Have you been doing Pilates for awhile and haven't seen quite the results you are looking for? This may be due to small matters of technique that you can easily improve on in your classes. Even though instructors watch their clients like hawks, your body is programmed to subconsciously try to 'cheat' whenever possible in order to make the exercises easier for you. Below are some tips to use whenever you are in a Pilates class to assure that you get the most out of your practice. These tips should also be utilised outside of your classes to make your time spent at Pilates all that more effective. However, it is not enough to perform your Pilates exercises perfectly; without a healthy, balanced eating plan you will not see those results no matter how many Pilates classes a week you do! And I think everyone knows that on some level...
1. You are not engaging your lower abdominals correctly.
This is a very easy and common mistake to make that I see clients doing all the time. They think that to get their abs working they need to 'crunch' and overuse the top of their rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscles). Before learning how to instruct Pilates I was guilty of overusing these superficial muscles myself! Clients need to be taught how to activate their lower abdominals or their 'core' (as we talk about it at our studio) in a way that makes sense to them. Pilates exercises are not about crunching, they are about lifting your pelvic floor and imagining that you are zipping your hip bones towards each other. Another way to think of tightening the core is to 'scoop' the lower abs in. I am a big fan of the jean analogy to engage the core, that is, imagine that you are trying to get into quite tight high waisted jeans. You are lifting your pelvic floor to zip the zipper of the jeans up, then you are trying to draw your hipbones towards each other to do up the button. I spend a lot of time in my Reformer Introductory classes making sure that clients understand how to activate their core correctly before moving on to other basics.
What you can do: Ask your instructor to feel if you are engaging your lower abs correctly- they won't mind at all! Practice activating your core every day and before you know it it will become something that you do without even thinking of it!
2. You perform exercises too quickly.
Joseph Pilates, the founder of Pilates, designed his exercise regime to be executed with control and precision. You are not in a Crossfit class or going for a sprint. You may very well be able to perform Pilates exercises with the correct technique at a fast pace when you have been practising Pilates for years, however it takes a very long time to get to this level. If Pilates exercises are not performed slowly until the technique is learnt and achieved, you will 1. not be getting much benefit out of the exercise and 2. you may even be exposing yourself to an increased chance of injury. Never fear, you will still get an incredible workout when you slow down the pace, in fact, you will isolate your muscles even more and really feel the burn!
What you can do: slow your roll! Listen to your instructor and let them set the pace. They will advance you and instruct you to go faster when you have improved. You'll also be surprised how much better you will become at cardiovascular / high impact exercise when you have the foundations of Pilates in your back pocket.
3. You neglect to breathe.
So this one is a biggy! If you do not breathe during your Pilates exercises, you will cut off the oxygen available to your muscles, which will result in light headedness and you will fatigue very quickly. I know it is tough to remember to breathe when you are focusing on getting the movement right, on engaging your core on and on what your instructor is saying. Read below for a strategy:
What you can do: Stop the exercise for a second and just focus on your breath before starting again. If you are new to Pilates and are feeling overwhelmed, do not worry too much if you are breathing the opposite way to what your instructor is telling you. Just keep breathing. I always tell clients in my Introductory classes this! When the technique starts to become a little easier to understand, then we move on to really focusing on when specifically you should inhale and exhale throughout each movement. Keep in mind that Pilates can used as a form of meditation to many people and there's no reason why it cannot be for you, however you need to keep breathing in order to achieve this benefit!
4. Your shoulders are up to your ears.
Another very common error! We often get so stressed and overwhelmed in life that our body subconsciously hunches our shoulders. This is the exact same copping mechanism the majority of clients adopt when they feel overburdened with information in Pilates classes. This tension leads to tightness and pain in the upper back or the upper trapezius or 'traps'. This is ironic as this is one of the muscles that you are trying to relax in Pilates class!
What you can do: You and your instructor need to be watching your shoulders constantly, during class and throughout your day. When you are at your computer, when you are sitting in the car, when you are doing exercise, think of keeping your shoulder blades gliding down your back towards your hips. Your shoulders should be soft and think of them as 'melting' away from your ears. Your collarbones should be open and your shoulders back in their sockets, without arching the lower back to do so.
5. You imprint your spine / tuck your pubic bone up too much.
When your instructor tells you to imprint your spine, we do not want you to push your lower back into the mat and round/flex your spine. We want you to very slightly tilt your pubic bone up towards your belly button, around 5% of how much you can actually tilt your pelvis. Then think of drawing the spine down towards the floor without pressing them into the ground. Your tailbone stays on the floor and you do not clench your butt cheeks. When you imprint your spine incorrectly or imprint your spine when you should be in a neutral position, you defeat the purpose of many Pilates exercises, as your core will not activate as it should and your lower back may start to do the work instead.
What you can do: Listen to your instructor for which spinal position they would like you to adopt for each exercise. Try not to 'over imprint' the spine and tuck the pelvis up more than you are told to.
Good luck incorporating these tips into your Pilates workout! Remember that your instructor is always there to help and assist you in any way that they can, so use them!
x Premium Pilates Studio
