Pilates, many people are not unfamiliar with it. Many female celebrities are practicing pilates. So, what exactly is pilates?
What is pilates?
Pilates, was invented by a man named Pilates in Germany. Pilates, whose father was a gymnast and mother was a naturopathic physician, invented this fitness exercise by combining the experiences of his father, mother and himself, since he was weak and sickly as a child.
Later, this exercise was applied to the rehabilitation of injured soldiers after the first world war. Moreover, during the rehabilitation process, it was found that not only the physical aspect of the body was rehabilitated, but also the psychological aspect of some soldiers who performed pilates had a therapeutic effect.
The training is based on the six keys of "Focus, breathing, core, control, precision and fluidity"! The training content integrates aerobic, flexibility and muscle stretching, both unarmed training and equipment assistance. The aim of the training is to bring harmony and balance to the trainer's body. Therefore, pilates is considered to be an exercise that is beneficial to both physical and mental health.
What are the different types of pilates?
Over the past 100 years, pilates has evolved into many different types of exercises and training styles. So we, the latecomers, have more choices, but it is important to choose the way that suits you.
(1) Mat Pilates: Based on "Strengthening the core muscles, training the body's stability and coordination", it is more suitable for beginners. All you need is a mat and a few elastic bands to start training.
(2) Equipment Pilates: As the name implies, it requires the assistance of equipment. Compared to the classic pilates, the intensity is higher.
(3) Yogalates.
Yogalates is a combination of pilates and yoga? Perhaps some people are starting to wonder, because they are indeed very similar. But yogalates focuses more on breathing and physical functionality of the body (including joint alignment, flexibility, coordination, stability, etc.).
(4) Barre: More suitable for dance enthusiasts to improve their flexibility, extension, stability, and balance. The key is that the training movements are also as beautiful as ballet movements.
(5) Piloxing: A combination of boxing movements and standing pilates movements, can effectively increase the heart rate, as well as training to the whole body muscle groups. So fat loss, in many pilates, it performs better. Cardio exercise
What benefits can pilates bring?
Benefit 1: Sculpting the body
Although pilates is mostly static stretching and stretching movements, the movements mostly focus on the muscularity aspect of the training, so it will carve the body's sense of line. There are sports science studies that prove that pilates is significantly effective for core stability. In the study, after 36 weeks of pilates training, the subjects showed a significant increase of 21% in abdominal muscles, as well as a reduction in the imbalance between the left and right muscle groups.
Benefit 2: Can be used as a rehabilitation exercise
In the early days of pilates, it was originally used to rehabilitate soldiers. Therefore, nowadays, in medicine, some post-operative rehabilitation training, there is a pilates figure. The modern people, basically, are sub-healthy state, so use pilates to stimulate the deep muscles, to achieve the purpose of alleviating sub-health.
Benefit 3, increase the "Fun"
You don't need to pursue extreme movements like yoga, pilates can use safe and comfortable movements to improve the body's flexibility and softness. Over time, the body becomes more flexible.
In addition, many of the movements of pilates and kegel exercises have the same effect. Some women's medical experts point out that by strengthening the abdomen, back and pelvic floor through pilates, it can increase the couple's "Interest".
Benefit 4: Improve athletic performance
Although pilates is also a type of strength training, but it is more focused on the body's functionality. For example, by strengthening the target muscle groups, the muscle strength will be balanced, and then the joints will return to their original position, so that they will not often "Click" When exercising.
Can i lose weight by doing pilates?
Slimming is a systematic work, in addition to diet management, exercise assistance, and sleep, lifestyle habits, emotions and other factors. Therefore, regardless of the exercise style, as long as these conditions do not cooperate, it greatly increases the possibility of failure.
In addition, pilates can help you train yourself to breathe. Studies have proven that shallow breathing increases cortisol production and subsequently increases the risk of obesity. Training abdominal breathing through pilates reduces cortisol secretion, relieves stress, and then aids in the great weight loss plan.
How should i start practicing pilates? Start with the following introductory poses.
These exercises are suitable for everyone. Please follow the instructions below and good luck!
Duration: 10 minutes
Equipment: Yoga mat
Exercise: Core and back
Instructions: After completing the prescribed number of reps and sets for each movement, move on to the next exercise.
1:Abdominal curl
Method: Start lying on your back with your legs bent and feet flat on the floor, hands behind your head and elbows bent. With your abdomen out, slightly tuck in your chin, then curl your head, neck and shoulders off the mat in sequence. Slowly reverse the movement once to start over. That's one rep. Complete two sets of 10 reps each.
2:Toes touch the floor
Method: Lie down with your arms together, bend your legs 90 degrees and lift your feet up so that your calves are parallel to the floor. Bend at the hip joint so that the lower left corner faces the floor, remembering not to leave a gap between the back and the mat. Apply force through the lower abdomen and lift the legs back to the starting position. That's one rep. 10 reps on each side, complete two sets.
3: Side leg lifts
Method: Lie on your side with your shoulders in a straight line with your hips, bend your right leg so that your heel is aligned with your hip and flat on the floor, and straighten your left leg in the air and parallel to the floor. Raise the left leg a few centimeters and start over. That's one rep. Complete two sets of 20 reps on each side each.
4:Kneeling side plank pose
Method: Lie on your right side with your legs bent at 90 degrees, heels in line with your hips, upper body weight supported on your right forearm (elbow below your shoulder) parallel to the top of the mat, and your left hand on your hip. Apply force to the forearms to lift the hips until the body forms a straight line from the shoulders to the knees. Hold for 30 seconds, then remember to control your muscles as you lower your body and repeat the movement on the other side.
5: Lateral thoracic spine rotation stretch
Method: Lie on your right side with your legs bent at 90 degrees and your heels in a straight line with your hips, holding your head in your hands and your elbows over your face. Do not move your hips, rotate your left elbow and upper torso backward. Return to the starting position through body control. Complete 6 reps on each side.
