Anyone else do Pilates?

Does anyone else do Pilates?

The gym that I work at offers classes for it twice a week on Tues/Thurs which is perfect because I was looking for some type of exercise to do on Tues/Thurs so I can get 5 days a week in. Today was my first Pilates class, and it was BRUTAL. By the end of the hour, I was sweating bullets, and my entire core was extremely sore. I don't even want to know how it will feel tomorrow. I thought my core would be in better condition, since I do heavy deadlifts, squats, pull-ups in L position, etc. However, this class absolutely killed my entire core. Another benefit I hope to gain from doing Pilates is strengthening my lower back and improving my flexibility.

If anyone else has any Pilates stories they would like to share, I would love to hear em. It was a much harder workout than I expected it to be.

 Before you invest too much time and energy into a bodyweight-based exercise system derived from the easier parts of yoga and gymnastics to rehabilitate war wounded and other people unable to exercise properly you might want to consider what the truth about Pilates is.

 It's a moderately ineffective bodyweight protocol that has some applications as an adjunct to physical therapy and follow-up training for people transitioning from rehab to functional status, but as an exercise system it's decidedly overrated and the marketing for all things Pilates is among the worst offenders for spouting non-physiological nonsense about "sculpting long, lean muscle", "tone, not bulk", "dancer's muscles" and all the other lies that sets the state of the fitness field back fifty years every time someone mentions it.

Pilates is based on theories about physiology that sounded reasonable around the turn of the last century - but we've learned a lot since then. Among other things, we've learned that the high-rep, low-intensity style training exemplified by Pilates is ineffective when compared to proper training for just about any athletic goals you may have with the possible exception of having some small application in the rehab space.

I did a pilates video a couple years ago and I'm still pissed that I'll never get that hour of my life back.

About 3/4ths of the hour long 'total body' workout was spent doing spinal flexion, like anyone needs more of that...

I took a Pilates class in college, and I really enjoyed it.  It was really hard at first, but as the semester went on, I got better and better.  I'm a former dancer too, so I really noticed how it helped me keep my hips centered and low.  I still use the principles I learned from the class such as "knit your hips to your ribs," "belly button to spine," and "the string of pearls."  It's something to be conscious of as I sit at a computer all day.

Original Post by melkor:

 Before you invest too much time and energy into a bodyweight-based exercise system derived from the easier parts of yoga and gymnastics to rehabilitate war wounded and other people unable to exercise properly you might want to consider what the truth about Pilates is.

 It's a moderately ineffective bodyweight protocol that has some applications as an adjunct to physical therapy and follow-up training for people transitioning from rehab to functional status, but as an exercise system it's decidedly overrated and the marketing for all things Pilates is among the worst offenders for spouting non-physiological nonsense about "sculpting long, lean muscle", "tone, not bulk", "dancer's muscles" and all the other lies that sets the state of the fitness field back fifty years every time someone mentions it.

Pilates is based on theories about physiology that sounded reasonable around the turn of the last century - but we've learned a lot since then. Among other things, we've learned that the high-rep, low-intensity style training exemplified by Pilates is ineffective when compared to proper training for just about any athletic goals you may have with the possible exception of having some small application in the rehab space.

Melkor,

Isn't it possible that some people could always be an exception to what the literature says? I understand being against something based on what you have read. However, as I said in my post, it provided me with a good workout that had me sweating bullets and feeling fatigued by the end of the hour. Today my entire core feels sore. Overall I had a positive experience. My chiropractor also recommended it to me because I have been suffering from lower back problems as of late and the extra core work will supposedly help with that. With how sore my core is, it obviously needs work and a week core can be a cause of low back problems.

Would I make Pilates my only source of exercise? No. However, I personally don't see the harm in trying it 2x a week in combination with weight training and HIIT/SS. As I said before, it didn't feel ineffective to me.

Original Post by vyperman7:

Would I make Pilates my only source of exercise? No. However, I personally don't see the harm in trying it 2x a week in combination with weight training and HIIT/SS. As I said before, it didn't feel ineffective to me.

 That's all that matters.

I took two different pilates classes a week for a little over a year with two different instructors. One included a lot of recoveries between sets and the other was entirely flow. we didnt stop moving. the combination of both of those for 2-3 hours a week as well as eating healthy completely transformed my body. I didnt do a whole lot of other exercise. and now that i havent done it in almost 8 months due to school, i am seeing the changes again. I am ready to get back into the dance studio to take more pilates classes. 

I think it is definately worth a shot to try and if you find it is not showing the results you want, try something else. I enjoyed pilates because i grew up a dancer and absolutely suck at running so pilates was the best for me.

Hello

I've been doing Pilates classes now for about a month, starting at first with once a week....I'm now going twice a week on a Tuesday and Friday.......The first couple now of sessions I ached so bad ( like you described)....actually the aching lasted for days. Now after 4 weeks I don't ache after and am worked at the hardest levels pretty much most of the time. I really enjoy my sessions and think it's something I'll continue to do long into the future......I just wished my lessons were longer....we only get 45 mins!!!

But another great thing has been.....I put on my size 8 jeans yesterday for the first time in a few weeks and they're much, much bagger around the legs and bum - Bonus :) 

And I haven't been to the gym in about 2 weeks either!!!

Original Post by bmx419:

Original Post by vyperman7:

Would I make Pilates my only source of exercise? No. However, I personally don't see the harm in trying it 2x a week in combination with weight training and HIIT/SS. As I said before, it didn't feel ineffective to me.

 That's all that matters.

Yeah, that's reasonable - you just have this tendency to go overboard with whatever your current focus is and do it to the exclusion of all else, and this particular detour could set you back considerably on your main efforts. I know this, on account of how I do the same thing.

 Most lifters don't do nearly enough flexibility/mobility work without prodding - actual corrective exercise or more sports-specific specific flexibility/mobility drills are generally more useful but they're boring as "#¤"#¤ so exercise compliance is higher if you send the lifter to yoga or pilates than if you prescribe a specific set of exercises.

 Just watch out for negative strength adaptations - the strength endurance adaptations from Pilates, yoga, etc. compete with and negatively impact limit strength, so for pure strength or strength/power athlete doing too much of it will negatively impact his or her sports-specific performance results.

Original Post by melkor:

Yeah, that's reasonable - you just have this tendency to go overboard with whatever your current focus is and do it to the exclusion of all else, and this particular detour could set you back considerably on your main efforts. I know this, on account of how I do the same thing.

Yeah that is definitely true about me. Pilates definitely wouldn't be like that for me though. There is no way that I could imagine only doing Pilates. It is a fantastic core workout, but doesn't really do much in regards to building overall strength or cardio. I definitely need my compound lifts and cardio workouts. I just want to really improve my core and work on strengthening my lower back. I think doing Pilates 2x a week will really help with that. Plus, it gives me something to do on Tues/Thurs instead of just working and studying for my NASM exam. Not to mention it burns a few hundred calories which is always a bonus, especially since I am trying to drop body-fat right now.

My core is definitely feeling it after the two Pilates classes this last week. I have to say that I thought my core would stand up better considering I do heavy deadlifts, heavy back/front squats, pull-ups in the L, etc.. I guess not..LOL