I’m thinking of signing up for Pilates classes at the gym here at work, $5 a session for 8 sessions. Anybody tried Pilates, and how did it work for you? I’m currently doing Stairmaster MWF, and lifting weights TTh. The Pilates class would be TTh, so I’d either drop the weights (heh… clank) or move them to one of the cardio days, depending on how the Pilates hits me.
I do pilates and love it.
It has all the great body beneifits of yoga without being quite so airy-fairy (no offense to yoga buffs - I did it for years and still do it once and a while).
I improves flexability and if you ever have back pain or sore muscles, doing an hour or so can really limber you up - for me it’s comparable to getting a full body massage (go figure).
I can’t really think of any downsides, other than if you’re very unflexable it can take a while to develop that, which can be a bit frustrating. However, even for the unflexable it’s a good workout.
(I would probably replace a cardio session with the pilates before I dropped the weights - depending on the class and the instructor, you can get your heart rate up pretty good with pilates.)
Excellent for core strengthening. You’ll find your fast twitch muscle fibers firing like mad until you get stronger and can stabalize your body better.
At the end of the day, it’s not much more than what Jack Lalane has been advocating for well over 50 years. It’s just wrapped up in new packaging.
I have some of the Winsor Pilates videos (too broke to join a gym), and I really like them. They’re relatively short, which is good because I like to sleep. Also, I’m overweight and have very bad knees, and the beginning video is all floor activities, so I’m not getting up and down (ow!) or doing lunges or squats (ouch!) or anything like that, yet I’m still working out.
I bought a ball/weight kit, that came with a video. It’s just a half hour workout, but wow, do I ever feel the difference!
I was a little off balance at first, but as I got used to it, I got better and better at it, and now I can go through the entire video with no problems at all. Even though at the end I am sweating, I still think to myself “That’s it? Over all ready?” It’s been about a month, and though I’ve only lost a couple of inches here and there, inside, I feel fantastic. I find it gives me lots of energy and makes me feel more flexible. I am stronger, too, but I don’t appear to be gaining “bulky” muscles; rather, they are lean and toned. Very nice.
It’s a nice compliment to your cardio and weights.
Is it a pilates reformer (machine) class or a mat class?
If the former, I have no advice to give, as I’ve not used a reformer.
If the latter, I highly recommend it for increasing flexibility, core (abdominal and back) strength, and muscle toning. I always describe Pilates to people as a cross between a yoga class and an abs class. I especially like classes that involve stability balls (the small ones that you hold between your knees or in your hands during the workout to help with muscle stability), foam rollers, and flexible rings, though you don’t really need any of those things to get a good workout.
I would definitely do the Pilates in place of a cardio workout, though I wouldn’t do a hardcore Pilates workout and strength training on the same day. You’re using a lot of the same muscles and you might strain something.
If you can afford it, I’d recommend signing up for one-on-one training. Pilates is the sort of thing where there’s a lot of subtle feedback that you need till you get a good idea of how your body behaves. I wouldn’t advise jumping right in to a group mat class.
It’s a group mat class, with the balls and everything. I’ve done a lot of martial arts and physical training of other kinds, so I have a pretty good idea how everything works, and when to stop. Looks like a good thing…
What Alice said. I like pilates lots too, and it’s even something you can do at home once you get the hang of it.