Pilates For Beginners

By Andy Franco

For beginners, Pilates will feel unlike any other exercise you have experienced. From the most seasoned athletes to the novice exerciser, Pilates has an entry level experience accessible to everyone. Pilates demands balance and core concentration. Most of the movements found in Pilates begin with the stabilization of the trunk. From a tightly focused center, the arms and the legs move away from the body in horizontal and vertical movements.

It will take time to adjust to the rhythm of Pilates since it consists of slow and controlled movements that focus on the quality and not the quantity of repetitions. For some first-timers you may feel like you are not exerting enough energy. Most people associate excess amounts of sweat and elevated heart rates with working out. Pilates goes against the grain in a world of strenuous weight lifting and pulsating music. With elements of yoga and meditation weaved in-between invigorating fluid movements, it may tend to not feel like exercise.

Most beginners start with a Mat Pilates class, however there are "beginner" level classes for Machine Pilates as well. Mat Pilates usually add exercise balls into the workout, and will introduce you to a variety of basic poses and positions. Instructors will walk you through each exercise, telling you how to and what you are working. There is a "workshop" feel to most studio environments where you are encouraged to learn. The bright, open spaces are not intimidating but all inclusive for new students.

Machine work tends to be more for the intermediate to advanced students. However, there are beginner machine classes that intensify the postures learned in Mat Pilates and act as a natural step for furthering a student's Pilates education. An above average knowledge of postures and poses will be needed for any intermediate classes, so be sure you take the time to really familiarize yourself with beginner Pilates classes before enrolling in more challenging courses.

Be sure to wear light and comfortable cotton clothing. Shoes are not required during the workouts. When performing the exercises, it is important to really concentrate on the movements you are doing. When the mind and the body work together in performing a pose, more muscle fibers are engaged. A strong, flexible and lean body is one that is aware of the work it is putting forth, and one that demands results from that effort. Lengthening and toning proponents can be found in the physical appearance of the body after just a few Pilate's sessions.

Joe Pilates, who invented Pilates is quoted as saying, "After 10 sessions you will feel a difference, after 20 you will see a difference, and after 30 you will have a whole new body." All that is required for a beginning student is a willingness to commit to the whole-body approach of Pilates, and the patience involved with learning to perform the exercises correctly.

Anyone and everyone can and should try Pilates for themselves. The difference found in a holistic approach to exercise is enlightening to the mind and awakening to the body. In a fast paced world where energy is at a premium, obesity is on the rise and depression is rampant Pilates could not be more appropriate and beneficial. Begin today, and feel the difference as Pilates heals your body and creates wholeness from the inside out.

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