Pilates
Working With Overweight Clients
How can the Pilates industry be more welcoming to clients who are overweight? We asked instructors how they create a comfortable and beneficial experience that keeps clients of all sizes coming back for more.
Miniball on the Mat: Core Stability Creates Flexibility?
Pilates is touted as one of the most successful methods for increasing core stability and flexibility.
Growing the Pilates Market
Ken Endelman has not taught a single class in his 37-year Pilates career, but the Pilates world would not be the same without his leadership and contributions. In 1976, when Endelman was working as a furniture designer and craftsman in Los Angeles, a prospective client asked him to build a reformer—something with which he was completely unfamiliar.
Keeping Aerialists Flying Safely
Aerial, circus and acrobatic arts have recently seen an explosion of interest, thanks in part to the popularity of performance companies like Cirque du Soleil®. Combine this curiosity with the fun and variety that an aerial-based workout provides, and it’s easy to see what makes this an exciting fitness genre.
Pilates Blending
“Pilates has changed,” says Nora St. John, MS, education program director for Balanced Body®.
Today, she explains, many Pilates teachers are well educated in biomechanics. “An understanding of both anatomy and the mind-body connection makes you a better teacher and certainly a better problem solver.
“In the best situation, Pilates is taught with the idea of, ‘Who is the client in front of me? What are his or her goals? How can I use this environment to help the client achieve those goals?’ I think this is a good contemporary view of Pilates.”
All in the Family
Linda Pimentel, owner of Origins of Inner Strength Inc., in Mesquite, Texas, has made Pilates transformations a family affair. She frequently works with families, couples and mother-daughter teams. “I usually work individually at first, to establish boundaries,” she says. “For example, the mother needs to know that during our sessions she isn’t in charge, and the daughter doesn’t get to show off in front of mom.”
Pilates and Ankle Sprains
Pilates is a wonderful tool for helping a client who is recovering from an ankle injury, as weight and impact on the ankle joint can be less during Pilates than during many other forms of exercise.
Most of us have rolled an ankle. We trip while walking, running, dancing or playing sports—and often we try to self-diagnose with rest, ice, compression and elevation. While this approach may suffice with a very minor injury, a true ankle sprain requires more attention.
From Music Educator to Boutique Studio Owner
Steven Burnes, Australian-born founder and owner of Aussie Fitness Pilates and Spinning Studio in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, reinvented his career in October 2008, after 22 years as a professional musician and high-school and college music teacher. The Peak Pilates® master instructor supplements his studio practice with teacher training and indoor cycling classes.
Core Progressions on the Reformer
The core plays an essential role in everyday activities. It facilitates movement and assists with posture, stabilization and support. Learning to use the core as a dynamic center is the key to efficient, safe and balanced movement.
Pilates: Keep Older Adults Injury Free
Pilates is a powerful tool for countering the aging process, but it must be taught and practiced safely. Here, three Pilates experts and educators share their experience and recommendations on how to work with mature clients: Lisa Graham owns Agile Monkey in Santa Cruz, California, and is a Balanced Body® faculty member; Rael Isacowitz, MA, is the founder and owner of Basi Pilates®; and PJ O’Clair owns clubXcel and Northeast Pilates, a STOTT PILATES® Licensed Training Center.
Biomechanics & Physiology
Lower-Body Progressions on the Reformer
Many Pilates clients want to develop lower-body strength and definition, and the reformer is a perfect piece of equipment to help them meet this goal. Strong hamstrings, gluteals, quadriceps, adductors and abductors provide power for athletic moves and functional activities.
The Evolution of the Pilates Professional
Elizabeth Anderson is the executive director of the Pilates Method Alliance, the professional association and certifying agency for Pilates teachers. Anderson joined the PMA in mid-2007, after moving to the United States from London, where she’d lived for 17 years.
Standing Work on the Reformer
?Standing work on the reformer offers a perfect way to improve overall balance and posture and is a great complement to any other workout or Pilates routine. In this article, you will learn how to introduce the classic standing work—with a contemporary twist—to clients at any level, and you’ll learn how to progress or regress moves for those who need more or less.
Introducing the GYROTONIC® Method to Pilates Instructors
As movement teachers, we’re eager to learn more about how to live comfortably in our bodies. How can we transfer this ability to our clients and students?
Upper-Body Progressions on the Reformer
Developing upper-body strength and stability is often a challenge, especially for female clients. Balanced strength, stability and range of motion are critical for everyday movements.
The Magic Circle
The Pilates magic circle is a versatile, portable and affordable piece of resistance equipment. Originally designed by Joseph Pilates himself, it can enhance just about any workout routine.
Uniting the Industry: Transformation Stories
Few conditions are more common for Pilates students than knee and hip problems—and few solutions are more effective than Pilates exercises. Here are two successful stories of client transformation.
Pilates Safety Concerns for Older Adults
The Graying of America is a reality. The U.S. Census projects that nearly 1 in 5 of the nation’s residents will be 65 or older by 2030 (AOA 2011). As the senior population grows, interest…
Pilates for Winter Sports
In colder months, how often are you asked, “Can Pilates help prepare my body for winter sports?” The answer, of course, is yes, there are a number of exercises that help prevent injuries, improve balance and augment sport-specific strength.
Pilates for an Aspiring Ballet Dancer
As I prepared to transition out of my dance career, I opened my own Pilates studio. Ballet students were drawn to the opportunity to use Pilates to make their own dance dreams a reality. This case study explores how Pilates transformed one young dancer.