Mind Body

Can you speak to the benefits of Pilates for athletes, and how it can enhance performance in specific sports or activities?

Unlock Your Athletic Potential with Pilates

Can I speak to the benefits of Pilates for athletes and how it can enhance performance in specific sports or activities? In a program for an athlete, you'll experience exercises of flexibility, as well as exercises that target the local and global stabilizing muscles and balance. Pilates exercises can help an athlete understand where movement, stability, and force should all come from, isolating it and then integrating it. There will be exercises that are reminiscent of movements they experience in their sport, but that are not meant exactly to replicate. For example, learning how to do axial rotation and then placing someone in a golf stance. A swimmer might experience a large range of motion of the shoulder girdle with resistance while the core lifts the spine up. A runner can strengthen their glutes, experiencing that push-off sensation through the hip and the knee joint. A cyclist can work on maintaining a flexed position of their spine while having quick movement through the lower kinetic chain. Planks also play a large part of the programming, understanding how much work happens through the upper chain, the lower chain, and the core. Resistance can come from different directions, and experiencing moving planks can help the athlete better understand the concept of dynamic stability. I hope these exercises piqued your interest in adding Pilates to your athletic conditioning programming.

Pilates exercises can help athletes understand where movement, stability and force should come from, with exercises reminiscent of movements they experience in their sport. These exercises can help them gain a better understanding of dynamic stability while also working on flexibility, local and global stabilizing muscles, and balance.

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Speaking to the benefits of Pilates for athletes and how it can enhance performance in specific sports or activities, a Pilates program for athletes includes exercises that focus on flexibility, as well as targeting the local and global stabilizing muscles and balance. 

Pilates exercises help athletes understand the proper sources of movement, stability, and force by isolating and integrating these elements. While there may be exercises that resemble movements in their sport, the goal is not exact replication. For example, a golfer may learn axial rotation and then practice it in a golf stance. A swimmer might work on a wide range of motion in the shoulder girdle with resistance while engaging the core. Runners can strengthen their glutes to enhance the push-off sensation through the hip and knee joints. Cyclists can practice maintaining a flexed spine while achieving quick movement in the lower kinetic chain.

Planks are also a significant part of Pilates programming for athletes. They help athletes understand the work involved in the upper chain, lower chain, and core. Resistance can come from different directions, and incorporating moving planks can enhance the athlete's understanding of dynamic stability.

These exercises offer a glimpse into the potential benefits of adding Pilates to an athlete's conditioning program.

What is the most common misconception about fascia? 

The Most Common Misconception About Fascia Revealed

What is the most common misconception about fascia? I think that is most people think the only way you can train your fascia is by releasing it, right? By using pulsation devices, theragons, hypervolts, by rolling, using rollers or a foam roller, that that's the only way you can train your fascia because it's tight. There are other qualities in your fascia that you can train and that you can stimulate in order to have a healthy fascial system, right? You can improve and train its bounce quality so that there is more bounce, which is what you want through your tendons, right? Because tendons are part of your fascial system, right? We want that bounce for when we're running and jumping, right? We want to do that. We can train that and we can stimulate that. We want to understand the sensory and train the sensory qualities in our fascia. And some of those pulsation and those rolling devices do that, but the slapping and the tapping, those types of things, can help us understand what we're feeling within our fascia and what it means. We want to understand the expansive qualities of fascia, understanding how to key into the tensegrity or the hydraulic amplification that or the dynamics and how we can use that in exercise and movement. And then understand how we can also hydrate it. Yes, we hydrate by liquids and minerals, but we can also hydrate our fascia through movement. So to me, that's the most common misconception about fascia. You can train that fascial system in multiple ways to make it healthier and more complete within your body.

A common misconception about fashion is that the only way to train it is by using pulsation devices. However, there are other ways to train and stimulate your faccia, such as slapping, tapping, and understanding the expansive qualities of the fascial system. Additionally, movement can help hydrate your fashion.

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The most common misconception about fascia is that the only way to train it is by releasing it through devices like pulsation devices, foam rollers, or massage tools. While these methods can be effective for releasing tight fascia, there are other qualities of fascia that can be trained and stimulated for a healthy fascial system. One such quality is bounce, which is important for tendons and activities like running and jumping. We can train and stimulate this bounce. It's also important to understand and train the sensory qualities of our fascia, which can be done through techniques like slapping and tapping to better understand what we're feeling within our fascia. Additionally, we should recognize the expansive qualities of fascia and how to utilize concepts like tensegrity or hydraulic amplification in exercise and movement. Hydration of the fascia is not just limited to fluids and minerals; movement can also help hydrate the fascia. These various ways of training and stimulating the fascial system contribute to its overall health and integration within the body.

What are some common misconceptions about Pilates?

Misconceptions clarified: Pilates is more than mat work, not just flexion, different from yoga, and includes strength and cardio.

What are some common misconceptions about Pilates? Well, there are four that come to mind for me right now, and I'm going to address them. The first one is that some people think that Pilates is just mat work. Joseph Pilates created several pieces of equipment, all with the goal of enhancing body work. There's a Cadillac, a Reformer, stability chair, and several barrels. Another is that some people think that Pilates is all about just flexion of the spine. A well-rounded Pilates workout will take you through all ranges of motion, so not only flexion, but extension, rotation, and lateral flexion. A lot of programming is also done holding neutral spine. Some people think that Pilates is just like yoga. A yoga class usually has several static postures put together in a flow. A lot of Pilates exercises look like yoga exercises, but we're often moving through different positions with resistance, and a lot of times the equipment is moving as well. And there are those people who think that Pilates is just a lot of stretching. Pilates exercises can be very strengthening and challenging. There can even be some cardio elements worked into the programming as well. So I hope you can see that Pilates is a really varied form of exercise with a lot of options.

There are some misconceptions about Pilates, such as that it is just mat work, only focuses on flexion of the spine, is similar to yoga, and is mainly stretching. Pilates is actually much more varied with equipment, different ranges of motion, strengthening elements, and even some cardio.

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There are four common misconceptions about Pilates that I'd like to address. Firstly, some people believe that Pilates is solely mat work. However, Joseph Pilates created various equipment pieces, such as the Cadillac, Reformer, stability chair, and barrels, to enhance the practice.

Secondly, there's a misconception that Pilates only focuses on flexion of the spine. In reality, a well-rounded Pilates workout incorporates all ranges of motion, including extension, rotation, and lateral flexion. Many exercises also emphasize maintaining a neutral spine.

Thirdly, some individuals think that Pilates is similar to yoga. While there may be similarities in certain exercises, Pilates involves dynamic movements with resistance, often incorporating equipment that moves as well.

Lastly, there's a misconception that Pilates is primarily about stretching. In truth, Pilates exercises can be challenging and strengthening. Some workouts even incorporate cardio elements.

Overall, Pilates is a diverse form of exercise with a wide range of options beyond the misconceptions.

How do you enhance the bounce quality of your fascia?

Unlock the Secrets of Fascia: Enhancing Bounce Quality

How do you enhance the balance quality of your fascia? I'm going to show you a couple of exercises, but first I just want to talk about why it's important. So our fascia is made up of cells that kind of drive the fascia. This sort of liquidy ground substance that's made up of water and minerals and amino acids like hyaluronic acid that help to absorb and attract the water to keep the slide and glide, and also collagen and elastic. Collagen provides the sturdiness and the elastin gives us that elastic qualities. And we can use that in our movements like walking and running and jumping. And depending on the health of your fascia, you may need to enhance that balance quality and experience it through movement. This is the most basic way to discover the balance of your fascia. Lie on your back and start to initiate the balance with your feet. See if you can get to a point of perpetual motion where you're not using any effort to drive the balance movement. Here focusing on the lower chain, lie down, stiffen the leg, and place it on a ball. Try to find a perpetual bounce on the ball. You can do the same thing with the upper quadrant, stiffening the arm, placing it on the ball, and move it around the body. See if by changing the position, it changes your ability to keep that perpetual bounce. This swing pattern helps to enhance the fascial qualities and recoil in the hip joint. Holding the towel like this helps to recruit the tensegrity through my whole fascial system. A stiff bounce like this might look a little silly, but it really enhances the fascial qualities within my tendons, making movements like running and jumping less harsh on the joints. So try some of these to see if you can discover what your level of bounce is. Try to add some in as part of a warm-up or a cool-down, and see if it doesn't change the overall quality of movement.

To enhance the balance quality of your faccia, try exercises like lying on your back and initiating a Perpetual bounce movement with your feet, using a ball to recruit the lower chain, or swinging patterns to help to enhance the fascial qualities. You can also stiffen your arm or leg and placing it on a ball to add more challenge and to see how changing position affects your ability to keep a Perpetual bounce. This can be done as part of your warm up or cool down routine to increase your overall quality of movement.

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To enhance the bounce quality of your fascia, I'll demonstrate a few exercises. But before that, let's understand why it's important. Fascia consists of cells that drive its function, including a liquid ground substance composed of water, minerals, and amino acids like hyaluronic acid. This substance helps absorb and attract water, maintaining slide and glide, while collagen provides sturdiness and elastin contributes to elastic qualities. These qualities are utilized in movements like walking, running, and jumping. Depending on the health of your fascia, you may need to enhance its bounce quality through movement. Here's a basic exercise to discover the balance of your fascia: lie on your back and initiate the bounce with your feet. Strive for perpetual motion without exerting effort to drive the movement. You can focus on the lower chain by stiffening the leg and placing it on a ball to find a perpetual bounce. Similarly, stiffen the arm, place it on a ball, and move it around the body in the upper quadrant to explore how positional changes affect perpetual bouncing ability. Another exercise is a swing pattern that enhances fascial qualities and recoil in the hip joint. Holding a towel recruits tensegrity throughout the entire fascial system. While it may look silly, a stiff bounce like this improves fascial qualities within tendons, reducing harshness on joints during activities like running and jumping. Explore these exercises to discover your bounce level and consider incorporating them into warm-ups or cool-downs to improve overall movement quality.

How can Pilates be used to target specific muscle groups and address muscle imbalances within the body?

Pilates: Target Muscle Groups & Correct Imbalances

How can Pilates be used to address specific muscle groups and address muscle imbalances within the body? This is best done in a private training situation. A well-trained Pilates instructor will do a postural assessment or some movement assessments to help identify any muscle imbalances or any postural deviations. Once those have been identified, your Pilates instructor can help develop a program that will help to strengthen any of the weakened muscles, which will help restore balance, improve posture, improve biomechanics, and bring people into more balanced alignment. I'm going to show a few examples coming up next. Let's say I have a client who sits at a desk. They might have a very rounded upper back, some protraction of their shoulders. By doing some exercises that strengthen the posterior muscles of the shoulder girdle, that can help bring those shoulder blades into a more neutral alignment and help to bring that upper arm bone again into its neutral positioning. Also focusing on sitting up nice and tall will help strengthen those spinal erectors as well. If I had a client who had stiffness in their back, an exercise like this can really help mobilize that spine. The spring tension helps to guide that movement, so they really get that sense of going sort of one vertebra at a time. Also coming back up and stacking the spine on top of that pelvis can help strengthen the spinal erectors and help bring them into a more neutral alignment.

Pilates can be used to address specific muscle groups and address muscle imbalances within the body by doing exercises that strengthen the weakened muscles. This is best done in a private training situation with a well-trained Pilates instructor who can do a postural assessment or some movement assessments to help identify any muscle imbalances or any postural deviations. Once those have been identified, your Pilates instructor can design a program that will strengthen those weakened muscles and help restore balance, improve posture, improve biomechanics, and bring people into more balanced alignment.

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To address specific muscle groups and muscle imbalances within the body, Pilates is best utilized in a private training setting. A skilled Pilates instructor will conduct a postural assessment or movement assessments to identify any muscle imbalances or postural deviations. Once identified, a tailored program can be developed to strengthen weakened muscles, restore balance, improve posture, enhance biomechanics, and promote balanced alignment.

For example, if a client has a rounded upper back and shoulder protraction from sitting at a desk, exercises can be focused on strengthening the posterior muscles of the shoulder girdle. This helps bring the shoulder blades into a more neutral alignment and positions the upper arm bone correctly. Additionally, emphasizing sitting up tall can strengthen the spinal erectors.

If a client experiences back stiffness, exercises like spinal mobilization can be beneficial. The spring tension in Pilates equipment guides the movement, allowing for a sense of moving one vertebra at a time. Returning to an upright position and aligning the spine with the pelvis can strengthen the spinal erectors and promote a more neutral alignment.

By targeting specific muscle groups and addressing imbalances through personalized Pilates programs, individuals can improve their overall muscle strength, posture, and alignment.

What is the difference between Pilates and Yoga?

Pilates vs Yoga: Unveiling the Mind-Body Distinctions

What is the difference between Pilates and yoga? Both are what we would call mind-body exercise? Yoga has more of a spiritual element to it. So achieving that, that sense of higher Consciousness and Asana, which are the yoga. Postures is one way that you achieve that goal in Pilates are mind/body component is much more about being aware of how you're moving. We use the term proprioception which really means knowing where your body is in space at any given time. So for any movement that you do or any action or any exercise, you know, where the mobility is coming from, where the stability is coming from, where the balance is, you know, the right degree of muscle activation to achieve that particular movement or action. Both exercises or forms of exercise. Focus on posture and alignment and strengthening of muscles and core strengthening and balance. They're both great to do. I practice both, I hope that helps answer your question.

Yoga has a more spiritual element, Pilates focuses more on proprioception (awareness of body in space) and both focus on posture, alignment, strengthening, core strengthening, and balance.

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The difference between Pilates and yoga lies in their respective mind-body approaches. Yoga has a spiritual element, aiming to achieve a sense of higher consciousness through practices like asanas (yoga postures). On the other hand, Pilates emphasizes body awareness and movement. It focuses on proprioception, which means knowing the body's position in space during exercises. Pilates helps develop mobility, stability, and balance by activating the right muscles for specific movements. Both Pilates and yoga prioritize posture, alignment, muscle strengthening, core strengthening, and balance. Both forms of exercise are beneficial, and it's common for individuals to practice both.

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Carol Earle is a Merrithew Lead Instructor Trainer who has trained instructors in STOTT PILATES®, Total Barre™, CORE™ Athletic Performance, ZEN•GA™ and Fascial Movement. She is a Certified Personal Trainer and 200 RYT Yoga certified. She has worked with PJ for over 17 years and taught most Group Fitness formats. She has a BFA in Dance from SUNY Purchase and directed the Windover Dance Company. She was also a music publicist in LA. Carol brings her creativity, knowledge of movement and eye for form to her work with clients. Her hobbies include cycling, gardening and farm-to-table cooking.

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