I was late this morning to pilates... I swear that I set my alarm a whole hour earlier than it went off - someone must have changed it in the middle of the night!!I did get there, yawning most of the way through the session as I didn't have time for my one cup of coffee a day or breakfast before I took off out of here in a hurry to actually make it before the session ended! I was only about 10 minutes late and thankfully so was the person after me, so I got most of the program in before I raced of to get coffee. (There is a new place almost half way home that is awesome - try it out if you are near Holland Park - it's called Stomp Espresso)
My husband was with me today to see what I have been up to (really it was that he needed a good stretch out and tagging along to pilates certainly does that for you). He does some different exercises than me given that I have range of movement issues that make some pretty impossible. This prompted me to remember something that I had been meaning to tell my instructor for a few sessions now. There was finally one thing that I thought 'oh shit' about for after the op. I would have to use the fitness circle at pilates. I've never used that thing, but in all the shared studio sessions that I have had with people, no one likes it. Every one has the exercises that they love and hate and they really do differ from person to person with, it seems the exclusion of the fitness circle, of which I have never personally met anyone that likes it.
The good news that I found out today is that I won't be able to use it for 'a long time' as it puts too much pressure on the femur and/or femoral head (depending on the excercise) - yippee!
As far as the ones I have love and hate relationships with:
So hate: Reverse Knee Pulls
I'm not sure why I really hate these. It could be that I can't really kneel with the front of my knee comfortably on the shoulder rests (hip range in that position) and end up kinda squished or that as I look down to the floor I visualise face planting. I'd say it's more likely to be the face plant
So Love: Feet in straps exercises like: Hinges (kind of like the first two positions of the long spine, the long spine and basically everything except for the ones I can't do which are pretty much any abduction stuff which upsets the hips
Long Spine:
The pictures above I found in google, which lead to google books, which actually had an embed link (which is very cool). I would have thought that would be something frowned upon - but hey if Google wants to let us :) To give the author kudos, the book that they both come out of is:
No, I have never tried that and though it makes for an impressive cover shot, I think that it leads people to believe that they can't do pilates. I had someone who didn't know me at all (met a few times during a business transaction once when I was on my way to a session) comment that they are not strong or flexible enough for pilates. I replied that you work to your own level and slowly increase your ability - that I am not flexible at all, in fact I'm going in for two hip replacements in less than a month, so anyone can do it. Pilates helps lengthen and strengthen, promotes good posture and is exercise that you don't feel sore from the next day. Sometimes the muscles feel 'worked' the next day and sometimes the day after that, though I've never had the gym type can't walk the next day done too much (and probably incorrectly so ending up putting excess pressure on all of the wrong places) from going to pilates. There is still the muscle burn when you are there and not everything is easy but there still is visible results when you go regularly. I always feel good after a session which makes it a lot easier to go. People who disagree with me just haven't found the right class or instructor. There is a lot more to pilates than matt classes or watching a DVD. A good instructor coaches, makes sure that your alignment is correct, the right muscles are being worked and the program is customised to your ability and has a plan for improvement and progression. If for financial reasons you are going down the class path (yes they are a lot cheaper), try finding one where the instructor also runs studio sessions so that you can go a couple of times on a one-on-one basis and discuss going to the larger classes with them. This way the instructor can see what level you are at and suggest some alternatives when things come up in class. You can also become more familiar with the exercises and the techniques so that you get the most out of the class. If you find the right person, it will certainly help that they know you individually before rocking up with ten other people. Also if you are one-on-one, be good to your instructor, they'll appreciate it. If you have a scheduled session, don't cancel late. Pilates generally isn't something that has a high demand rate for casual sessions so there is a good chance the spot won't easily be able to be filled and will leave them sitting around the studio for the hour waiting for the next session to start.
The extra session a week has made a big difference to abs and core - I actually am starting to have some dints now :) (Much to the exasperation of a friend of mine who regularly does lots of sit ups - lots more than I ever do - and isn't getting the same dints). I know that the dints aren't necessarily the goal here but it is kinda cool to have a visual result.
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