Pilates is designed for toning and conditioning the body’s core through a series of exercises that are specifically designed for the targeted areas. These exercises increase and improve core strength, coordination, flexibility, and muscle tone and control.

The creator of this exercise, Joseph Pilates, initially started out helping to rehabilitate soldiers with injuries from World War I. He made a system with gears and pulleys to make machines similar to the Reformer and the Cadillac to aid in targeting the different muscle groups.

Almost immediately, dancers took to pilates to achieve alignment in their bodies and attain the lean muscular tone they wanted. Recently, pilates has become more popular and more mainstream due to its precise methods to strengthen the body core and build lean muscle mass without the use of weights which can result in bulking up.

To begin with, Joseph Pilates used the bed springs resistance to help the bed-ridden soldiers get the most out of their rehabilitation routine. The invention of the Reformer and Cadillac machines have improved the exercises working the targeted muscles of the trunk, also known as the powerhouse. These machines can also be used with weight training routines that use the resistance of springs and trolleys to attain a strengthened core body.

A pilates instructor in Toronto compares pilates with being fluent in scales with music. When you have a good knowledge of the basics, the core body, as with scales, can be referred to when creating masterpieces.

Basic Principles Of Pilates

Pilates has had six basic principles since it began in the 1920’s:

• Centering – Strengthening the Powerhouse abdominal muscles, pelvis, buttocks, and lower back
• Concentration – Using your full attention
• Control – Achieving total muscle control
• Precision – Every movement has a purpose
• Breathing – Every movement is synchronized with the breathing
• Flow – All movements are fluid and flow from one to another

Pilates and Yoga Compared

Yoga differs from pilates in that it is focused on the mind and spiritual aspect as well as the body. This approach is about moving energy through your body in a series of poses and postures to achieve a state of balance.

Breathing, meditation, and changing from one pose to the next are the basic parts of yoga to help you attain an overall composed and relaxed state. The main goal of yoga is to become one with the universe through mindfulness of your body and your consciousness.

Joseph Pilates used some of the basic principles of yoga in his system, but his focus was solely on the physical aspects, not the spiritual. While yoga’s approach to the mind and body is very effective for stretching and spiritual development, it is less directly related to strengthening the core muscles and achieving ease in daily movement.

Yoga stresses on being balanced in life, being kind to yourself and other beings, and is more geared toward enlightenment. If you want to work on yourself and improve your flexibility, then yoga would be a great fit.

On the other hand, pilates is perfect for toning muscles (especially the abdominals), and improving movement and posture. Pilates adds strength in the compact form of exercises for those who get their spiritual insights from other places and solely want to focus on their physical form.

I found this great website that really makes people be inspired to begin a regiment in Pilates. It is an overview of what this wonderful workout can do for not only your body, but your mind as well. It also shows what equipment is good to have and offers the items right on their site. Some of this equipment can be pricy, but they also explain ways on the site how Pilates can actually be an inexpensive workout.