I was humbled this morning, taking my first class (ever) in Pilates. This was a beginner’s class, mind you, taught by a substitute for the regular Pilates instructor (who, I learned afterwards, ran a much tighter ship), and it almost killed me to do exercises that the other seven class members were able to do.
Mostly, this was because I’ve got tight muscles, particularly in the legs, and because I was easily the most out-of-shape person in the room. I was like “Put what where?”-- I couldn’t even get into the proper starting position for most of the exercises. (Proper starting position was usually legs fully extended on the floor, toes pointing straight up, back perfectly straight, arms extended with the palms up. I needed a ten-minute break to recover from the starting position alone, which I could hold for about three and half seconds. Other starting positions I couldn’t even get into at all.) I did what I could, and my shirt was sweat-soaked inside of 20 minutes. Most of the hour session I spent out-of-breath marvelling at the instructor doing all this stuff easily and shouting instructions besides.
I’ll give it another shot next week if I’m still alive.
So, you started a pilates class! And it was hard! Good for you!
The fact that you had to sweat and that it was difficult means you’re getting stronger and more flexible. Keep it up! as long as you don’t really torture yourself, you’ll see the benefits in no time. And one day, you’ll see some poor beginner struggling to get through a single session, and you’ll think, “Yeah, I remember what that was like.”
The thing I’m wondering about is what happens next week. The class meets only on Saturday mornings, and I’m trying to figure out what stretching or mild Pilates stuff I could do between now and a week from now to make it easier. I can’t imagine that doing nothing for a week is the best thing.
Stretching would be a good idea. Quads, hip flexors, back, shoulders, pecs, you name it.
That being said, a group mat class isn’t really the best way to get introduced to Pilates. If you can afford it, I would highly recommend one-on-one training using the equipment.
I can barely afford the group mat class–it’s 15 bucks for the hour, which I hear is very cheap for these parts, but which is a gigantic strain on my budget. I’ve just grown disappointed with the lack of results from other, even cheaper, forms of low-impact exercise, such as bicycling and calesthentics, so I thought I’d invest a bit into Pilates. But 15 bucks per week is, for me, pretty extravagant. I was hoping, in fact, to pick up some basic techniques that I could do at home for free, but I can see that goal’s a way off. If it weren’t for the embarrassment factor, I would have packed this in after about five or six minutes, but I struggled through the hour, albeit not doing all of the necessary exercises to completion.
The worst (and best) thing about Pilates is that the better you get at it, the harder it gets…
I remember when I was in class and finally felt the right muscles and really worked into them during the single leg stretch (because I was finally strong enough to feel them) and the series that had been hard became excruciating.
But the beginners think you’re good - even if you know better.
Is it possible for you to look for one of those pilates “kits” with the DVD (or VHS) and bands or whatever else? I’ve got one, and the ‘beginners’ program on mine is pretty gentle, but still enough to get me sweating and feeling stretched. It’s a one-off investment, and when you are a bit more into it and more flexible, it’d give you a heads-up on an actual class.