You may have heard about pilates or you knew someone who does the exercise. Still, you might be unsure what it is and how it benefits your fitness and health. Interestingly, pilates was not created with the idea of daily exercise, instead, it was a way to aid dancers through injury. It has a goal to take dancers who have overuse injuries from training, repeating motor patterns, and cross-train them by focusing on strengthening the core muscles.
With stronger hip, gluteal muscles, and abdominal, the hope the dancers would undergo fewer overuse injuries. But, later on, pilates have been used by many people to help recover from injuries, not only for dancers. Indeed, it worked! Thus, online pilates classes have helped many people today to reach online studios without leaving their homes.
What does pilates mean?
Pilates is an exercise that performs in a series of controlled movements, flowing into another with accuracy. It is technically considered a total body workout. Pilates movements target the core muscles, including:
- Inner thigh muscles
- Hip muscles
- Gluteal muscles
- Abdominal muscles
- Upper and lower muscles
The goal of pilates is to have full control of the body as you move. It requires from the start of your central core muscles and uses stability for the muscles to provide smooth control of arms, legs, and other extremities. It is not an easy accomplishment which makes pilates a great way to build stamina and strength.
Difference between yoga and pilates
Yoga can be slow and focuses more on mobility and stretching. Pilates emphasizes building functional strength. Pilates is a whole-body workout to encourage a person to move and is the best way to support movements. How? Pilates focuses on promoting functional strength, in which its benefits extend beyond the workout and improve the way a person moves in daily life.
Benefits of pilates
Here are the 4 benefits of pilates:
- Relieve tension. It helps relieve tension in the back, legs, and shoulders. To have strong core muscles means a better posture, which prevents muscle tension. Having weak back and core muscles results in weakness. Thus, pilates helps balance out the tension.
- Increase the natural capability of the body to burn fat. Pilates may not be the best exercise to burn calories that quick, but it still supports burning fats. Pilates help build muscle and this is very important since it increases the basal metabolic rate of the body.
- Cross-train and prevent injury. Pilates helps build strength and flexibility, making it a great idea to add to your workout routine.
- Promote body awareness and mindfulness. Pilates encourages you to stay in touch with the body when building strength.
All these are the reasons why you should add pilates to your workout regime.
