Reformer Pilates
Karen Franklin is a Pilates (pronounced /pu-lah-teez/) student of Balanced Body University®. Karen’s Reformer clients are pleased with the results of core strength as well as longer, leaner muscles.
By Marguerite Ogle, About.com Guide
Updated January 30, 2011
About.com Health’s Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board
http://pilates.about.com/od/whatispilates/a/WhatIsPilates.htm
The top benefits of doing Pilates exercise that people report are that they become stronger, longer, and leaner.
Modification is the key to Pilates exercise success with a variety of populations. All exercises are developed with modifications that can make a workout safe and challenging for a person at any level.
Core strength is the foundation of Pilates exercise. The core muscles are the deep, internal muscles of the abdomen and back. When the core muscles are strong and doing their job, as they are trained to do in Pilates, they work in tandem with the more superficial muscles of the trunk to support the spine and movement.
The Six Pilates Principles:
Centering, Control, Flow, Breath, Precision, and Concentration:
These six Pilates principles are essential ingredients in a high quality Pilates workout. The Pilates method has always emphasized quality over quantity, and you will find that, unlike many systems of exercise, Pilates exercises do not include a lot of repetitions for each move. Instead, doing each exercise fully, with precision, yields significant results in a shorter time than one would ever imagine.
