Immediately after researching and producing my very first article on Pilates, I grew to be hooked on it and chose to do some additional investigation. Understanding and writing about a new form of workout can be interesting, but it’s hard to beat venturing out and doing it.

Thus, I begun private pilates classes with Anne-Marie Mc Nabb of Pilates Passion in San Diego. Unsure what to prepare for, I arrived for my first pilates workout eager yet apprehensive. Currently, almost 3 months after beginning pilates, I believe that this is among the most effective and enjoyable health and fitness course I’ve ever tried. I haven’t felt this great in a very long time.

I start the Workout.

My personal routine usually begins with some lower body stretches where I perform a series of leg extensions focusing on proper posture and optimum breathing. I work both in turned-out and parallel positions trying to keep the proper alignment between ankles, hips and knees. Initially, Anne-Marie made it easier by putting a smallish ball between my knees to enable me to correctly activate the muscle groups of the inner thigh. At first, the ball slipped between my knees and onto the ground below. This was all the explanation I required to see that my entire body positioning was a bit off. After a couple of sessions though, I was able to keep the ball in place for 8 or even more repetitions, and this filled me with a terrific feeling of accomplishment.

The Pilates reformer.

We start the session using the pilates reformer. This is a long bench with cords and straps. Despite the fact that it may appear complicated, the reformer is a sensible device which can help to successfully work and stretch nearly every muscle of the entire body.

Upper Body Exercise

Again on the reformer the springs and cables can also be altered to both add or decrease the amount of resistance depending on the level and the ability of the student. Adding or removing a cable is comparable to adding weight on an exercise machine. Pilates works the muscles of the upper body by making use of different resistance and actions that resemble lateral lifts, triceps extensions and vertical rows. Pilates workouts are surprisingly challenging: Doubters be aware!

The advantage of Stretching.

At the end of the session we focus on a series of stretching exercises including forwards and sideways splits, hip flexor stretches and spinal stretches. For the forwards splits, one leg presses solidly against the base of the reformer which means the other slides backwards until the student feels an entire stretch. I can now, for just about the first time in years, perform a forward split on either side.

I am renewed and perhaps even taller.

After I finish my pilates workout I do not really feel worn out or exhausted, but revived and refreshed. I walk into the workout session about 5 ft 7 and I swear I go out of it an inch higher. I recall using similar words whenever writing my first write-up, although they were only words and phrases at the time. Now several months later on, I’m able to understand all the fuss Pilates has gotten from people sick and tired of the more traditional types of exercise. Pilates might not be for everyone, however for those anxious for a change of routine, its most decidedly worth trying.

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