IMAGE Pilates

27/11/2017

Pilates explained

In the 1920s, physical trainer Joseph Pilates introduced Pilates into America as a way to help injured athletes and dancers safely return to exercise and maintain their fitness. Since then, Pilates has been adapted to suit people in the general community.

Pilates can be an aerobic and non-aerobic form of exercise. It requires concentration and focus, because you move your body through precise ranges of motion. Pilates lengthens and stretches all the major muscle groups in your body in a balanced fashion. It requires concentration in finding a centre point to control your body through movement. Each exercise has a prescribed placement, rhythm and breathing pattern.

In Pilates, your muscles are never worked to exhaustion, so there is no sweating or straining, just intense concentration. The workout consists of a variety of exercise sequences that are performed in low repetitions, usually five to ten times, over a session of 45 to 90 minutes. Mat work and specialised equipment for resistance are used.

The Pilates method is taught to suit each person and exercises are regularly re-evaluated to ensure they are appropriate for that person. Due to the individual attention, this method can suit everybody from elite athletes to people with limited mobility, pregnant women and people with low fitness levels.

Classes are held in specialised Pilates studios, physiotherapy clinics or at your local leisure facility or community centre.
Health benefits of Pilates

The health benefits of Pilates include:
improved flexibility
increased muscle strength and tone, particularly of your abdominal muscles, lower back, hips and buttocks (the ‘core muscles’ of your body)
balanced muscular strength on both sides of your body
enhanced muscular control of your back and limbs
improved stabilisation of your spine
improved posture
rehabilitation or prevention of injuries related to muscle imbalances
improved physical coordination and balance
relaxation of your shoulders, neck and upper back
safe rehabilitation of joint and spinal injuries
prevention of musculoskeletal injuries
increased lung capacity and circulation through deep breathing
improved concentration
increased body awareness
stress management and relaxation.
Pilates suitable for everyone

Pilates caters for everyone, from beginner to advanced. You can perform exercises using your own body weight, or with the help of various pieces of equipment.

A typical Pilates workout includes a number of exercises and stretches. Each exercise is performed with attention to proper breathing techniques and abdominal muscle control. To gain the maximum benefit, you should do Pilates at least two or three times per week. You may notice postural improvements after 10 to 20 sessions.
Pilates and challenging your body

Pilates is partly inspired by yoga, but is different in one key respect – yoga is made up of a series of static postures, while Pilates is based on putting yourself into unstable postures and challenging your body by moving your limbs.

For instance, imagine you are lying on your back, with bent knees and both feet on the floor. A Pilates exercise may involve straightening one leg so that your toes point to the ceiling, and using the other leg to slowly raise and lower your body. You need tight abdominal and buttock muscles to keep your hips square, and focused attention to stop yourself from tipping over.
Types of Pilates

The two basic forms of Pilates are:
Mat-based Pilates – this is a series of exercises performed on the floor using gravity and your own body weight to provide resistance. The main aim is to condition the deeper, supporting muscles of your body to improve posture, balance and coordination
Equipment-based Pilates – this includes specific equipment that works against spring-loaded resistance, including the ‘reformer’, which is a moveable carriage that you push and pull along its tracks. Some forms of Pilates include weights (such as dumbbells) and other types of small equipment that offer resistance to the muscles.
Quality in a Pilates workout

Pilates consists of moving through a slow, sustained series of exercises using abdominal control and proper breathing. The quality of each posture is more important than the number of repetitions or how energetically you can move.

Books and videotapes are available, but seek instruction from a qualified Pilates teacher or Pilates-trained physiotherapist to get the best results.
Pilates and general precautions

Although Pilates is a low-impact form of exercise, certain people should seek medical advice before embarking on a new program, including:
people who have recently had surgery
pregnant women
people aged 40 years or more
people with a pre-existing medical condition such as heart disease
people with pre-existing musculoskeletal injuries or disorders
anyone who has not exercised for a long time
people who are very overweight or obese.

23/06/2017

06/06/2017

Join on Sat 10 June for a free 20 min b***y - barre-burn at 9am

26/04/2017

Benefits of Pilates: It Makes S*x Better
When Pilates instructors say, "lift your pelvic floor," what they are really saying is "do Kegels," . Pilates moves like those strengthen your pelvic floor muscles to up your pleasure in the bedroom. "You have way better or***ms with Pilates. It's amazing for s*x," If you're trying to conceive with all of that out-of-this-world s*x, strong pelvic floor muscles can make pushing out a baby way easier. "while women are still in the delivery room, saying 'the baby flew out of our vaginas,'"

22/03/2017

Hi You!!! Yes you, come join Image Pilates now and and only pay for the assessment and halve month and feel the difference in your posture.

22/03/2017

Benefits of Pilates: It's Easy on Your Joints
Pilates' slow and controlled movements puts minimal impact on your joints. Bonus if you're using the Pilates reformer:

Benefits of Pilates: It Improves Your Sports Performance
"When you start focusing on your core, you realize that all of your muscles are connected through your core. Try doing lunges without your abdominals. You'll crumble over," "With a stronger core, you can run faster, your yoga is on point, and overall, the rest of your workouts improve,". Plus, by working in small groups or one-on-one with a Pilates instructor, you can learn moves that mimic and improve performance in your sport of choice.

15/03/2017

Benefits of Pilates: It Can Ease Back Pain
A stronger core equals a better back, That's why those with chronic lower back pain who practiced Pilates for just four weeks experienced more relief than those who visited a physician and other specialists, says a Journal of Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy study. What's more, their pain stayed away for a full year post-Pilates. Researchers believe that by stabilizing the core's lumbar-pelvic (lower-back) region, Pilates alleviates stress on the area and ups mobility.

15/03/2017

Benefits of Pilates: 8 Reasons Every Woman Should Try Pilates
When it comes to Pilates, most women either are die-hard enthusiasts or have never stepped foot in a Pilates studio. Are you in the latter group? Tons of research on the benefits of Pilates would suggest you switch camps. Check out the uniquely awesome power of Pilates. ...less

15/03/2017

Benefits of Pilates: 8 Reasons Every Woman Should Try Pilates
When it comes to Pilates, most women either are die-hard enthusiasts or have never stepped foot in a Pilates studio. Are you in the latter group? Tons of research on the benefits of Pilates would suggest you switch camps. Check out the uniquely awesome power of Pilates. ...

15/03/2017

Benefits of Pilates: It's Ah-Mazing for Your Abs
Pilates hits your core (or, in Pilates speak, your "powerhouse") unlike any other workout. In fact, after completing 36 weeks of Pilates training, women strengthened their re**us abdominis (the muscle responsible for six-packs) by an average of 21 percent, while eliminating muscle imbalances between the right and left sides of their cores, according to a Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise study.

02/03/2017

What is Pilates?
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Pilates is a physical fitness system that was developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates. Pilates was formed by Joe during the First World War with the intention to improve the rehabilitation programme for casualties. During this period, Pilates was designed to aid injured soldiers in regaining their health by strengthening, stretching, and stabilising key muscles.

Joseph used to say: ‘When I am dead, they’ll say “He was right”. I’m fifty years ahead of my time’.

And he was.

Joe preferred fewer, more precise movements, requiring control and technique over increased repetition. He believed that mental and physical health were essential to one another, creating what is a method of total body conditioning. Pilates uses correct alignment, centering, concentration, control, precision, breathing, and flowing movement (the Pilates principles) to establish a perfect working body from the inside out.

Pilates classes build strength, flexibility and lean muscle tone with an emphasis on lengthening the body and aligning the spine, rather than on bulking and shortening the muscles.

Pilates has a focus on the core which can basically be thought of as the ‘powerhouse’ of your body. Your core is the area between your shoulders and your pelvis (without your arms and legs) and encompasses all the muscles within this area. The essential intrinsic core muscles are your Transverse Abdominus, Pelvic Floor and Multifidus muscles which we learn to train as part of the Pilates method.

Because of its core focus, Pilates is popular not only in the field of fitness, but also in rehabilitation. It can be used to progress individuals through movements that represent their day-to-day activities. The focus on strengthening the core and improving postural awareness are especially well indicated for the alleviation and prevention of back, neck and joint pain.

What are the benefits?

The benefits that Pilates will provide you are endless and we really could chew your ear off for a good few days but in the interest of saving you time and sanity, here are some of the broader benefits for you to get excited about.

During Pilates movements, the focus on strengthening and lengthening the muscles at the same time produces long, lean, strong overall muscle tone that doesn’t create bulk. These results are unlike any other type of exercise, so if you feel like you have already tried everything to get the body you want without success, our Pilates will astound you.

You can expect overall slimming, greatly improved flexibility and increased mobility, even in just a short space of time. Alignment and postural correction will have you holding yourself differently, standing taller, sitting straighter and moving with better balance and coordination.

You will feel an inner strength and heightened body awareness as you become in tune with the subtleties of your individual needs. This newfound enlightenment will empower you to be able to train yourself with the best possible efficiency, using your time most effectively.

It’s a time out just for you and a fantastic stress relief. Not in the sense of ‘ohm’ meditation style as this isn’t what Pilates in about, but the mind and body connection that you will maintain during your Pilates practice will nudge out all external stresses and the time always flies by.

Pilates isn’t the type of workout where you leave feeling tired and disheveled. Instead you will leave with increased energy levels, a clear, focused mindset and a body that feels strong and in control having been through a challenging workout.

Pilates gives you positive systemic effects on all of your body systems, stimulating and eliminating toxins and waste. You will find improvement to your digestion system including an increased metabolic rate as well as a constant booster to your immune system. We always marvel at the fact that the PFI team rarely gets sick.

Ok, wrapping up now we promise! Pilates also provides many more specific benefits for differing populations including improvement to pelvic floor function, bone density improvement and lung capacity/breathing technique improvement amongst many others.

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