Pilates is ideal for beginners because it is low impact, it builds on strength and control and helps the user in their everyday life. Pilates is made for the body you have, whatever your level of fitness. You don’t have to learn complicated new skills, all that is needed is some suitable clothes to exercise in, a mat for the simplest form of Pilates and the ability to listen to your teacher’s instructions. Beginners can also take up Reformer Pilates with the guidance of expert teachers and routines and resistance levels will be adjusted to suit your body. If recovering from injury or returning to exercise after a long break the exercises on the Reformer can be adjusted to suit the user’s needs.
The emphasis is on placement and technique over repetition or high-intensity training. You won’t come out of a Pilates class dripping in sweat but you will be working on the smaller muscles around the joints, stabilising your body and improving your core, the corset of muscles around your middle. Some of the exercises will be new, others may seem more familiar, as many physios also advocate Pilates-based exercises such as planks and glute bridges.
Pilates will improve your mobility, so at first you might be able to squat a little bit lower or move your hips more. It will also improve flexibility by lengthening muscles. It should help make you less injury-prone and improve your posture.
Pilates for tight hips and shoulders
Office workers spend hours hunched over desks and this can lead to tight hips and shoulders. Targeted exercises can be good for hip pain and less aggravating than higher-intensity exercises. Pilates can also tackle the underlying mechanical issues and increase the range of hip motion through strengthening the hip muscles and core. For those who find standing painful there are many exercises that can be performed seated or lying down. Tight shoulders are another problem but head, neck and shoulder stretches will all help relieve tension in the upper body.
Back pain also hits many older people and can be the result of bad posture and a deskbound life. Learning to fully extend the spine and strengthen your core muscles will both help with back problems.
Pilates for the over-50s
You’re never too old to start Pilates and it will help alleviate many of the problems of ageing. Over a lifetime bad habits can form such as shoulder rounding or anterior pelvic tilt caused by sitting down a lot. Weak glutes can lead to hamstring and calf strain. The aim of Pilates is to improve your body’s alignment and iron out these imbalances.
Another benefit of Pilates for the over-50s is that it will improve your balance. Standing on one leg is said to be a good indicator of longevity. Pilates includes one-leg work and aims for a neutral spine and neutral pelvis. This can help with stability when you are hit with an unexpected impact doing sport or when falling over in day-to-day life.
The body can lose proprioception, or the ability to sense its position in space, as we get older, leading to falls. But Pilates can help improve both coordination and stability when the deep stabilising muscles have been strengthened.
Pilates also encourages concentration on slow mindful breathing, inhaling through the nose and exhaling through the mouth, while improving lung capacity. This can help relieve the stresses of work and calm the body.
To conclude, those new to Pilates will soon learn to move with more control and feel more balanced and connected to their body. As Joseph Pilates himself said: “Change happens through movement and movement heals.”
Disclaimer: If you have a pre-existing health condition consult a healthcare professional such as a doctor or physiotherapist before taking up any new form of exercise.
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The Pilates Central Team
