer, gymnast and skier. With all due respect to those who think of specialization as the only tool to excel.
What was so special about the Contrology method?
Which encouraged the use of the mind to control the muscles of the body.
Joseph literally changed his physique with an integrated training system: an updated version of the mens sana in corpore sano.
I repeat: in the early days of the 1900.
For your information, the first version of Photoshop came out in the 1990.
What is pilates
The Contrology program is coded for the first time in the 1912.
It was - and still is - of a free body exercise program focused on postural muscles. Those that are supporting the spine, help the body to be balanced and in balance.
Everything is based on awareness and control (Contrology meant just that). By improving one's awareness one is able to reprogram the brain-nerve-musculature pathway.
Ok, then the muscle-mind connection promoted by enlightened bodybuilders and powerlifters was not a lie?
No not at all.
Did you have doubts?
The most important effect of the practice of pilates is that with the minimum energy expenditure a more fluid and more effective movement is acquired. In a word: more harmonious.
When you get it, "trigger" something: the physical benefits are associated with mental ones. That is wellness.
To give a definition "from fitness technicians", pilates is a type of re-educational, preventive and (at least hypothetically) therapeutic gymnastics which is based on the control of posture through the adjustment of the center of gravity, and leads to the harmony and fluidity of the movement we mentioned earlier.
In creating his method, Joseph Pilates tried to mix western and eastern, but the percentage of science in his mixture is quite high. For this, Pilates differs significantly from the most mystical teachings and spiritual of the East.
Pilates and muscles involved
Everything starts from Power House.
Simply the Power House - also called Girdle of Strength - is the set of muscles connected to the trunk: mainly abdominal, gluteus and lumbar.
The Power House is also the center of gravity: the point around which the body mass rotates. Today, we would call it "core".
Il core it is located between the final part of the thoracic cavity and the lowest portion of the pelvis, and is basically made up of the abdominal muscles (rectum, oblique and transverse), paraspinal, square of the loins, pelvic floor, buttocks and hip flexors.
The pilates method concentrates above all on the control of the center of gravity also intended as a stabilization of the pelvis. You get it by doing work in synergy the abdominal and lumbar areas, in order to promote a neutral position.
A center of gravity in a balanced position leads to lower energy expenditure and a reduced incidence of injuries and lower back pain.
Making the Power House muscles work in association with proper breathing and with the right control, pilates gives you benefits after just a dozen sessions.
The advantages of Pilates
First of all, the benefit for which anyone enrolled in Pilates from 2000 to today: relieves muscle pain related to lower back.
In short, work on force (and on the resistance to isometric force) of the lumbar area would in itself be a sufficient justification to enroll in the course.
This means that your colleague in his forties was right.
Then there is the feeling of lightness and "stretching" of the body.
But first things first.
Joseph Pilates and his six principles
6 principles make a doctrine?
Yes. This is why pilates is spoken of as a culture, or a philosophy.
It also counts that the number of principles of pilates varies - from six to nine - depending on which current you decide to follow.
These however i six key points of pilates:
- La mind supervises each exercise. The head is always present during the execution of the movements.
- No tearing, no explosiveness: the body moves in a controlled manner, and every movement must be as fluid as possible.
- Center of gravity: it is the Power House mentioned above. From here radiate energy, strength and control.
- Fluidity: it is a consequence of the connection between the three previous principles.
- Accuracy: it must be strive for the perfection of movement (in this, we approach certain oriental physical disciplines).
- Breathing: it is the teacher who guides it. And it is also subject to the principle of control.
In particular, breathing is fundamental pilates. It is defined as the "corporal cleansing of the body with blood circulation" (again, an orientalist imprint). The increased oxygenation of the body brings purification and vigor. A complete and correct inhalation and exhalation are essential.
Pilates himself advised to "squeeze" the lungs as if they were a "wet towel".
In exercises, the athlete breathes during the pinch (made with three fingers) position and inhale on the return, with the aim of maintaining the lower abdominals as close as possible to the spine.
Breathing occurs in the lower, lateral and posterior part of the rib cage. If you notice, it's different compared to "belly" breathing which is done in weightlifting or in powerlifting (or when you try to beat your bench press PR).
How does Pilates work?
The process is this:
- It is identified a problem or an imbalance in the person, analyzing the body's center of gravity
- The practitioner acquires the correct technique of exercises and breathing
- The discipline is practiced regularly, subjecting the center of gravity to regular checks and calibrating the sequences of exercises.
The exercises change according to the level of the person who practices them - from beginner to advanced - the objectives and (as appropriate) the specific limits of the instructor or practitioner.
The intensity of the exercises can be increased over time, following the adaptation of the body.
The benefits of pilates
You're in class (maybe a little skeptical if it's the first), and you're following the six principles above.
The benefits will not be long in coming.
1) pilates tones and strengthens. Working on posture and making the body elastic, it makes the aesthetics itself become more harmonious.
2) improves strength and resistance to isometric force (this can come in handy when you have weights in your hands).
3) helps soothe aches and pains in the back and helps to treat spiteful cervicals.
5) helps the connection between the physical and mental spheres.
6) helps to become aware of their breathing. It is also very important for i CrossFitter because it improves the ability to manage energy during the most intense WODs.
7) the correct use of the body. If we learn to use our body correctly while doing pilates, we will use it correctly even in everyday situations.
8) improves balance.
Pilates is also referred to as the "art of motor control".
Does Pilates have contraindications?
These are not real contraindications (ok, apart from certain back diseases).
More than anything else, let's say that
- Pilates does not make you put on muscle mass
- It can contribute to weight loss, but much less than other physical activities and, in any case, always subject to the diet followed
We also clarify that this discipline is sometimes overrated, especially from the medical and rehabilitation point of view.
But from the point of view of well-being it is a good practice.
And in pregnancy?
The question obviously arises: can i do pilates during pregnancy?
Yes, and for two reasons.
First, the mens sana in corpore sano, the state of physical well-being concomitant with the mental one, can do nothing but good for the unborn child.
In addition pilates exercises improve posture, reactivate circulation - especially the lower limbs - and strengthen the back muscles: a panacea, given the "extra load" that the future mother wears!
However, pregnancy is not uniform, so you should change the exercises as it goes on. In the first months we must focus on become familiar with the discipline, working mainly on breathing and improving posture. The latter is a pretty smart investment.
Exercises that are to be avoided throughout pregnancy require excessive effort: those to be performed on the stomach (obviously) or on the back, and those standing and on one leg.
Exercises that can over-stretch the ligaments should also be avoided.
Since the topic "Sport in pregnancy" it is always a source of discussion (even rather animated!), if you are thinking of doing pilates during pregnancy, get advice from your coach and - even better - from your gynecologist.
But surely you could consider giving up CrossFit® for a while and dedicate yourself to pilates.
Come on, it's a little. Your box mates will be waiting for you at burpees- sorry: with open arms!
Basic Pilates exercises
Did I write "base" in the title?
Also note that in the last sixty years of practice and observation the exercises have evolved continuously, improving.
We still see the main ones, to give you an idea of how a pilates lesson can work.
A warning: the exercises are actually coded in sequences, on the basis - as we have seen before - of the objectives of the athlete.
1) for the abdominals
The exercises for abdominal muscles foreseen by pilates are usually performed on the mat.
Good breathing and abdomen always contracted they are the basic condition to execute them correctly.
- lying on the ground, on the back, legs bent at 90 degrees. Place your hands on your sides and palms on the ground. Raise your thighs and keep your calves parallel to the floor. Now inhale and lower the left leg twice, almost touching the floor. Only the side must move (the rest of the body remains still). Repeat the same movement with the right leg.
- Lie down on your stomach. Put your hands on your forehead, keep your feet together, compress your back muscles and raise your head, shoulders and chest from the ground. Now turn your torso to the right, then to the center and then back to the starting position.
The number of repetitions per series is determined by level of those who practice pilates.
2) for the back
- standing, legs slightly apart and arms at your sides. He tilts his head to touch his chest with his chin, then slowly bend more and more to loosen even the vertebrae. As soon as the column is completely relaxed, return to the initial position.
- parts from sitting, knees to chest and arms to embrace the legs. The head should be held slightly tilted forward. From this position it rolls backwards and then again forward with a single movement, as fluid as possible, and then returns to the sitting position. Be careful not to bang your head on the ground!
3) for the buttocks
- Swimming. You need a mat. Lie down on your stomach with arms and legs extended. Contract your abdominals and breathe out by lifting your right arm and left leg first, then your left arm and right leg.
- Bird dog: the starting position is the four-legged one. From this position, keeping the abdominal muscles contracted, stretch the right arm and the left leg at the same time. Then return to the starting position and repeat in reverse: left arm, right leg. Balance is fundamental.
How Pilates can improve your CrossFit®
1) improves your concentration on technique. In pilates the body must move optimally, and if he remembers how much you'll find yourself in the box again.
2) mind-muscle connection. Pilates teaches you to recognize the work of the individual muscle. You will learn to contract the smaller muscles to stabilize the larger ones.
3) proprioception. You become more aware of where your limbs are in space, and how they are moving.
4) ability to keep the spine spine neutral.
5) helps to decompress the spine which, during CrossFit® exercises, it is generally compressed.
6) a core stronger means a better transfer of energy (and therefore of strength) between the muscular districts of the body.
7) shoulder control. This is also fundamental, because the shoulder belt is often subject to injuries.
8) stronger legs thanks to more controlled buttocks.
9) greater precision in movements: priceless.
10) functional force, that is applicable to both CrossFit®, that to all the "daily challenges".
In short, it might be worth trying to follow for a while the Pilates course that your box offers, right?
And if you haven't done it yet ...
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