Pilates was created to aid in the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers in WWI. It focuses on the mind-body approach and core muscles, improving flexibility, strength, and posture. Exercises target the abdomen, legs, upper body, and buttocks. Popular exercises include roll-ups, leg circles, and the plank.
Created in the 1920s to aid in the rehabilitation and healing of wounded soldiers of World War I, Pilates takes a mind-body approach and generally focuses on the core muscle group. Pilates exercises aim to improve flexibility, strength, and posture without adding muscle bulk. This type of training is popular with many levels of practitioners, from dancers and athletes to housewives and seniors. There are many different poses in this exercise, but the main Pilates exercises focus on toning and shaping the abdomen, legs, upper body, and buttocks.
There are several Pilates exercises that target the abdominal muscles, a common problem area for many people. One of the basic exercises is the roll-up, which consists of lying on the floor on your back and slowing your forward and upward rolling speed, lifting your back off the floor, vertebrae by vertebrae. Breathing is involved in the exercise, with the inhale along with the upward movement and the exhale along with the release back to the ground.
Another popular Pilates stomach exercise begins in the same position, but with the hands, neck, and head in the contracted position. The practitioner extends the legs straight and feet up into the air, and moves them up and down slowly. Feet should never touch the ground.
Pilates exercises that focus on the legs include various seated poses. Leg circles are popular and help strengthen and stretch the upper thigh muscles and hip joints. They are performed by lying on the back, extending one leg up at a 90-degree angle, and moving the leg in a circular motion, starting at the hip socket. The one leg stretch begins with the practitioner lying on their back with their head and shoulders lifted. He or she pulls one knee up to the chest, grabs it with both hands, and then extends the other leg.
Pilates exercises for the upper body help tone the arms, shoulders, and chest. The plank exercise uses a popular yoga pose to work the muscles of the upper arm and shoulders, and can be done on the floor or with an exercise ball. The practitioner begins in the pushup position on the floor or on an exercise ball, balancing on their toes with arms extended in a straight line. Then he or she slowly lifts each leg, one at a time, and extends the leg up.
The basic seated arm raises begin in the cross-legged position with the hands on the floor at the practitioner’s sides. The arms are slowly stretched out and over the head until the hands touch. The hands then return to the ground.
Many people do Pilates exercises to tone the buttocks, because this type of training can be very effective in that area. The plie side stretch exercise involves starting in a bent-knee squat position, straightening your legs, and lifting each leg out to the side, one leg at a time. This helps tone the buttocks and hips.
The lying heel press begins with the practitioner lying face down on a Pilates mat. Each leg is raised, one at a time, at a right angle. The foot is kept parallel to the floor.
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