Welcome to the November edition of Pilates Central News.
In this edition:
- Variations on a Pilates theme
- Ed space
- Reformer party
- Men at work
Variations on a Pilates theme
These days there are more varieties of our favourite exercise than you can shake a Pilates ball at — though whatever the fashion, we still think it’s hard to beat Classical Pilates. Here’s a summary of some of the ever-expanding forms of hybrid Pilates.
Infrared Pilates is one of the latest trends where infrared heaters emit electromagnetic waves that travel through the air and heat the studio and person. Temperatures can hit 35C. Advocates say it will improve muscle recovery and detoxify the body. Infrared Pilates is also referred to as Hot Pilates, which is done on mats. The downside is users can get quite sweaty or feel dizzy if not hydrated.
White Lotus and Euphoria actor Sydney Sweeney uses SolidCore, a Pilates/HIIT hybrid in the US, a full-body high-intensity workout, often with music, but on a larger version of the Reformer called a ‘swetlana’. “It’s been killing my ass. I love it,” says Sweeney. Lagree is another form of high-intensity, low-impact Pilates, using a Megaformer machine rather than a Reformer. It’s a full-body workout that combines Pilates with endurance and strength-training.
Wall Pilates has also been having a moment. A wall is used as a support or prop to help with stability, balance and resistance. The wall takes the place of the footbar used on a Reformer machine. Exercises can be done at home wherever there’s a free wall. It can help with alignment and make muscles work harder when performing say a bridge with your feet up against the wall.
Chair Pilates is a low-impact version of Pilates performed while seated or using a chair for support during standing exercises, and is useful for those with limited mobility. Joseph Pilates designed the Wunda chair on these lines.
Another fashionable form of Pilates is Tower Pilates, using a wall unit called a tower. This is equipped with springs, bars and straps. It’s like a Reformer machine, but where the springs and handles are perpendicular.
Contemporary Pilates is where Joseph Pilates’ basic principles are combined with modern knowledge of biomechanics and equipment that wasn’t available to Joe, such as ankle or wrist weights and resistance bands.
Barre Pilates is a ballet fusion, using a ballet barre for balance while performing small, high-repetition movements that focus on isometric holds to target specific muscle group.
Then there’s Aerial Pilates, for instructors only, that uses hammocks to perform Pilates moves while suspended in the air. While Aqua Pilates is as the name implies Pilates in a swimming pool.
Equine Pilates is a form of Pilates for horses, while fun versions of Pilates include humans and animals. Pennywell Farm in Devon offers Piggy Pilates, saying that the benefits of doing mat Pilates with pigs are a mixture of fun, relaxation and enjoying the good chemicals released from interacting with the animals.
While Goat Pilates is big at Bellcraig Farm in Fife, where friendly pygmy goats clamber over clients on mats. When the Scotch Malt Whisky Society wanted to celebrate its 40th anniversary, it naturally organised a joint whisky tasting and goat Pilates session.
Pilates is a great form of body conditioning and it’s flattering that it has inspired so many forms. But Classical Reformer Pilates, as invented by Joseph Pilates, has lasted for a century and outlasted most other versions. No doubt there will be more hybrids to come, but for many users Classical Pilates is tried and tested and still the best option.
Ed space
Ed Sheeran loves Pilates. He recently told Hits Radio UK: “That’s all I do, Reformer Pilates, I love it. It’s good for the core, good for the muscles. I’d say it’s probably the most in shape that I’ve got is Reformer Pilates. I’ve got some form of [definition]… it’s not squishy any more.”
Ed’s trainer Matt Kendrick from the MK Health Hub revealed to the BBC that he took a foldable Reformer with him to help Ed during his world tour, which featured, “the most insane schedule I’ve ever seen in my life… We met Ed in Dubai, end of January, and from there, it was literally India, China, all over the US, Europe – it’s been a real journey, it’s been an incredible experience.”
The MK Hub recently posted an Instagram of video of Ed on the Reformer, commenting: “Ed has discovered the power of Dynamic Reformer Pilates – building strength, control, and resilience like never before. It’s not just a workout; it’s a transformation. This is Men Redefined.”
Clearly Pilates has boosted the shape of the Shape of You singer. Kendrick told the BBC: “I don’t know how he does it. He’s superhuman. Literally from the start of the day to the end of the day, there is no stop.”
Reformer party
“Six months of Reformer Pilates made more difference to my core than in ten years of abs workouts,” is the headline of a very positive piece by the Independent’s Lucy Gornall.
As a fitness journalist she had tried numerous exercises, but after trying Pilates six months ago Pilates “broke the mould” and soon had her hooked.
Gornall says, “It was my core that really went through some changes. I found that the instability element of the reformer meant core muscles remained permanently switched on to maintain balance.”
One of her least favourite exercises used to be the plank, but on the Reformer, “it’s become my new favourite, despite the fact that it’s one hundred times harder for the core on a reformer machine.
She emphasises that a strong core is about more than aesthetics, being vital for posture, minimising back pain and moving through life, but if you want to, “see definition in your midsection that you’ve never seen before, then head to Pilates.”
Lucy concludes that joining the middle classes is a great thing: “It’s the perfect blend of low impact, muscle-toning, core-boosting, balance-testing movements that consistently challenge me, no matter how often I do them… The abs workouts I used to do at the gym, such as sit ups, Russian twists and crunches simply don’t even compare to what a Reformer class has done to my middle.”
Men at work
The Guardian is still being deluged with letters about Pilates. It all began with a letter from reader Tom Heavisides agreeing with England’s George Ford that Pilates is a great exercise for rugby players, even though his class was overwhelmingly female and “Pilates and the male psyche don’t seem to connect”.
This prompted the following response from Maggie Butcher in London: “I was amused that a bloke called Heavisides should be endorsing Pilates. But I can assure him that plenty of chaps attend the Pilates studio where I and my 94-year-old husband go weekly.”
Tom Stubbs of Surbiton then joined in writing: “As the (frequently) sole male in Pilates classes, I wonder if the reason ‘Pilates and the male psyche don’t seem to connect’ is that the language is directed towards women and their anatomy. On more than one occasion, when I have clearly been confused as to what bit of myself I am meant to be concentrating on, female instructors have whispered “crown jewels” in my ear.”
We can assure Guardian readers that Pilates is most definitely for both sexes and with all this talk of crown jewels you could perhaps say Pilates is by royal appointment.
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