Personal Fitness Professional - September 2008 - (Page 9)

Pilates As a ﬁtness professional, your clients may expect you to know a thing or two about the beneﬁts of Pilates — perhaps even how to teach it. With over 9.5 million people reporting regular participation in Pilates and 72% of all health clubs in the US oﬀering it, Pilates can serve as an excellent way for people of all abilities to connect their minds and bodies and can help them to take the next step in their exercise regimen. Pilates can serve as a great asset in allowing you to spot any weaknesses you may not otherwise be able to see in your client during their standard exercise routine. By incorporating a few Pilates moves into your clients’ pre-existing workouts, you will be able to observe and correct bilateral weaknesses, musculoskeletal imbalances and inconsistencies. Additionally, you may ﬁnd that adding Pilates will enhance your clients’ overall ﬁtness level because you can easily adjust the challenge variables within each exercise to continue to challenge them over time. Step 1: Buy a mat While mat classes are the typical entry point into Pilates for many participants, classical mat exercises can be diﬃcult for a beginner because they do not yet have the core strength to perform the exercises correctly. The classical Pilates Method is based on a full, integrated system of equipment — the mat exercises are just part of the technique (only 25% of the Pilates exercise repertoire can be performed on a mat) and often the ﬁrst step toward learning the equipment. Step 2: Move to the machines By progressing your client from the mat to the Pilates equipment, your clients will experience a more authentic, quality experience. The equipment helps participants work in an eﬀective and eﬃcient matter to change the body, as the springs on the equipment provide support and resistance that allow an individual to enhance their core connection in a way that can be diﬃcult to do on the mat alone. Step 3: Try Some Sample Exercises respiratory function. ûSETUP: Sit with legs apart, feet open a little wider than shoulder-distance apart and arms out to the sides, in line with the shoulders. Sit tall, and lift out of the hips. ûINHALE. Twist the spine, lower the back arm, and look at it as you curl forward. ûEXHALE. Reach the pinky ﬁnger past the pinky toe. Reach and press down once, deeper the second time, and even deeper the third time. Look back at the opposite hand, and incline your ear towards the knee. ûINHALE. Scoop deeper, and roll up. Stay twisted, and sit tall through the center. ûTWIST to the other side. ûEXHALE. Reach ear to knee; keep a “C” shape in the spine. ûINHALE. Roll up, and come center. Repeat three to ﬁve times in each direction (Note: Inhale to twist, and exhale to reach). The Saw: stretches the spine, strengthens the abdominals and improves The Hundred: promotes circulation, improves coordination of movement with breathing and centers the mind and body while connecting to the core, the deep, internal muscles of the abdomen and back. ûSETUP: Lie on the back with knees bent, legs together and feet ﬂat on the ﬂoor. Lengthen the spine, and place arms and palms down along the body. ûBRING your chin and knees to the chest, and stretch the arms long to the sides. ûSTRETCH the legs vertically; lower them 45o, keeping the lower back imprinted on the mat. ûBREATHE in for ﬁve breaths and out for ﬁve breaths, pumping the arms up and down six to eight inches. Colleen Glenn is the Senior Development Director and Master Trainer for Peak Pilates in Boulder, Colorado. She lectures, teaches and consults with businesses both in the US and internationally. Colleen has developed and contributed to numerous educational programs, including comprehensive instructor certiﬁcations, and product launches. Colleen co-founded the Pilates Method Alliance, a non-proﬁt organization that sets educational standards and provides resources for Pilates’ professionals and enthusiasts. ➤ Photos courtesy of Peak Pilates SEPTEMBER2008 · WWW.FIT-PRO.COM 9 http://WWW.FIT-PRO.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Personal Fitness Professional - September 2008

Personal Fitness Professional - September 2008 Contents Letter from the Editor, Writers Adding Pilates and Yoga to Your Clients' Workouts Combating Youth Obesity Prescription for Success NEW! The Balancing Act Technical Necessities Product Profiles Current Controversies Mark Your Calendar Coaching Your Client's Diet Life Coaching 101 Exercise Spotlight Product Profiles New on the Market [Spotlight] Gregg Miehle

Personal Fitness Professional - September 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.