Taking Pilates – Focus Into Your Gym Workout
Gina Jackson asked:
You spend all that time and money with your Pilates teacher weekly, right? Whether privately, in a semi-private or in a group mat class. You love how you feel when you leave the studio or class, right? You believe in the work and see what it has done to your body, then why not take the principles of the workout with you onto the gym floor the next time you go there?
Who said Pilates could only be done on the floor on a mat? What stops you from using your powerhouse every time you sit at a piece of equipment? what prevents you from “lifting in and up” every time you use the Lat Pulldown or Cables for Tricep Presses? Why can’t you breathe through the “back ribs” when you inhale and melt over that stability ball or when you are doing Lateral Shoulder Raises anyway?
Nothing stops you. Nothing but the mindset that one activity belongs in one place and the other in another.
As a Pilates Instructor and a Personal Fitness Trainer/Instructor, I am conscious of queuing and coaching all my clients – whether they know Pilates or not – men and women alike – to use and engage their core structure, their powerhouse, the abdominals before making any movement with a piece of equipment, dumbbell weight, resistance band, etc.
Yes the specific exercises of the Pilates method are distinctive. Yes, the names of the Pilates exercises, whether found on the mat or any of the studio apparatus are distinct and memorable and yes, they move the body through a set of fluid, flowing motions while resisting against a stable position.
In the case of Pilates, we refer to this stable position as the “powerhouse,” defined as the imaginary box drawn between your right and left shoulder and right and left hip points.
It is this stable position, from deep inside the abdominal core, that all the exercises inside the gym must and should also be emanate. Generally, I find that newcomers to the gym, as well as many old “hardheads” approach the equipment just to move thru pushing or pulling the weights without giving any conscious attention to abdominal engagement, stability, balance or even use of their breath to facilitate the movement of the body or the weights.
By employing the classic principles of Pilates control – of the movement of the exercise, the muscle involved within the exercise and transitions to the next exercise. concentration – bringing full attention, focus and commitment to the exercise; eliminating the extraneous details and chatter, thus maximizing the value achieved with each rep and movement. centering – bringing a centered focus to the core powerhouse as well as one’s body in space. precision – focused attention to the precise placement, alignment and movement of the body. breath – use of the breath to facilitate and/or challenge the movement of the body.
Fit Yummy Mummy!
You spend all that time and money with your Pilates teacher weekly, right? Whether privately, in a semi-private or in a group mat class. You love how you feel when you leave the studio or class, right? You believe in the work and see what it has done to your body, then why not take the principles of the workout with you onto the gym floor the next time you go there?
Who said Pilates could only be done on the floor on a mat? What stops you from using your powerhouse every time you sit at a piece of equipment? what prevents you from “lifting in and up” every time you use the Lat Pulldown or Cables for Tricep Presses? Why can’t you breathe through the “back ribs” when you inhale and melt over that stability ball or when you are doing Lateral Shoulder Raises anyway?
Nothing stops you. Nothing but the mindset that one activity belongs in one place and the other in another.
As a Pilates Instructor and a Personal Fitness Trainer/Instructor, I am conscious of queuing and coaching all my clients – whether they know Pilates or not – men and women alike – to use and engage their core structure, their powerhouse, the abdominals before making any movement with a piece of equipment, dumbbell weight, resistance band, etc.
Yes the specific exercises of the Pilates method are distinctive. Yes, the names of the Pilates exercises, whether found on the mat or any of the studio apparatus are distinct and memorable and yes, they move the body through a set of fluid, flowing motions while resisting against a stable position.
In the case of Pilates, we refer to this stable position as the “powerhouse,” defined as the imaginary box drawn between your right and left shoulder and right and left hip points.
It is this stable position, from deep inside the abdominal core, that all the exercises inside the gym must and should also be emanate. Generally, I find that newcomers to the gym, as well as many old “hardheads” approach the equipment just to move thru pushing or pulling the weights without giving any conscious attention to abdominal engagement, stability, balance or even use of their breath to facilitate the movement of the body or the weights.
By employing the classic principles of Pilates control – of the movement of the exercise, the muscle involved within the exercise and transitions to the next exercise. concentration – bringing full attention, focus and commitment to the exercise; eliminating the extraneous details and chatter, thus maximizing the value achieved with each rep and movement. centering – bringing a centered focus to the core powerhouse as well as one’s body in space. precision – focused attention to the precise placement, alignment and movement of the body. breath – use of the breath to facilitate and/or challenge the movement of the body.
Fit Yummy Mummy!
December 10th, 2009 at 8:48 am
This article DOES NOT HAVE my credits, links and bio attached, as part of your agreement for re-publishing the content.
Gina Jackson, MBA, CPT, holds Advanced PFT recognition as a member of the International Association of Fitness Professionals (IDEA); maintains affiliate membership in the National Federation of Professional Trainers (NFPT) and is certified as a Power Pilates Teacher and a proud Business Member of the Pilates Method Alliance.
Gina made a conscious career and lifestyle change to fitness in 2000 and assists clients in lifestyle fitness training programs; she is the Fitness Consultant, creator and energy behind the Prescription4Fitness.com and ThePilatesClub.net, both of which provide fitness resources, tips, articles and MP3 downloads designed to assist all realizing their fitness goals.
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