Fitness Pilates

Pilates is a low-impact fitness exercise that focuses on "core control, neuromuscular recruitment, and joint alignment." It is friendlier to the joints than weightlifting, and focuses more on muscle function training than yoga. The improvement efficiency of lumbar protrusion, postpartum repair, and sedentary strain is much higher than that of ordinary aerobics. Ordinary people can clearly feel their posture corrected and core stable after practicing 2-3 times a week in 3 months. There is no threshold that "only people with good flexibility can practice" or "must sign up for private training to get started."

To be honest, the first time I came into contact with Pilates was in 2019. At that time, the shoulder impingement was so painful that I had to struggle to even lift my arms to put on clothes. The orthopedic doctor told me to stop lifting weights and practice Pilates to adjust the force mode first. I rolled my eyes at the time and thought, isn't this just the slow-motion exercise that girls practice? As a result, after practicing for the first time, when my shoulders were lifted up, the sound actually stopped and it felt really good on the spot. Last year, I took care of a student who worked in Internet operations. Her lumbar protrusion pressed against her sciatic nerve, causing pain in her legs even when running. Her waist was so sore at first when squatting and deadlifting that she couldn't straighten up. She tried Pilates equipment 4 times to adjust her pelvic position. After the first exercise, she was able to climb the fifth floor normally without numbness in her legs. Even she thought it was an exaggeration.

Nowadays, the Pilates circle is actually quite divided, and there is no unified standard answer. One group adheres to the classics and strictly follows the 34 standard movements designed by Joseph Pilates. It requires breathing and movements to be at the same frequency, and even the order of movements cannot be messed up. It focuses on overall functional adjustment from the inside to the outside. It is suitable for people who have no obvious injuries and just want to practice core posture adjustment. The other school is the modern reform school, which will combine sports rehabilitation and myofascial theory to adjust movements, such as adding details of pelvic floor muscle activation for postpartum mothers, adding special content on thoracic spine mobility for sedentary people, and even combining Pilates movements with rehabilitation training to make adjustments for people recovering from surgery. This school is now more accepted in the fitness circle, and after all, it is more in line with the actual needs of ordinary people.

I even made a joke when talking about the first time I went to the core bed. Looking at the leather-covered sliding bed, hanging springs and straps, I thought it was some kind of rehabilitation torture device. The instructor asked me to pedal on the sliding bed and do the clam pose. I was shaking like a penguin who had just learned to stand, and my legs were shaking. It was like a sieve, and I thought I was exerting the wrong force, but the instructor laughed and said that Akira was right. Pilates trains the core control ability in an unstable state. If you do the clam pose on the flat ground and you are too lazy to exert force on your core, when you stand on the sliding bed and sway, the deep core will naturally become tight.

No wonder some people criticize Pilates as an IQ tax. Nowadays, many gyms are packaging it as a "magic tool for lying down and slimming down" and "a standard for ladies". They dare to charge hundreds of dollars per class. This is essentially a marketing problem, not a problem with the exercise itself. Several friends around me have never signed up for a class, so they follow the free introductory mat Pilates training at Station B. They use a yoga mat worth dozens of yuan each time for 20 minutes. After practicing for half a year, their rounded shoulders and hunched back have disappeared. There is also a male colleague who loves to play basketball. He used to have sprained feet. After practicing Pilates exercises for activating the arches of his feet for two months, he no longer has sprains when running. There is really no need to praise it too highly. It was first invented by Joseph Pilates to rehabilitate wounded soldiers during World War I. It was originally used to restore muscle function for people with limited mobility. It is essentially a civilian version of rehabilitation training. It has so many high-end auras.

Of course, don’t deify it. If you want to lose ten pounds a week with Pilates, it’s impossible. Its instant fat-burning efficiency is indeed not as good as running for half an hour, but it is worse than changing your power-generating habits. Before, you relied on your thighs to compensate for walking, and you relied on shrugging to carry things. After practicing Pilates for a period of time, your core will actively exert force and your shoulder blades will be stabilized in the correct position. You will use the correct muscles when sitting or standing. Your basal metabolism will quietly increase, and it will not be easy to rebound after losing weight. I have been practicing Pilates for three years, and then I went back to lifting weights. The bench press weight increased by 5kg, and my shoulders have never been sore again. It is not an exaggeration to say that it is an auxiliary item for all sports.

To get started, there is really no need to rush to a major equipment class for newbies. First, take two introductory classes at home to understand the feeling of abdominal breathing and holding the core. Otherwise, going up to the core bed will be a waste of money. If you have an acute injury, such as an acute lumbar prolapse or a sprained foot, don’t blindly follow the video exercises. See a doctor first to see the situation clearly, and follow the doctor’s advice before doing anything.

After all, there is no right or wrong in fitness. If you like the pumping sensation of the irons, go to the irons. If you like the stretch of yoga, go to practice yoga. If you have a sore back after sitting for a long time, have leaked urine after giving birth, want to adjust your posture but are afraid of hurting your joints, try Pilates. It may give you a big surprise.