You’ve always wondered why Pilates is so popular and have never taken a course yourself? Pilates is one of the most effective ways to improve your physical and mental well-being. Training aims to strengthen the muscles, strengthen the cardiovascular system and improve movement coordination, posture and body awareness. Pilates is also used for therapeutic purposes.
Here you will find 8 good reasons to give Pilates a chance in your training program:
Improves your body stability
Pilates improves your body stability because it trains the entire core muscles, especially the deep and small muscles of the back and abdomen. Improved stability facilitates efficient movement, healthy posture and helps prevent injuries.
Improves your posture
Poor posture results in uneven muscle development, uneven strain on the body as well as back, muscle and joint pain. These factors can cause serious injuries. For a long time doctors have therefore been recommending Pilates training, as such a holistic and concentrated training can counteract these factors.
Improves your coordination
Pilates develops an awareness of your whole body and enables better coordinated movements with regular training. All exercises are performed slowly and fluently, which makes learning movement more intensive and facilitates the application of healthier movement patterns in everyday life. You will also benefit from good movement coordination in sports disciplines, as you will improve your athletic performance in this way.
Improves your concentration
Since Pilates involves very slow, controlled and precise movements, you need to concentrate on each training session. This will train your concentration and many who do Pilates regularly talk about achieving meditative states. A good concentration is helpful in many activities and also optimizes your athletic performance.
Increases your endurance
Pilates training is intense and often puts the body to its limits, which improves muscular endurance. The different energy systems of the body are stressed, so that the body learns to use oxygen efficiently. This optimizes physical performance and general endurance.
Improves your breathing
Conscious breathing is very important in Pilates because it promotes physical control and relaxation. It counteracts tension and increases control over the body. Regular practice improves the efficiency and flow of breath, both in everyday life and during exercise.
Improves your athletic performance
Pilates training is based on the training of the “core” or “powerhouse”, the supporting muscles around the spine that lie in the centre of the body. This musculature is extremely important for the majority of sporting movements and is decisive for performance in countless sporting disciplines. Many athletes therefore regularly do Pilates training in order to optimise their sporting performance. Regeneration after training or injuries can also be accelerated by Pilates.
Helps you to relax
Because Pilates requires you to make slow, conscious movements, the training also promotes deep relaxation. Unlike aerobics or other fitness courses, Pilates is conducted in small groups and usually has no more than 6 participants. The music in the classes is rather slow, which increases the relaxing effect.
Conclusion
These reasons show why it can be useful to integrate Pilates into your daily health or performance training. The training will result in improvements both physically and mentally. The many positive effects should be motivation enough to give it a try.
