Pilates is suitable for all levels of fitness as there is no competition within a class. Your aim is to challenge yourself without pushing your body into painful movement and to progress each class with small improvements.
Pilates is designed to strengthen the core of the body. Sometimes you will see it referred to as the powerhouse stomach, lower back, buttocks and thighs.
In just one term you will be stronger, probably a bit more flexible and getting a more toned physique. Many participants comment that they get sick less often, with the colds that seem to go around bypassing them since they started pilates. With successful mastery of beginner exercises you should also see an improvement in posture and breathing.
Unlike other fitness classes - pilates works the body from the inside out, with participants noticing an improvement in efficiency of internal organs, whereas most other forms of exercise work the body from the outside in.
The Pilates philosophy is about overall physical conditioning and will challenge the most unfit and the extremely fit without causing harm.
SO HOW DOES IT WORK?
To fully benefit from the Pilates method, you must learn to flow from one movement to the next, building stamina and cardiovascular fitness with the following basic exercise regime:
Alignment
Breathing
Control
Precision
Flowing movement
Integration
Joseph Pilates himself claimed that participants in his exercise regime would see results in just 10 sessions a claim that is supported by the growth of pilates worldwide and the many thousands of participants.
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