What's the Scoop on Pilates? (aka: what makes Pilates so effective?)

First off, please forgive my tardiness in writing to you all (whoever is reading)... I was in NY City for the past week completing another 40+ course of intense training for Pilates Instruction through Pilates Academy International at Pilates on Fifth.  Alas, writing this Blog took a back seat to the lights and sounds of Manhattan, as I chose to explore Times Square, enjoy Sushi, sit in the Audience of The Corbet Show, instead of writing.  I am sure you all can forgive me for missing a week.

Moving on...

I am often asked, "What is the deal with Pilates?"  Most people want to know if it works; why it works; and how it works.  It is my intention (hope) that I might shed some light on this question. (Please let me know if you still have no clue what I am referring to after you read...)
So What is the Scoop on Pilates? 
(aka what 3 facets of movement make Pilates effective?)

(Sidebar: if you continue to read you will discover how to implement this facets into your own exercise programs)

Facet 1:  Eccentric Muscle Contractions:

1.  Eccentric Contractions:  This is one of the most confusing terms to even the most qualified fitness instructors, so I will try to explain this in as simple terms as I can.

Basically there are three types of Voluntary Contractions that a muscle may undergo (or contractions that we can consciously control):

Those three voluntary contractions include:
 a.  Concentric (shortening of a muscle when it is firing) as in bending the elbow (think lift groceries out of the cart). 

 b.  Isometric:  once a muscle is recruited (working) the muscle length remains the same as it holds steady trying to balance the force against it. (think holding a bag of groceries.  There is no change in the muscle length, just the recruitment of the muscles as they try to hold onto the bag of groceries.)

 c. Eccentric:  (the lengthening of a shortened muscle as it tries to control against force.  (keeping with the groceries, you try to place the groceries down carefully on the floor so as not to drop them inadvertently.)

So now you are an expert on muscle contractions right?  well, probably not. It took me years to full understand what directions the force was coming from and thus determine what eccentric contraction refers to. 

Let me just say this, Eccentric Contraction is not the opposite muscle contraction (as in Triceps working as an opposite (opposing muscle) to biceps.  Instead remember that muscle length determines the Concentric Contraction of the muscle, and Eccentric Contractions refer to the control of original moving muscle moving back to its starting position. (In our example, the biceps muscle straightens the arm eccentrically to control the lowering of the groceries).

Basically in Pilates, the movements are all done focusing on the Eccentric Contraction at equal or greater amounts than the Concentric Contraction. In other words, Pilates is about controlling the movement in the opposite direction the muscle (shortened) in. So rather than focusing on the bending of the elbow in a bicep curl, we focus on the straightening of the arm with control as the bicep returns to its starting point.  

Are you more confused?

Here's the application: Since there is a greater emphasis on the Eccentric Contraction (defined above) your muscles become stronger but the size of the muscle may or may not increase.  (For ladies, that means you can get stronger and  not bulk up;  For Men, that means your muscle strength increases at the same time your flexibility increases without losing muscle bulk).


Moving on to the next VIP facet in Pilates:

2. Transverses and Pelvic Floor Engagement:Who wants flat six pack Abs?  What if I told you that incorporating this Pilates Facet into all abdominal exercises you do can help you reach those 8-10 pack Abs.


Why?

Read on...

You have all heard of CORE TRAINING, but do you really understand what that is referring to? 

From a simple standpoint in the Fitness world it refers to the area of the body between the rib cage and the pelvis on both the front and the back of the body. 

(Most people think of this as the abdominals, and then think of it as the six pack of abdominals). 

Without boring your with too much more detail, it actually incorporates the obliques (side abdominal area), Rectus Abdominals (aka six pack abs), Transveres (see definition below), and muscles of the pelvic floor, along with muscles on the back of the body (such as Quadratus Lumborum, and some argue Glutes.

So in application for today, let's focus in on the main abdominal area that many people fail to incorporate when doing abdominal work, the Transverses (coupled with Pelvic Floor muscles).

For discussion here, let's define the Transverses as a specific abdominal muscle whose purpose is to hold your internal organs (guts) in (for lack of better description).   Basically, you can think of the Transverses as the Control Top Pantyhose of the body. 
These muscles together with the muscles in the Pelvic Floor, aid in balance, strength, and coordination of the entire body as it moves.

A simple way of finding them is to place you hand on your abdominals, and cough. the muscle that moves forward back is the Transverses.  These muscles basically, flatten as they contract. 

Application:

Therefore, when you do any abdominal work (sit-ups, half curls, etc... if you focus on pulling the (Transverses) Abdominals inward as you perform the exercise, you will find you have more power, and your abdominal area will begin to flatten.


And now the final facet of Pilates that make it effective is:

3. Oppositional Mobility and Stability:Have I lost you yet?

Keep focused for another few moments...

Think of mobility as what part of the body is moving and stability as what the anchor for that movement. 

In terms of Pilates and the body, all muscles are working all the time, either as mobilizers (movers) or stabilizers (anchors).  It is the focus on the anchors allowing the movers to move that makes Pilates effective. 

Consider this, if you were to lift your arms to the ceiling, the main muscles involved in lifting your arms (deltoids, rhomboid, trapezius and others around the shoulder blades ) are considered movers.  But in order to prevent your arms from throwing your body backwards as you lift them, the body activates into the front of the body (rectus abdominals, obliques, transverses, quadriceps, and more) as a counter balance to the movement, thereby anchoring the body in place.  (Most of this is done without conscious effort.)

In Pilates, we draw your attention to (making you consciously aware of) what is anchoring the movement.  With this anchoring, you develop more power as the area that is moving (in this case the arms) appears to be floating as the stabilizing muscles are creating the energy for the movement.


OK, so Here's the Scoop:

Pilates involves a purposeful focus on unconventional movement patterns (the opposite of what we are used to focusing on).  Some of the most important facets include eccentric contractions of moving muscles (mobilizers) balanced by anchoring the rest of the body (stabilizers) with emphasizing the core (transverses/pelvic floor) as the prime anchor (or balance point).

All these aspects make Pilates an effective form of exercise resulting in the following areas:

1. Improving Posture
2. Reducing Injuries due to overuse in sport (or under use due to inactivity)
3. Increasing Flexibility while still increasing strength
4. Flattening out the abdominals
5. Decreasing (I am not saying curing) chronic neck and back pain (I did not say it will  
    get rid of the pain in your *bleep*)
6. Improving balance (and Coordination)


All these tenants are what are the foundation which has formed my philosophy of Pilates:

Precision of Movement Remarkable Results. ^SM


Until We meet Again,

Cindy Weller,
Master Instructor Trainer, Pilates Academy International (PAI),
Certified Pilates Instructor Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), and STOTT PILATES