There are a lot of misconceptions surrounding Pilates. Hopefully this blog will help to dispell the most common ones I hear and show you a new side to the exercise regime that you may have thought was just a celebrity fad!
Myth No 1: Pilates is only for women
This is one of the funniest myths because Pilates was actually developed by a man, Joseph Pilates, although at the time it was called Contrology. Born in Germany in 1980, Joseph was unwell as child, but through studying exercise routines, yoga and meditation he was able to succeed in various sports including boxing and gymnastics. Joseph moved to the UK and when World War One began he was interned as an orderly in a hospital. Knowing the importance of exercise he developed exercise regimes for the patients who were ill and in bed. He discovered that those doing his exercises got better more quickly and this was when his initial exercise programme began. Nowadays more and more top male athletes are adding Pilates to their training regimes. David Beckham and Andy Murray have both said that Pilates helps to keep him in great shape and reduce injuries. So to any men out there wondering if Pilates is really for them, come along and give it a try!
Myth No 2: Pilates is expensive
Pilates can be expensive if you choose to buy a Pilates reformer or lots of the other studio equipment, however, you will also get very far with just a basic mat. Matwork Pilates is all you need to begin and you can do it anywhere, outdoors in the park, in a class or in the comfort of your own home. You don’t need to buy fancy leggings or have any fancy equipment, just keep it simple, attend a local class and practice at home to get the biggest benefits.
Myth No 3: Pilates is only for very fit people
Joseph PIiates’ original 34 exercises were designed for dancers and gymnasts and whilst classical Pilates does still require high levels of flexibility and strength, modified Pilates is accessible to the general population. The APPI (Australian Physiotherapy and Pilates Institute) have modified the original exercises and adapted them to suit our modern and more sedentary lifestyles with a focus of rehabilitation. One of the greatest things about Pilates is that is open to everyone. You start at the beginning and you continue at your own level and progress at a speed that is appropriate to you. All exercises can be modified and adapted to suit your abilities and you will find that over time your flexibility, strength, posture and balance will improve
Myth No 4: Pilates is too easy
Although Pilates is accessible to everyone, that doesn’t mean that it won’t challenge you. Often, I find that the people who are most surprised by the challenge Pilates gives them is the runners who may run at a high level but don’t do any other training. These people are very cardiovascularly fit but have also developed compensations and imbalances in other muscles. Pilates can ‘waken up’ and engage those muscles that like to take a back seat and get the whole system working more efficiently and in a more coordinated way. As mentioned previously, you work at your level so the exercises can be progressed and you can add small equipment like weighted balls and resistance bands to challenge you further.
Myth No 5: Pilates is just the same as yoga
There are, of course, many similarities between yoga and mat-based Pilates. They are both low impact, focused around a mat and involve a connection between your mind, body and breath. However, they do have differences too and broadly speaking, Pilates focuses more on strength and Yoga on flexibility, but both disciplines incorporate elements of both.
If you have hypermobility then the stretching involved in yoga can exacerbate this, whereas Pilates can help you to improve stability and control of movement. Pilates tends to build up to exercises more gradually and with a rehab focus. Recently, it seems to be that the trend is to like Pilates or Yoga and if you like one you can’t like the other, but I don’t believe you need to choose one over the other, instead I think that they both compliment each other perfectly.
If you are now thinking that Pilates might be for you after all then have a look at the classes we have on offer
Pilates myths
01 : Pilates is only for women
02 : Pilates is expensive.
03 : Pilates is only for fit people
04 : Pilates is too easy
05 : Pilates is the same as yoga
