30/11/2022

Morning readers, I hope you’re feeling well and ready for the inevitable Christmas rush! It catches me out every year and I really wish I had some ideas how to avoid it. A person in my pilates class yesterday suggested that perhaps Christmas should be like the World Cup, every 4 years! Seems a bit bah-humbug to me, but it also has some appeal, hmmmm…..

Anyways, I have rambled on, but at least I did mention the topic of today’s blog, which is pilates. A very big subject really, so I’ll keep it to just a few key points. 

The History

The key concepts that make up pilates practice were developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s. Joseph was a keen gymnast, a circus perform and boxer to name but a few. He used his exercise methods with post war victims who could not walk on the Isle of Man and subsequently in New York with dancers and other celebrities recovering from injury. His studio became renowned and the legacy of his work with his wife Clara lives on today throughout the world. His life was quite interesting, and you can read more here. 

Types of Pilates

There are 2 well recognised types of pilates in “Mat” and Reformer”. 

• Mat pilates refers to doing the exercises on an exercise mat with or without various equipment. 
• Reformer pilates involves using a bed which has a fixed/sliding base and a bar.  Springs and straps are incorporated within the bed to increase resistance and provide variety to the movements. 

Both approaches are very beneficial once it is tailored to the correct level for the individual. I strongly believe that once you understand the key concepts of the pilates approach you can adapt them to different situations. I would frequently start and finish a class by incorporating some of movement approaches in standing exercises, which can be argued to be more true to real life movement, or “functional” as we physios like to call it. 

Key Concepts

The first focus is on how and when we breathe during the pilates movements. For Joseph Pilates this was the most important part…. “Above all, learn how to breathe correctly”. The goal is to breathe in a slow and smooth or even fashion both in and out. The breath should be full and into the tummy, while the exhale should empty the chest fully. The breath in and out is coordinated with the movements of the exercise. For example, in a bridge (where you peel your bum and lower back gradually off the floor), you aim to breathe out first and then breathe in as you lower down. By timing the movements with the breath you achieve a slower and more controlled motion. This encourages use of the whole of the targeted muscles and avoids compensating with other muscles, which occurs as technique deteriorates. When I teach pilates I think it’s positive to see some signs of poor technique, as it means the individual is being challenged sufficiently, and a degree of variety in movement is no bad thing, as our natural environment and tasks create unexpected demands on movement patters. 

Lastly on the breathing aspect of pilates, it is proposed in some quarters that if we hold the breath or breath in during the higher effort part of the exercise, we create a pressure within the abdomen which acts as a support.  As a result the body will  rely less on some of the muscles that should be working. Therefore, it is important to breathe out on the movement that requires more effort and breathe in on the next movement. 

The next concept relates to centring the spine and pelvis. The idea is that we find the neutral or mid-position of the neck, lower back and pelvis and maintain that while we perform other movements of the limbs. This places the muscles around the spine and pelvis in the optimal position or length to work effectively. From my perspective it is valuable to achieve these neutral positions, however during movements of the limbs, the spine and pelvis should move to some degree, as this is more like real-life movements or scenarios. It also avoids hyper-vigilance of movement which is counter-productive to gaining a helpful awareness of our body. 

I find that as you focus on the breath and centring the other key aspects of concentration, control, precision and flow of movement will come naturally with practice and increased demand. 

Benefits of Pilates

From a clinical point of view, when somebody is out of the painful or stiff stage of their neck or back problem and they require further conditioning in a safe and supervised environment, I find pilates is excellent. The muscles throughout the spine and around the pelvis are worked very effectively which can improve strength, movement quality and flexibility, while also preventing recurrence of the problem. For some people the benefit is also increasing body awareness.

At the end of the day, exercise is exercise, and if you enjoy it and you feel better after and throughout the week because of it, then I say keep going!

Till the next blog, stay active and stay well!

Lonan Hughes

Chartered Physiotherapist