Pilates is a form of exercise therapy which is based around the principles of improving health and well being by optimising flexibility, strength, control and endurance. The exercises used in pilates cater to all ability and fitness levels ranging from absolute beginners to the elite athletes, and is utilised by many leading athletes across a wide range of sports.
In sport, pilates are used both as an injury prevention tool and a rehabilitation program to assist the athlete to re-learn movement/activation patterns necessary to safely complete high velocity complex tasks.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Principles of Pilates
Concentration
An important aspect of pilates is complete concentration on the movement being performed in order to activate the correct muscles in the correct order, with the execution of the exercises being the most important component.
Control
Pilates teaches people to be able to control the movements of their body and restricts using momentum and/or favouring stronger body parts to perform a given task.
Centering
Centering refers to what many people know as core training: strengthening and achieving optimal control of the muscles that form the base from which movement is developed. If you don’t have a strong base from which to create movement/power then you will be lowering your ‘performance ceiling’ greatly whilst increasing the risk of injury.
Efficiency of Movement
An expectation of pilates is that due to creating a strong core/base from which to generate movement; you will increase the efficiency of your movement and thus will use less energy for a given task – an aspect of great interest to athletes.
Precision
The goal of pilates is to perform movements precisely and correctly, with a focus on each movement separately and specifically in order to achieve the desired result for each movement individually, rather than to achieve half the result on a greater number of movements.
Breathing
Breathing forms an important component in the philosophy of pilates as we encourage people to master the ability to breathe fluidly throughout movement in order to produce greater crossover to functional activities, whilst also assisting to maintain blood pressure throughout the course of the movement.
Health & Fitness
Whether your goal is to add 10kgs to your squat or to simply be able to play with your children, our physiotherapists can assist in developing an exercise program that is appropriate for your current level of health and fitness.
