Pilates Exercises for Beginners | Sports Injury Clinic

A group Pilates class

Pilates is a very popular form of exercise which burst onto the health and fitness scene in the mid 90?s and, unlike many fitness fads, has only grown in popularity since then, which is pure testament to how effective it can be.

Pilates was developed in the 1920?s by Founder Joseph Pilates, to help rehabilitate injured soldiers. It has since been shown to help improve core stability, strength and flexibility, helping to improve posture and give a lean, toned appearance.

Pilates is also particularly good at helping to ease lower back pain and is used in rehabilitation programmes by physical therapists world-wide.

Pilates is most commonly taught in classes, by a qualified instructor, in groups or on a one-to-one basis. Whilst this is effective for many people, some find the time or cost of attending such sessions makes it unfeasible. For others, confidence may be the issue preventing them from joining a class of people who already know what they are doing.

So, we have put together this simple guide to beginners Pilates exercises, which will help to build an understanding of what Pilates is, how it works and start to develop a base of core strength and flexibility, from which you can choose to work on either at home, or it may give you the confidence to join that session at your local health or fitness centre!

Lesson One

Learning about the neutral pelvic position and contracting your core muscles:

Don?t worry if you don?t get the hang of this straight away as it can be a bit tricky. Just take your time and try to concentrate your focus on your core muscles. You should feel a gentle tightening under your fingers.

Some people respond better to different descriptions of what you are trying to achieve. If you are not sure that what you are doing is correct, try reading our notes on contracting your core muscles.

Lesson Two

The foot lift exercise:

This is the first exercise which is used to challenge the core contraction developed in lesson one.

Lesson three

The table top exercise:

This is a more advanced version of lesson two, where the leg is lifted up until the shin is parallel to the floor.

Lesson four

The arm stretch exercise:

To start to involve the arms and work on shoulder flexibility, the arms are stretched out overhead.

Lesson five

The knee drop exercise:

To work the groin and buttock muscles, and challenge the core contraction in a lateral direction, the knee is lowered out to the side.

Sets and reps

Start by performing each exercise 8-10 times, just once, at least 3 times a week. This should start to give you a good base strength and understanding of the principles of Pilates. As you can feel your strength improving, start to perform a second round of the exercises.

Source: http://www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/blog/?p=994

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