"in 10 sessions you will feel a difference, in 20 sessions you will see a difference and in 30 sessions you will have a whole new body." ---joseph pilates
i'm posting about pilates today because i am a huge believer in finding a form of exercise that works for you. i am also a huge believer in the importance of strength training.
i spent a lot of time in high school lifting weights. i worked with a trainer 2-3x a week and lifted with some of my super athletic friends. it was fun, and i got really strong. however, i believe i can say that i'm one of the 1% of the females who do actually bulk up from lifting weights. (you can ask bri, i was kind of bulky and ripped...but not in a good way.) anyway, even though i did like lifting, i never liked the way i looked.
i know, i know. "females don't have enough testosterone to bulk up." well, that's what my trainer kept telling me...(and she was a girl) i was apparently doing everything right, my body just didn't like it. (i'm posting about it because i figure, maybe there are others out there like me?)
i "discovered" pilates equipment classes about 4 years ago and totally fell in love with them. i really wasn't even sure what pilates was when i first went, i had just heard that it was good for posture, balance and lengthening muscles. pilates equipment uses tension springs and your body weight to strengthen and lengthen muscles. for me, it is a perfect fit. i get the strength training that i need without any of the unsightly gigantic quads and/or biceps that seem to sprout up if i go anywhere near weight lifting equipment. (but again, that is just me...)
pilates also improves balance and coordination. it emphasizes that every motion comes from the core and my teacher really emphasizes the mind-body connection (i.e. mindful movement--kinda yogaish). i've noticed a huge improvement in my posture since i started too. in fact, many physical therapists are now offering pilates equipment classes as part of their treatment. (some insurance companies will pay for it now too!) best of all, i love the way i feel after pilates--i feel worked, strong and long. actually, i remember reading something somewhere awhile back that measured people before and after a pilates equip. class and most people were .5-1 inches taller after! how cool is that?
(oh, and by the way, the oft-used gimmicky quote above is actually true! i always hated the way i looked in jeans before i started pilates...i remember after i had been going for about 4 months ( twice a week), i started getting tons of "did you lose weight?" comments and i started actually liking to go jeans shopping...)
now...one of the major drawbacks is the cost of most pilates equip. classes. (i'm lucky and i happen to live in an area where equipment classes are fairly cheap.) however, more and more places are offering group classes that are less expensive. at the studio i go to, i had to take a few private lessons before i could go to the group classes--but it was really helpful to really learn how to use the equipment... other ideas:
-newer teachers or newer studios are often a lot less expensive than older more established studios
-a lot of studios offer special promotions around the holidays
-some gyms even have reformer classes
-and, if for some reason you are in physical therapy, try and get your insurance to pay for it!!
-(mat classes and videos are also awesome!)
personally, i think even going once a week is totally worth it.
anyway, if lifting weights isn't working for you, pilates is definitely worth a try!
Food journal: first even remotely virtuous day in awhile! exercised 3, ate 24. yay! (i credit my pilates class this morning for getting me back on track :)
image credits: studiodarien.com, rolife.com, fyvie.net
7 comments:
What a great post Meg! It's exactly what I needed to read since I want to tone up and I thought of doing some of my Winsor Pilates videos (and others that I have bought over the years and never used) a couple of times a week. I've heard all of those great things about pilates before but to hear it from you and hearing you talk about your awesome results is really inspiring! Thanks so much! BTW, will pilates videos help me since I can't get to a class? Oh, I also wanted to let you know that I also happen to bulk up when lifting weights. I did an hour class of weight training twice a week (which was really challenging) and even though I felt more toned I never dropped an ounce and my jeans and pants only fit me tighter. That's why I want to start doing my pilates tapes on a regular basis again. Thanks so much for the tip! Have an awesome day! :)
Excellent post! I have always wondered what Pilates with machines is like. I'd heard it was a lot better than just floor exercises. Hmmm. Now I want to see if I can find a class somewhere!
Thanks!
For the disbelievers, Meg is right - she bulks up when she lifts weight. promise.
But seriously, great post Meg! I'm too poor/cheap to go to a studio - is there any thing I can do to make my mat workouts more like the equipment workouts? I have the magic ring thingy. Also, does the equipment pilates work more than your core?
I've never been to a class or used machines but I did have a video that I felt really improved my posture and a few trouble areas in just a couple uses.
Right now i'm off pilates and back on weights. I WAS like you! I do tend to bulk up. At least that's what I thought. I do build muscle very easily compared to a lot of people. Just like 2 days of an exercise and I was seeing muscles pop and bulge. Not necessarily attractive to have huge thighs is it? However at one point in my life I was thin. That's when I noticed that I had nice legs! Muscles and all! The problem I always had was the layer of fat on top of all my muscles that made me look bulky. The muscles themselves were hot! the fat, not so much. Not to say you're the same thing, but I wouldn't give up on the weight training completely. you just have to watch you calories when weight training. If you eat too much, you'll build big muscles but not touch the fat. You have to make your body use your fat to feed your muscles.
healthy pear--it's so comforting to hear there are other people like me! (i always feel like i'm the freak or something!) i think pilates videos are great--they're different than the equip. classes because they tend to focus more on the core and less on strength training...but you will still get a super strong core and toned legs arms. (at least i do!) have you tried the magic circle? that is great for arm and core work.
soap box girl--you should totally check out an equipment class! i have a feeling you would love it!
bridget--thanks for backing me up. (i was seriously huge) if you can't go to a studio, i think the magic circle is a good bet for the videos. my pilates teacher has me do some stuff with thera bands and the weighted balance balls which are both good because they give you more resistance--give those a try. and YES!!! the equip. classes work your ENTIRE BODY. usually the workout i do is about 1/3 legs, 1/3 arms and 1/3 core...supposedly you are supposed to work every muscle in the body. however, you are supposed to do very low reps of each thing and use very controlled motions that initiate from your center. it takes awhile to get the hang of it, but the results are awesome.
randi--yea, i'm sure the bulkiness has a lot to do with my body fat percentage--i just could never get it low enough to where big muscles didn't make me look a whole lot bigger...maybe someday :)
I loved reading this! Pilates kick butt. I'm really horrid at it but try to make myself go one of the classes at the gym just to mix it up. I'm a weights fiend, but also realize that everyone kinda has something that works for them. imo, It's the actual resistance that's more important. (and yay, healthy pear's back!)
Hey buddy wat an excellent post ,u have given nice information abt "Pilates".
keep up the work
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