Pilates is a universal training that strengthens all the muscles of the body, improves posture, and prevents back pain resulting from a sedentary lifestyle. Pilates is a training for everyone. Nevertheless, there is a narrow group of people for whom this training is not recommended. What is pilates, for whom is it an ideal form of exercise, and for whom it is not recommended?

Pilatesto one of the most open and friendly workouts. The pilates system is a combination of yoga, ballet and isometric exercises. It is recommended regardless of the age, condition and capabilities of the body. If we wanted to look at the participants of pilates classes, we will see a whole cross-section of society there: from young people to the elderly, women and men, athletes and amateurs.

What is Pilates?

Pilates is an exercise method that is used all over the world today. It benefits the body and mind and is based on 6 principles:

  1. correct breathing - inhale through the nose, exhale with the mouth in the appropriate phase of exercise
  2. concentration - total focus on a given motor activity
  3. centering - each movement begins in the center of the body, that is, from the deep abdominal muscles, and goes outward. This allows you to train the body to stabilize and correct the rules of movement every day.
  4. control based on conscious movement combined with breath
  5. smoothness of movement, grace and harmony
  6. precision - quality and accuracy count, not the number of exercises

Pilates was created in 1920 in New York City by the German athlete Joseph Pilates.

Pilates, who suffered, inter alia, from due to rickets, he started exercising regularly to overcome his physical limitations. Regular gymnastics turned out to be so successful that he became an athlete. Complicated vicissitudes (World War I) meant that he worked as a paramedic with people with physical disabilities, for whom, among others, constructed equipment.

After the war, his method of working with his own body was adopted by many famous German dancers. After leaving for the United States, Pilates and his wife perfected training methods at the New York City Ballet gymnastics center until the end of his life, and educated many of his successors.

The Pilates method has gained popularity all over the world. It is used by osteopaths, physiotherapists,surgeons and chiropractors. It can be properly selected and used at all levels of physical fitness.

Pilates - who is this training for?

  • Pilates for people suffering from backache

Pilates are exercises that are friendly to people with some he alth problems. Among other things, it is recommended for those who suffer from various degenerations and defects of the spine. Pilates helps to strengthen the back muscles and thus relieve the spine. Exercises also involve the deep muscles that we rarely use, which constitute the scaffolding for the entire figure and help to maintain the correct body posture. Most people declare that thanks to Pilates, pain in the spine has significantly decreased or has been completely eliminated.

Few people know that pilates is an ideal "rehabilitation" after some injuries. Athletes who are often advised to stop intense training after an injury and start pilates classes know this. All this so as not to let your muscles rest, but to keep fit even during a break from professional training.

Check: Pilates for back pain - training for beginners on video

  • Pilates for stressed people, suffering from a lack of energy

So it means that pilates helps you recover. It not only soothes the soul and reduces tension, but most of all it helps to regain full fitness very gradually. The very story of its creator is also evidence of the he alth effects of pilates. Before developing these exercises, Joseph Pilates was sick with asthma and rickets, among other things. Thanks to the training, he stopped getting sick, regained a he althy and fit body, and the exercises motivated him to practice other sports, e.g. skiing or diving.

Read also:
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  • Pilates for lazy people and beginners

Pilates, as an activity that does not require good shape and form, encourages those who do not like to move to practice sport. In exercises, you can find peace and relaxation, forget about everyday problems. After class we do not feel exhausted, but full of energy.

  • Pilates for people who care about their figure

This type of exercise is also ideal for people who want to "develop" stronger abdominal muscles and shape their figure. Compared to other workouts such as aerobics or TBC, you don't need to be fit and in a rhythm to keep up with the instructor. You can enter Pilates almost "from the street", without any preparation, becausepreparation for exercises is an element of training.

Who can practice Pilates?

There are no age restrictions in Pilates. There are also few he alth restrictions. Pilates classes can be attended by:

  • elderly people,
  • pregnant women ( although the exercises should be properly selected or modified and it cannot be the first trimester),
  • people with injuries,
  • people who are very overweight,
  • professional athletes,
  • people with a weak physical condition.
Important

Pilates - who should be careful?

If you have any complaints, have had an injury or have an injury or are chronically ill - ask your doctor for permission before you attend Pilates classes. He will know best if the training is appropriate for you.

Pregnant women should also exercise caution, especially in the first trimester, when there is the greatest risk of pregnancy loss.

If the doctor agrees to participate in the classes, it is also worth informing the instructor about your ailments, who will select only exercises that are good for our he alth. The role of a pilates instructor is to care for the safety of the participants.

See also: What can you practice during pregnancy? Classes for pregnant women

Pilates for dancers

In addition to professional athletes such as: runners, basketball players, hockey players, golfers and tennis players, Pilates is an ideal training for dancing people. The creator of pilates himself used this technique of exercises among dancers.

Pilates is used not only to strengthen the muscles necessary for dancing and to improve the condition, but also works well as a form of rehabilitation during an injury. In this case, it is also important that the exercises shape a beautiful figure, and as you know, it is extremely important in the work of a dancer.

Pilates also improves balance and makes joints more flexible. This affects the flexibility and agility of the dancer. Improving body awareness through exercise helps the dancer to strive for perfection.

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Pilates - for whom is not recommended?

Pilates training can shape the figure. Many women regain a nice figure thanks to exercise, waistline appear, belly becomes flatter. However, this is not a training that allows you to lose weight spectacularly. Thus, pilates is not a form of activity recommended for people who count on a significant and visible oneweight loss.

As it is a sport involving all parts of the body, it cannot be practiced with every ailment. Sometimes exercise can be harmful, but in many cases it is enough to exclude some exercises from training or replace them with similar ones.

Contraindication to pilates exercises are:

  • problems with blood pressure (e.g. instability),
  • risk of blood clots (thrombosis),
  • acute inflammation,
  • spondylolisthesis,
  • recent bone fracture,
  • recent surgery (especially in the abdominal area),
  • osteoporosis (but in advanced form),
  • disc hernia,
  • first trimester of pregnancy (especially if the woman has not been physically active before),
  • high-risk pregnancy (risk of premature birth, pregnancy complications).

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ABC of exercises