Reviews: Pilates 81 / Plus:
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LIFESTYLE
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What’s all this Pilates equipment for? It makes lessons more varied – you can do the same exercise but vary its purpose: work on strength one time, and on endurance the next. Reformers are by far the most popular piece of Pilates equipment, and with its systems of springs and ropes it provides both resistance and assistance to exercises. It also allows you to vary the difficulty level of the exercises, depending on your needs.
Insider’s Secret
There’s a misconception that Pilates is, erm, ‘for women’... Possibly because it’s known as being so safe – you can’t get injured, Pilates can only make you better. But just because it’s suitable for seniors, children and pregnant women, that doesn’t mean it’s not suitable for men. One of my clients is a former commando, now he works as a bodyguard. He compares Pilates to the stomach pills you take to go alongside antibiotics in that it’s a perfect complement to his other training.
The Right Balance
An established Pilates instructor, Laura Wichrowska runs a friendly private studio in Wilanów. She talks to the Insider about the power of Pilates… What are the principle points of Pilates? There’s six principles and these focus on control, concentration, centering, precision, breath and flowing movements. As Joseph Pilates said, “after ten sessions you feel the difference, after 20 you see the difference, and after 30 you’ve got a new figure.” He’s right, and no matter what your age or condition it will work for you. How would you ‘sell’ Pilates to a gym monkey? Conventional workouts tend to work the same muscles, leading weaker muscles to get weaker and strong muscles to get stronger. The result is muscular imbalance, a primary cause of injury and chronic back pain. Pilates trains several muscle groups at once in smooth movements, and by de-
veloping proper techniques you can actually retrain your body to move in safer and more efficient patterns of motion. That’s great for rehab, sports performance, posture and good health. What sets your classes apart? If you’re doing Pilates in a gym class then you’ve got another 25 people in the room. It’s impossible for the instructor to be able to be correcting everyone, but this is such a precise discipline it needs that level of attention – after all, everyone has a different posture. My classes are for one to four people, which guarantees 100% attention. But it’s not just about that – some people are shy, they don’t want to be sweating in front of a room full of strangers, while others just appreciate the privacy and intimacy.
Is Pilates especially good in this respect? Pilates conditions the whole body, no muscle group is over or under-trained. The entire musculature is evenly balanced and conditioned, which helps you enjoy daily activities and sports with greater ease, better performance and less chance of injury – that’s why so many professional athletes now use Pilates as a crucial part of their regimen. Pilates can be tailor-made to suit a variety of sports disciplines, whether it’s running, golf, tennis, skiing, dancing or whatever. Where did your journey with Pilates begin, and what has it given you? Ten years ago in Australia – when I got back to Poland Pilates was hardly visible. As for its effects, it increases awareness of what the body is doing as well as giving a very positive energy. Pilates is like investing in the future – you see 80 year old instructors and they look 20 years younger. Of course, diet and healthy living play there part in that, but don’t underestimate the role of Pilates. For private Pilates classes contact Laura at: tel. 608 499 666, laurawichrowska@hotmail.com
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