Pilates is a very simple exercise form. There are a set of principles of Pilates that govern every single Pilates session or Pilates class. There aren’t very many but those that do exist date back to the origin of Pilates as Joseph Pilates himself set out. And to get the true benefit of this exercise form, these tried-and-trusted principles of Pilates have to be followed to the letter.
Principles of Pilates #1: Concentrate on the Core
The claim to fame of Pilates is its ability to target the core and sculpt super-sexy abs. The way that this exercise modality achieves this hard-to-reach goal is by the following say expert Pilates instructors:
“Pilates exercises develop a strong “core,” or center of the body. The core consists of the deep abdominal muscles along with the muscles closest to the spine. Control of the core is achieved by integrating the trunk, pelvis and shoulder girdle.”
Your focus has to be honed in on your core control. It must not deviate for a second as if it does you could hurt yourself quite badly.
Principles of Pilates #2: Control Your Breathing
A big part of Pilates exercise and achieving core control is through harnessing your breathing.
Typically, you’ll inhale before you start any of the movements and connect your abdominal muscles. This is achieved by activating your pelvic floor as well as your lower abdominal muscles, in other words your rectus abdominis. This movement is called bringing naval to spine.
Before you begin a particular movement, you’ll inhale and exhale when you start moving. The reason why breathing is so controlled during Pilates – say Rael Isacowitz and Karen Clippinger in their book Pilates Anatomy – is:
“… breathing exercises, or voluntarily controlled breathing patterns, may provide health benefits or enhance physical performance … The proposed benefits range from enhanced relaxation and decreased stress to lowered blood pressure, improved focus, activation of specific muscles, better circulation and respiration, and even lowered risk for cardiovascular disease.”
On Trifocus Fitness Academy’s Pilates Course a foundational model looks at breathing principle of Pilates. Here you’ll learn about:
– Concentration
– Control,
– Centering,
– Breathing
Principles of Pilates #3: Control
Your core is your powerhouse. It protects the majority of your vital organs. Thus it is vital for these muscles to be rock-solid as if they aren’t you could do serious damage.
To get these muscles strong, your movements in Pilates have to be controlled, strong and fluid. You can’t hope to get strong abs by performing weak movements that are full of errors.
Trifocus Fitness Academy’s Comprehensive Pilates Course will teach you the following exercises. Through these you can practise the fundamental tenets of Pilates:
• Basic matwork,
• Intermediate matwork,
• Small barrel,
• Basic Ball Series,
• Intermediate ball series,
• Theraband series,
• Basic reformer series,
• Intermediate reformer series,
• Basic chair series,
• Intermediate chair series,https://trifocusfitnessacademy.co.za/contact-us/
• Electric chair series, and
• Basic cadillac series.
