Is Pilates just for chics?
 

I wanted to try Pilates, but thought it was just for women. Then I found out that Sting was big on taking it. Do any guys out there take it? If so, is it worth it? I dont' know a whole lot about Pilates. Any help would be appreciated. :hmm:

Aparently not.

Mrs Mephisto is a physiotherapist (I believe you call them Physical Therapists in the US?) and went on to do two Masters degrees; one in Sports Physio and one in Musculo-skeletal (or "manipulative") physio.

She says that Pilates (developed by some German to help veterans after WWI, if memory serves me right) works on improving "core stability". I think that's what she said anyway. It's meant to be very good for you.

She laments the fact that it's become a bit of a fad or craze at the moment, and that there are a lot of Pilates courses out there being run by clowns who have no qualifications (maybe a one or two year diploma, as opposed to spending five to six years in university and practice). But she says that a decent Pilates course is good for you. I can dig up more information (ie, ask her when I get to bed) if you're interested. She's also a qualified Pilates instructor.

As an FYI, she's attending classes herself. If she thinks it's worthwhile, then I suspect it is.


Mr Mephisto

Thanks Mr Mephisto. I would like to know more about it before trying it for myself.

I'll ask her tomorrow. She will be asleep when I go to bed and (trust me on this) it's not worth my life to wake her up... :)

Mr Mephisto

Thanks again Mr Mephisto. Anyone else out there who can help would also be appreciated.

Yes, me and an old girlfriend used to take a class at our gym. There are definitely more women there than men, but hey, that's a positive! Who gives a crap what anyone else thinks, you're in the room with all the scantily clad hot chicks! :thumbsup:

Core stability, right on the mark. I agree it's worth it. You could do 100 sit ups every morning for a year and then go into a Pilates class and it will still kick your butt.

Sorry to be ignorant, but could someone fill us in that dont know what pilates is?

Nazggul, I agree. I take other classes at the gym and most of them are filled with women. Not because they are easy, but because men don't seem to like classes for some reason. I take an ab class twice a week now for 25 minutes. It is pretty intense but I am already looking for something more. I would take it more than twice a week, but my schedule won't allow it.

Here's a quote from wikipedia.

Also, as Mr M. correctly pointed out, Pilates developed his system to return injured WWI soldiers to health more quickly. The excercises were developed to be able to be done from a hospital bed, and many of the pieces of apparatus that are used in training sort of resemble the slings and pulley's you might find over a hospital bed (apart from looking like the belong in a bondage dungeon). Most classes, at least where I am, are mostly women, but I wouldn't mind being surrounded by fit and flexible women going through all manner of contortions as I work out. The mat work is good, but the apparatus are really a sweaty workout with a good trainer (it's 1 on 1). I certainly recommend it, but you should try to go at least twice a week for good effect.

It is really a variation of yoga. And there are far more women that practice yoga. My wife is an instructor. I am amazed at what it did for her after the first year or so. It really blasts your core (the middle of your body). And it is tough. with yoga you can easily break a sweat. In fact, my wife has a cloth mat, sinilar to a rug, that she uses on her mat when she really works it because the sweat makes her mats too slippery.

I don't participate in regular classes because I have my own teacher at home, but i do work out with her. It is awesome after working out with weights!!

OK, here's the deal on Pilates from my wife. She's a qualified Physiotherapist with two additional Masters Degrees (one in Sports Injuries and one in Musculo-skeletal physiotherapy).

Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates after World War I in Germany. He used it to help veterans who were bed-ridden, yet still needed some exercise.

Apparently there are three types of muscle contraction; ecentric, concentric and isometric. Isometric contraction is when you tense your muscles but don't move anything. Concentric contraction is when you "lift" something (ie, lifting weights); your muscle is shortening or contracting in this circumstance. Eccentric contraction is when you "push" something (ie, walking or pushing a weight upwards); your muscle is extending in this circumstance. Pilates relies upon eccentric muscle contraction.

I've never seen Pilates in action, but apparently you are on a bed (or matt), and pushing/pulling cables and levers. This results in eccentric contraction of the muscles. This was good for bed-ridden soldiers, who may have lost an arm or leg etc.

Pilates was popular during Joseph Pilates lifetime but began to fade out towards the 40's. In the 50's it enjoyed a revival, especially amongst dancers. Proponents began to see that Pilates helped create "long and lean" body-types. No one really knew why, but it was great for dancers who wanted to improve their body strength without "bulking up"; which was common if they did free weights etc.

It once again gained another revival in the 80's (especially in New York apparently) for the same reasons. Dancers (and then celebs) liked the results.

In the late 80's the University of Queensland did some groundbreaking studies on the contraction of a core muscle (in the central torso) called the transverse abdominus (my spelling might be wrong). There is also another muscle called the multifidus involved. Their study showed that these muscles contract a few microseconds before any other conscious movement; especially those that produce strain on the spine. This is an involuntary and unconcious contraction. It is apparently done to add stability to the spine (the muscle adhers to boney extrusions of the verterbra called fascia). Without this, spine strain and injury can occur.

Physios have found that a lot of bad back pain, especially lower back pain, is a result of poor abdominal muscle control; either the transverse abdominus and multifidus contract at the same time or after the "primary mover" (this is the term Mrs Mephisto used to denote the main muscle that you conciously contract). Physios have found that working on this "core stability" problem can do wonders for people with bad back pain.

They often use ultra-sound to help people consciously identify the muscle, as it's hard to "think of" and contract normally. You lie there and basically tense your insides whilst they show you the results on a ultra-sound machine. Eventually you learn to "feel" the abdominal muscles and can then consciously contract (and therefore exercise) it. This helps your core stability which in turn helps your back pain.

What has this got to do with Pilates?

Well, as Pilates became more popular, some physios noticed the result themselves and also realized that a good part of this technique was also exercising the abdominal muscles. Now, most Pilates has been "improved" with specific abdominal exercises. In effect, they have enhanced some of its core stability parts to make the results even better. At least, Pilates when taught by professional and qualified physios.

Pilates is considered an excellent technique, not only because it can help improve your body shape without bulking up (remember, it creates long and lean body shapes), but is also extremely useful for many professional athletes. Sports physios have found that improving core stabilty has a positive result in improving general all round fitness. It also means that once your core stability is strong, it's easier for your peripheral muscles to irmprove. Mrs Mephisto described it as "kind of like getting a good foundation down before you build on top of it". Apparently everyone from professional runners to rugby players use it successfully. It's also very good for pregnant women, as they exercise the right abdominal muscles, without straining the important ones (something to do with the womb etc; I can't remember the names of the muscles involved).

So all in all, the answer is "No, it's not just for girls" and "Yes, it is very good for you, if taught by someone who knows what they're doing".

I hope this was useful. Any errors are my own and due to an imperfect recollection of the conversation I had with Mrs Mephisto.


Mr Mephisto

jason kidd (point guard for the new jersey nets) does pilates, as do tiger woods and curt schilling (pitcher for boston red sox).

all three got injured this year... not sure what that says, if anything, about pilates, lol.

having never done them myself, i hear great things about them, as the other members have attested to above.

No response from the original poster?

SIGH

So much typing for so little credit... :)


Mr Mephisto

Pilates - is that how the Chinese say "pirate?"
 

Injury happens.

Core strength is essential, even for those busy-work marathoners who are at a desk all day.

More work productivity is lost to back injuries than any other injury in the United States!

Mr. Mephisto was wise to consult the Mrs., and he probably earned himself some brownie points with her, as well.

Regardless of sexual politics, pilates is a good strengthening workout, I'm sure (never having done it myself) but it will not give you the "six-pack" that everyone in the world is after. That requires cardiovascular exercise ("I just barfed running a race"), resistance exercise ("I just pooed myself lifting that heavy weight"), and proper nutrition and calorie balance ("I barfed and I pooed, so I'm very hungry now, but I can't eat anything but a carrot").

Discipline is hard to come by for this kind of approach...good luck with Pilates! If it works for you, let everyone else know!

I found it useful. Thanks :thumbsup:

Mr. Mephisto. Thanks!!!!!! I have not been on here for a while. I got too busy at work to respond. This is all good info. I will be taking pilates or yoga soon. I just need to find a class that is available for me. If not, I will have to get a video and do it from home. There used to be a show on the Oxygen channel but I haven't seen it in a while. My wife has agreed to take it with me at home if we can find a video or something. I don't know any instructors who would be willing to come over, not without paying a huge fee. Once I get the moves down, I will be able to do it without a video or instruction.

You can most certainly buy good videos and DVDs that discuss Pilates. Make sure you buy one that is hosted by a trained physiotherapist (or physical therapist as you call them in the US).

There are a lot of pilates courses/vidoes that now include programs with something called a "fitness ball". This looks like a massive basket ball. This is worth considering too if you're interested (according to Mrs Mephisto).


Mr Mephisto

Pilate's is not only not just for chicks, participation is a good way of meeting them. ;)

I'm actually not sure too many physical therapists actually do Pilates instruction, come to think of it. It would be a great idea if they were physical therapists and certified Pilates instructors, but i would say definitely make sure the person is certified by a reputable Pilates organization (sorry to lazy to punch one up for you). As far as the big "basketball things" they are really useful at working the tiny supportive muscles in all parts of your body. Because they have to work really hard to maintain stability while the larger muscles do the workout, the wee muscles get worked and developed more. A sensible way to overall fitness. I'm not sure why, but I think that a lot of the ball excercise stuff may have come from Scandanavia, but I'd have to check that (it's amazing the things that pop into my head seemingly out of nowhere.)