Why Integrity is so Important!

Integrity: 

According to the dictionary has several meanings:
1.  Adherence to moral and ethical principles;
2.  The state of being whole, entire or undiminished;
3.  A sound, unimpaired, or perfect condition

Why, might you ask, am I giving you a vocabulary lesson on the word, Integrity? 
Simple. Pilates is all about Integrity!

While Terms like scooping,  powerhouse, floating, lengthen, breath, and control are usually associated with
Pilates, the word integrity is not the first thing that comes to mind. As such, I would like to explain how and why integirty plays such an important role in the Pilates Method.

First, let's explore how the each of the definitions above apply to The Pilates Method:
1. Adherence to moral and ethical principles: 
Pilates focuses on the adherence to the six key principles of movement referenced by Jospeh Pilates, control, balance, concentraion, fluidity, precision and breath.  When all six principles are adhered to, the body works in its most efficient and effective state, thus reducing pain, injuries associated with overuse, and creates increase in strength, power, and flexibility.  In that sense, it is the integrity at which all these principles work together which make up foundation of The Pilates Method.

Furthermore, in order to correctly apply each of these six principles, the instruction of The Method, also must adhere to similar levels of integrity.  This is accomplished first through the quality of instructor's training through the marriage of these six principles and the application of anatomy, biomechanics and physics to each and every movement that takes place.  It is the adherence to these basic principles which make ensure the results from The Pilates Method.

2.  The state of being whole, entire, and undimished:
Further exploring these principles will lead you to recognizing that Pilates is about "wholism" and not reductionism.  Meaning, every movement that is performed incorporates equally the entire body as opposed to singling out one specific part or muscle.  As such, Pilates focuses on ensuring that only what is supposed ot move, actually moves, and keeping still (or stablizing) those muscles (or areas of the body) that are not supposed to move.  As a result, the Integrity of a movment occurs as long as the movers and stablizers are equally doing what they are supposed to be doing.  

3.  A sound, unimpaired and perfect condition:
Once the body is in balance, and only those muscles that are supposed to be moving, move; and those muscles that are supposed to stay still, do; then the body works in its most efficient state.  Once the body can function effeciently on that movement, the body then moves towards its "perfect" state.  Therefore the integrity of movement is one in which is pain and/or injury free, and more imporant creates that amazing posture,  increases muscle tone, increases power, strength, flexibility and performance.

Posture Series: Head and Neck Placement

Next time you are in your car at a stop light or sign, look at the driver next to you. Notice the position of their head. Observe how their body reclines back and their head juts forward, led by their chin. Think, this forward head mimics that of a chicken pecking for food on th ground. Recognize that you likely hold your head in the same forward position. Reflect on your neck ,Does your chin push forward the same way? Do you feel as though you carry tension in neck and shoulders? Imagine the back of your neck is being pulled back as though a mommy cat were picking you up at the scruff of your neck. Pull your head between your shoulders so it sits gently on top of your spine. Now feel your neck lengthen to the ceiling as though your head was a balloon being pulled to the sky. Make sure you brig your chin with you and avoid having it jut out further. Relax your neck and your shoulders. Practice this head placement daily. At first it will feel awkward. Over time you will improve your posture, decrease your neck pain, and avoid the chicken head! Don't be a chicken!

Tuesday Technique Tip: It's About Control

Pilates is about control. Control is about using muscles to counterbalance the natural force of movement or gravity in the same direction as the force. In other words, purposely using your muscles to resist what wants to happen when you move. Simply put, the machines use springs, springs like to pull you in, you let them pull you, but consciously control the movement by resisting that pull.  OR in simpler terms:  We spend most of our time trying to PUSH against a force in order to move.  We push a door to go inside, we try to lift a heavy object, we even walk into wind in order to get where we want to go.  We do this without thought, and don't realize that the harder we try, the harder we push, the harder it is to move.  So try turning it around.  Walk with the wind, just remember the wind is strong, so control yourself so it does't knock you down.  You'll have more power, more strength, and more speed if you go with the wind than against it. 

New Year New You?

Happy New Year! 
Many people are beginning their New Year with a resolution to start the year better than they ended last year; many of you may have vowed to lose weight, get in shape, and even eat better.  Good for you.

I've personally vowed (now hold your tongue until I am all done)... to Do Less and Expect More!

Now I know you are thinking I must be really lazy, or that we already live in a society which promotes doing little and getting a lot... but hear me out as this applies to your own New Years Resolution to lose weight, get in shape, eat better and more!

Do Less Expect More, relates to using the least amount of time and energy in order to accomplishing your goals.

Do Less, Expect More simply stands for becoming more efficient at what you do!
Simple.

In terms of exercising many of us (including myself) have fallen prey to the "I need to work out as hard as I can for as long as I can so I hurt like crazy the next two days and can feel like I've worked out as hard as I could for as long as I could" mentality!  (Whew, I am just worn out typing that!)

Here's the deal... Pilates has taught me that that mentality is not only unnecessary when it comes to exercise but is actually counterproductive.  Here is why:

When we work out hard (as already described above) we are wearing our body down; as we wear the body down we are more prone to injury and burn out (not wnating to stick to it). 

Jospeh Pilates theory was opposite of that, if you teach a person to purposefully use the entire body every time they do any movement they will have to do less to achieve more results!

hmmm sounds something like my New Years Resolution...

Do Less, Expect More. 

It's the whole "six minute abs" concept.  Basically Pilates can get your abdominal muscles stronger. flatter, and looking better in only 6 minutes a day; oh wait in 5 moves a day!  Seriously cool marketing concept which I stole from the Movie "Something About Mary." 

Really! It's totally true, but you need to know what you are doing to accomplish this.  (more on knowing what you are doing in a later blog).

Here's the deal, over the last 10 years Pilates has taught me how to work out less and see greater results. Just to prove my point, I have not lifted weights in 4 years and can now do 5 unassisted pull-ups, which I never could do before! All because of working on a variety of Pilates Equipment (not just Reformers)

That said, one of the main reason Pilates is so effective relates to the fact that it is something you WANT to do on a regular basis because you feel better when you do it, and your not having work hard, work long, and fatigue yourself into unfunctional pain for two days!

While I have figured that out with exercise, I am now going to attempt to apply this same concept everything else I do.

Wish me luck!

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

Sports Illustrated Article on Joseph Pilates, February 1962

So says Joe Pilates, a unique man with an unusual system - 02.12.62 - SI Vault

The Basic Fundamentals Of (Contrology) Pilates

Last post I alluded to something called "Pilates Principles" and foreshadowed that I would speak to them at a later time.  In order to understand these "Principles" we really need to understand the mindset that Joseph Pilates had in creating this method.  (Or as the Business World has suggested what was his Vision and Mission)?


In order to really understand this, let's start with the only two publications that Joseph Pilates actually wrote, Your Health (1934) and Return to Life Through Contrology (1945).  From these books we discover that Joseph Pilates describes his "method" as one that "Restores Physical fitness" through "purposefully acquiring complete control of your own body and then through proper repetition of these exercises you gradually and progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your subconscious activities. (Return to Life, pg 9). 


WHAT?


Let's explore further...


Jo breaks his Methodology down into a few important areas (Principles) which really can be applied not only to the exercises within Pilates alone, but can be transposed to all other forms of movement. (Read on...)


The Guiding Principles as Jo referred to them are really what we commonly call now in the Business world as "Vision."  Jo's "vision" was that "our muscles should obey our Will. Reasonably our Will should not be dominated by the reflex actions of our muscles."    (Return, pg 8).


Basically Jo is saying that over our life, we develop habits (physical, mental, and emotional habits) which all impact how we act, how we move, how we feel.  As such, we usually don't think much about what or why we are doing things, we just do them.  Jo claims that we have the ability to reteach ourselves how to act, move, feel by consciously focusing on it until it becomes a new habit (part of our subconscious).    As he puts it "One of the major results of Contrology (Pilates) is gaining mastery of your mind over complete control of your body." (Return, pg 9)


So, you may be more confused now, but hopefully a little intrigued and wondering "how can I actually become more conscious of my movements, of what I do, or how I feel?" 


So, read on...


Based on Jo's initial Vision (Mind control over muscles) he moves on to further explain how someone can accomplish this and then sets out to explain his Mission (again with the business world analogy) as " Contrology is to develop "coordination of muscle (development, flexibility) and balance" that allows (you) to "perform your work with minimum effort and maximum pleasure" (Return, pg 15).  In other words Jo's Mission was to equally balance all the muscles in the body so you can carry out all the activities in your daily life easily, without pain.  (Can you say "Functional Fitness...")


Ok, so how does one accomplish this muscle balance, and mind control over our bodies?"


According to Jo here are the 3 rules of (Contrology) Pilates [explained]


1.  "There is no good reason we should unnecessarily and unreasonable tax our bodies beyond bounds of endurance (Return pg 11). 


[Don't overwork or over train your body;  stop working it to shear fatigue; there is never a reason your body should be so sore the next day you cannot sit down without assistance, or lift your arm to get a glass off the shelf, or laugh.]


2. "You must keep your mind wholly concentrated on the purpose of the exercise as you perform them, following each exercise exactly as it is explained, down to the very last or smallest detail" (Return pg 11-12)


[Follow instructions precisely, don't deviate].


3. "Do not sacrifice knowledge to speed in your solid exercise regime in (Contrology) Pilates."


[Don't rush through learning the basics of Pilates in order to jump into more advanced movements. Take time to focus on mastering the basics of finding out what, why, and how to perform each movement accurately.]




From these rules, Jo breaks his methodology down into a few important areas (Principles) which really can be applied not only to the exercises within Pilates alone, but can be transposed to all other forms of movement.


Now, from what I've personally seen it appears that even these "Principles" have brought on a lot of confusion, even to professionals in the Pilates Industry.  Some argue there were 6 Principles, some argue 9... so I can see how it can get very confusing for anyone.  All in all, these principles, are the small critical details Jo refers to focusing on during all exercises each time they are performed.

1. Breath:  In the Pilates Method, every exercise has a purpose, and the Breath gives it (exercise) intention.

[Why? Breath is the fundamental element of life; in all movement, breath is everything. Breathing properly in through the nose and exhaling fully through the mouth promotes natural movement of stabilizing muscles in the body and therefore assists in precision and control of the movement. ]

Try it:  simply sit or  stand.  Then, try to sit/stand as tall as you can.  Now, relax.  Then, as you inhale (breathing in) sit/stand as tall as you can. Then, as you exhale (breathe out), relax (slouch).  Notice how much more intention the movement from slouching to sitting tall became with the simple focused breath).

Joseph Pilates stated that “Above All, learn how to breathe correctly. Inhale and Exhale completely.”

2.  Centering/Stabilizing: Physically and mentally bringing the focus of each movement to the center of the body (abdominals, back, diaphragm, pelvic floor).

[Otherwise known as the “core” or the “powerhouse of the body, is the area where all movement should begin. Movement that begins at the (center) will create less tension in the body and will allow each exercise to be performed more smoothly and with greater power. ]

Try this, stand, breathe in, stand up tall. (as in the previous example), now, swing your arms to the ceiling and back to your sides. Notice how free floating they feel.  Speed up the arm movement.  Notice as you get faster how much harder it is to control both your arms and your body.  Stop.  Now, breathe in, stand up tall, feel your abdominals (muscles around your middle) pull inward and upward.  Then, begin to slowly swing your arms up and down, as before, this time focusing on the center of your body (abdominals) feeling as though they are pulling inward and upward.  Notice, how much more control you have over your whole body and arms as you speed up. Notice simply how little tension you feel in your neck and shoulders.  Notice how much more strength you feel with each movement, then you did when you were not focusing on the center of your body.

3. Concentration  Bringing a conscious awareness to all the integral parts of each exercise and perform each movement with equal concentration and maximum value will be achieved.

[As in the exercise before, focus on the various aspects of what your body is doing and take a purposeful approach to each movement]

Try this: With the example above, try to pay close attention to the downward movement of the arm, and what other specific areas of your body you feel as your arm swings down. (Back, shoulders, neck, abdominals...)

4. Control Each muscle in the body plays an integral role during each exercise; some are stabilizing the body to control the movement and others are mobilizers which create the movement.

[With each exercise, no muscle in the body is left without a job. Allow all movement from beginning to end to be under your conscious control.]

Try continuing with the arms swinging, concentrating on the downward movement of the arms, now try to move the arms with equal pace up and down, while still inhaling as your arms move up, and exhale as your arms move down.  See how much more intent the movement becomes.

 

5.  Rhythm/Fluidity There should be no jerky movements or relaxation of any muscle during any phase of the movements.  The movement should have equal resistance from beginning to the end of each exercise repetition and mimic a feeling of “floating.”

[Fluidity, grace, and ease are key ingredients in the Pilates Method. Rhythm stimulates muscles to greater activity during each exercise so you are getting greater amount of muscles working during all exercises.  Basically, grace and fluidity create more power (muscle engagement), with each movement then just using shear power alone.]

Try this, with the arm movement above, during exhale, push down as hard as you can, as if you are trying to push something out the way.  Notice how your hands probably tensed up, your neck and shoulders rounded forward and created tension in your chest and neck.  Now, as you press the arms down during exhale, feel as if your arms are "floating" down towards your sides.  Notice how much less tension your body is feeling and the more strength and power your body has (as more of your body is helping with the movement),

6. Precision/Balanced Muscle Development: Avoid over working one muscle area over another and be specific and purposeful in each movement to ensure all muscles are working equally in all directions.  

[Avoid over training, avoid overpowering, and incorporate concentration, control, centering breathing, and fluidity into each movement as above, and you will find that your muscles are being used in a more balanced way, as such, you are less tense, have less pain, and less prone to injury.

As Jo said  “A few well-designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence,are worth more than hours of doing sloppy calisthenics.”

In other words, Jo's Principles incorporate an purposeful aawareness  throughout each movement in order to develop the body in a balanced way to produce more fluidity and power. Or in Jo's words, as you develop "Mind Control over your muscles, you can perform your work with minimum effort and maximum pleasure."

Think on these things until next week!

Cindy