Pilates Training
Being in great physical shape requires a lot of balance, control, agility, strength endurance and more. All aspects of fitness and conditioning can be achieved through the art exercise of pliates. Pilates is quickly becoming one of the most popular fitness programs. In the past 8 years pilates participation has increased by over 600% with over 11 million people. Let's find out why this is and discover how pilates can benefit your overall health and fitness whether you play tennis or not. Also keep in mind that links to this page reveal some of the best pilates practitioners available.
Inner Core Pilates
Pilates was created by a man named Joseph Pilates in the early 20th Century. One of the things that makes Pilates such a unique form of fitness exercise is that it is heavily concentrated towards strengthening weak muscles and stretching muscles that are stiff and tight. Through a variety of stretching exercises on a mat, ball or machine equipment, pilates will stretch and strengthen your lower back and abdominal muscles which will result in the overall strengthening of your inner core. By strengthening the center of your body via the abdomen, lower back and hips, the idea is that this increased energy and power will spread from the center of your body outward to your limbs making your muscles leaner and more toned in everyday life. Therefore most pilates exercises stress specific movements and stretching that are focused towards the center of the body. Strengthening your inner core will also drastically improve your mobility, posture, flexibility, strength and endurance without adding extra muscle bulk.
The Importance of Breathing
Pilates heavily stresses the importance of breathing in order to achieve maximum potential of the exercise. In situations of extreme difficulty and concentration people will often forget to breath continuously causing them to tense up physically and mentally. Pilates gives people a chance to coordinate steady breathing through slow methodical routines which will better train them do so in even more difficult and strenuous situations. Practicing breathing a long with the various pilates exercises will send more oxygen to your muscles and also relieve muscle tension. Pilates stresses deep heavy breathing by forcing inhalation which will maximize exhalation. This full breathing technique also helps build lung capacity which can increase stamina and is one of the main focuses of pilates training.
Injury prevention and recovery
One of the great things about pilates is that it is not only great for recovering from an injury, but it also makes your body less prone to injury. Playing sports like tennis are very strenuous on the body and require a huge range of motion. One of the major goals of pilates is to correct muscle imbalances which often happen when someone uses more muscles than others in a particular sport or activity. This is done by practicing efficient movement patterns. By strengthening the inner core, this physical energy will spread evenly from the center outwards as you continue with the various pilates exercises. This will inevitably create more muscle groups in areas that are not used as much creating more stability and balanced strength throughout the entire body which will make you far less likely to injure yourself. Pilates is also great for recovering from an injury because the stretching exercises help build tissue and strength surrounding the injury first, followed by moving towards the actually injury spot. Unlike most fitness programs, pilates stresses working with the body by increasing your range of motion and focusing on the proper alignment of body parts which enable injuries to heal much faster.
Pilates Equipment
One of the most popular pieces of equipment used in the pilates studio is the pilates reformer machine. Any pilates class that you take which utilizes this machine would be called a pilates reformer class. The pilates reformer machine is based around a wood or metal frame with a carriage thats slides back and forth within the frame. There is a pilates bar for your feet on one end of the frame and pulleys on the other end with rings for your hands or feet. The idea of a pilates reformer workout is to put your body on the carriage or sliding platform and use resistance with your hands and feet on the pulleys or foot bar to move the carriage back and forth. There are specific motions you should practice with your arms or legs to move yourself on the carriage. It is also stressing the idea of controlled motion by not moving yourself too fast. This exercises proper alignment, muscle control and helps strengthen your inner core. With the different combinations you can do with the pulleys, strings and straps, there are over 100 different types of pilates exercises you can do with a pilates reformer machine. Aside from pilates studios and fitness clubs using these machines, pilates reformers have become very popular among different physical therapists, osteopaths and chiropractors. Quality pilates reformer machines tend to cost between 1,500 and 3,500 dollars. They can also be a great machine to purchase yourself for personal home fitness.
Another great piece of pilates equipment is the pilates ball. This provides a different pilates workout than the reformer machine because it involves the exercises performed on a large spherical shaped plastic ball. Working out on a pilates ball is heavily focused on the balance aspect of a pilates training. When you lie on the pilates ball you will find that it is not stable and you will have to always make adjustments to re-balance yourself. The idea is that these constant balance checks will isolate the deepest muscles in you inner core and abdomen which would otherwise not be tested in most fitness exercises. Besides body control and balance, exercising on a pilates ball is also great for flexibility and posture. Pilates balls generally cost $20-$40 dollars.
Pilates for tennis
All of the things talked about above fit perfectly into the game of tennis. The various stretching and movement exercises will increase your flexibility and strengthen weaker muscles which will make you less prone to injury on the court. Strengthening your inner core will give you more stability which is crucial for preparation of groundstrokes. It will also give you more strength and increase your range of motion to make you more explosive behind every shot (especially the serve) and give you more racquet head speed. A strong inner core also gives you more balance for agility as well as more stamina to last through the entire match. Last but not least, pilates will always focus on proper breathing to relax the mind and body. This will enable you to be less stressed and tense on big points and difficult shots. Take it from us and see what pilates can do for your overall tennis game. Not only will pilates give you the tools to perform better, but will also prevent injury allowing you to play the game for as long as you live.
How do I get started?
It is very important that you learn pilates in person with a certified pilates instructor. You will have the option of taking a group pilates course or a private session. A group pilates class will cost less and you will still be able to get personal instruction since group pilates classes do not usually exceed 5 people. Of course a private pilates session will provide with the most attention and direction for your needs. You also have the option of purchasing pilates equipment yourself and practicing it at home by watching pilates dvds. This can work out great if there aren't any pilates instructors near you.
For more information on pilates exercises, pilates stores and how to get started please see our links above. These reveal some of the best practitioners and pilates insructors who can point you in the right direction. You will also find vendors selling the best pilates equipment, clothing, instructional pilates videos and more. Visit them and you will be well on your way to improving your overall health and well-being in a way that can be achieved from no other fitness endeavor. We promise you will not be disappointed!