Who Is the Modern Pilates Student?

By blinktech

The fitness system originally known as “contrology” was introduced to the world in 1945, when founder Joseph Pilates published Return to Life through Contrology, a complete guide to the exercise method that now bears his name. However, Joe was describing contrology over a decade before the manual came out. Published in 1934, Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education was Pilates’ first treatise on integrated health and wellness through a balanced body and mind. And the evidence is strong that the Pilates fitness system was coming to life right at the turn of the 20th century, as its founder studied and practiced a multitude of fitness techniques to improve his own ill health.

Pilates is getting old — but only in years! We find that the people who study and train in the Pilates method keep the practice relevant and just as impactful as when people were learning how to “teaser up” under the watchful eye of Joe Pilates himself.

Here’s something you might not know: The very first students of Pilates were prisoners. The very first teacher was one, too! When World War I gripped the globe, British authorities confined German citizens residing in England to internment camps. It was during his internment, with few resources and poor living conditions, that Pilates refined his fitness system and rigorously trained his fellow inmates.

Pilates brought his method to the United States in 1925. The New York City studio that he opened with his wife, Clara, became hugely popular among the city’s top professional dancers, gymnasts, and performing artists. Pilates’ student roster included names such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham, and these stars would send their own students to train with Joe and Clara to grow stronger and more flexible in their art. A number of these early students dedicated their careers to preserving the Pilates legacy, using their tutelage under Joseph Pilates to train new generations of Pilates instructors — take, for instance, Romana Kryzanowska, under whom our own Dynamic Fitness instructor Kathy trained and received her certifications. (Kathy shares memories of Romana in this tribute article: https://www.pilates-sarasota.com/blog/remembering-Romana-Kryzanowska/).

The Dynamic Fitness studio has coached its fair share of pro athletes and performers in Pilates, but what’s truly exciting is how Pilates has taken root in the community at large. Joe Pilates gained great renown for helping dancers and gymnasts rehabilitate injuries; these days people who aren’t athletes come to our studio to heal their bodies, too. We’ve helped ease a lot of chronic back pain, and have enabled people to still get a good workout after sustaining injuries (in many cases, from oversized or under-supervised exercises classes).

The Pilates student we see today wants to be a better overall “life athlete.” We’re seeing more and more people who are getting serious about fitness, and want to have an exercise discipline they can safely perform for years to come. The modern Pilates student trains with us with the goal of living better in their bodies, so they’re better able to enjoy daily life to its fullest. Pilates has stayed true to Joe’s original principles, and we’re very excited to share it with the new face of the movement as it continues to grow.

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What's in a Name? Funny Pilates Terms Explained As far as fitness systems go, Pilates is in a league all its own. So it seems fitting that Pilates comes with a unique encyclopedia of terms for its highly specialized equipment and the 500+ movements that make up the classical Pilates method. Some of these terms are real head-scratchers -- some make us laugh every time! Here we demystify a few choice items from the Pilates lexicon. Cadillac - When you walk into a Pilates studio, the first thing you're likely to notice is the Cadillac. The Cadillac can dominate a studio space, resembling the frame of a very tall four-poster canopy bed, decked out with long springs, fuzzy slings, push-through bars, and even a trapeze! Pilates may have dubbed it the "Cadillac" to invite associations of luxury and comfort, since it can appear downright medieval to new trainees. In the Cadillac we can clearly recognize where Pilates initially developed his revolutionary fitness method: in the British internment camps of WWI, where he rigged his fellow German nationals' hospital beds with springs, so even the most sickly and injured could exercise and regain their health.Reformer - The centerpiece of a classical Pilates studio, the Reformer was also developed and designed by Joseph Pilates. Many reformer exercises are performed lying on the back, which eases any strain on the joints and allows students to practice aligning the body, free from the influence of gravity. Joe originally called it the "Universal Reformer" for its purpose of "universally reforming" the physique. Think about that for a second: Joe built this long, low couch, with its sliding carriage, adjustable bar, and 100+ moves, to give you an entirely new-and-improved body. No wonder it's so popular!Electric Chair - Like the Cadillac, the Electric Chair can look intimidating. It has a high back, a pair of shoulder-height handles, and a moveable foot bar outfitted with heavy springs. It's not supposed to make you feel like you're going to meet your maker; in fact, its purpose is quite therapeutic. The high back supports the spine during seated exercises, and you become the source of "electricity" as you focus energy in your powerhouse and shoot it out through your legs. Teaser - Once you execute your first teaser, you fully understand how this move got its odd name. Your upper and lower halves resist their full weight as you lever your body into a "V," balancing on your sit-bones, your powerhouse firing to the max. It happens fast, but internally it feels like you might not make it. You hit a breakthrough moment where the brain insists, "There's no way!" -- and suddenly, you're there. We have a class tradition of breaking into applause when a student executes his or her first teaser. Believe us, it's wholly deserved!Stomach Massage - A series performed while seated on the reformer, the Stomach Massage series isn't so much about massaging the belly. If only, right? It's actually named for the massage that the abdominal core and pelvic floor muscles perform on your internal organs. While the active motion is in the legs as they press against the foot bar, we coach students to feel energy originating and radiating from the core, causing the legs to flex and bend, resisting against the springs of the reformer at all times. The Pilates menagerie - Sometimes the Pilates studio becomes a real zoo! There's the Elephant, its heels pressing into the reformer so hard the toes lift off the pad, head hanging heavy like a trunk. There's the Monkey dangling off the bar. There's the Snake and its strong, supple, twisting spine. There's the ever-amusing Seal with clapping feet! We have a lot of fun with these critters at Dynamic Fitness.What are some of your favorite Pilates words? Ever wonder how your favorite exercise got its name? Message us or find us on Facebook with your comments and questions!Message Us: https://www.pilates-sarasota.com/contactGet Social: https://www.facebook.com/dynamicfitness
What’s in a Name? Funny Pilates Terms Explainedhealth
Does Pilates Have a Gender Bias? It's a plain fact that the majority of people who practice Pilates identify as female. We've spent more than a few words debunking the myth that Pilates is a "girl thing," for the fitness system extends a multitude of benefits to male bodies as well. [See "PILATES MYTHBUSTERS 2: IT'S A GIRL THING" https://www.pilates-sarasota.com/blog/item/id/28, and "PILATES BENEFITS MEN, TOO" https://www.pilates-sarasota.com/blog/item/id/26] Just look at the method's founder, Joseph Pilates: a wrestler, professional boxer, beer-lover, and quite the physical portrait of a "man's man." That said, when someone decides to add Pilates to their lifestyle, it can be a very different experience for men versus women. The Dynamic Fitness studio has been in business long enough for our instructors to notice the challenges that men face due to general differences in morphology. We stress the word "general," here, as every body is unique and responds to an introduction to Pilates in kind. Many aspects of Pilates are completely gender agnostic -- let's not forget that in Pilates one's mind and breath are equal players with one's musculature. The main difference that we see affecting men and women's Pilates practice is flexibility, particularly in the hamstrings, hips, and lower back. As a result, our male clients can have a harder time with certain exercises on the Reformer, such as the Tree, the Elephant, and the Stomach Massage series. Challenges for men extend to work on the mat, too. For women, the body's center of gravity is typically lower than that in men, due to having (again, in general) a longer trunk, wider pelvis, and shorter legs. By comparison, men possess a heavier trunk with denser musculature. Picture the Neck Pull mat exercise: Performed with the legs straight and hands placed behind neck, keeping the elbows open wide, this variation of a Roll Up is easier for women to perform. The weight ratio of the average woman's torso is lighter than that of a male, making it harder for men to lift their heavy trunks up while keeping the elbows open wide in the proper form.In addition, exercises such as the Saw and Spine Stretch Forward often require men to sit with their hips elevated higher than their heels, which are placed on the mat, so that they can successfully hinge forward from the hips. In terms of performance, men tend to excel in exercises that expend quick bursts of energy. When it comes to a flow-based method like Pilates, however, our female clients "get the hang of it" much more quickly. That's not to say that men can't get the hang of Pilates. Here's another thing we notice about men and women who train at Dynamic Fitness: The differences even out over time. With dedication and focus, a Pilates practice builds strength and stretches flexibility to impressive new levels for all our clients. After all, this fitness system was engineered to improve any and every body.
Does Pilates Have a Gender Bias?health