Welcome to the September edition of Pilates Central News.

In this edition:

• Wizard Pilates
• It’s a rap
• Pilates pilgrim
• The joy of socks

Wizard Pilates

We’re glad to hear that Pilates has been helping Sir Ian McKellen recover after a very public fall while performing as the portly Falstaff in Player Kings, an adaptation of Henry IV Parts 1 and 2, at the Noel Coward Theatre. In his latest interview in the Times we learn that the 85-year-old actor, “did Pilates this morning and seems to be moving around well.” Luckily the fact that Sir Ian was wearing a fat suit helped cushion his fall after he caught his foot on an upturned chair, though he still fractured a wrist and a vertebra after landing on an unfortunate member of the audience, who also had to be taken to hospital.

Sir Ian has been a disciple of Pilates since the 1980s when he was playing in Coriolanus at the National Theatre and, “had to change the shape of my body.” In 2021 he said that doing Pilates during lockdown, “just keeps me active. The trouble with a lot of people my age is that they are decrepit not simply because they are getting older but because they are not doing enough of what they always did do – walk, run, exercise.” While in 2022 he told Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 Breakfast Show: “I do Pilates… I exercise with Joe Pilates’ machinery. I have a trainer Brian who helps me with that in Canary Wharf… An hour of that three times a week keeps me feeling alive. I do recommend it.”

The Times reports that the actor, known to millions for his role as Gandalf, is thankfully looking “remarkably well” and “fairly bounced into the room in jacket, jeans, trainers and a flowing scarf.” Ever the professional, Sir Ian is looking forward to his next role in the film The Critic and a return to the stage declaring, “I want to get out there again.”

It’s a rap

You don’t necessarily associate Pilates with rap tracks by Public Enemy and Prophets of Rage. “When it comes to Pilates Chuck D believes the hype,” reads the Boston Globe’s headline for an interview with Public Enemy’s Chuck D. The headline is a riff on a line from the early Public Enemy song Fight the Power. The legendary New York rapper and social activist says that 12 years of doing Pilates has given him the energy to keep performing at the age of 63. Now Chuck has written a book called RAPilates: Body and Mind Conditioning in the Digital Age.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Grammy winner has co-written the book with his Pilates teacher Kathy Lopez. It contains 33 exercises, accompanied by Chuck’s illustrations. He’s named some of the exercises after his songs, such as Fight the Power, a double leg-stretch while pointing hands and feet towards the sky.

Chuck tells the Globe that he took up Pilates in his fifties as a way of keeping fit on tour following a suggestion from his wife. It has helped, “in strengthening his core and diaphragm, which in turn help his breath control and stamina while jumping around on stage.”

Chuck D acknowledges some male hip-hop fans may see Pilates as a mainly female exercise, but says, “the minute you think it’s a girly exercise you’ll find out that your biggest enemy is yourself. You got to go in there with humility.”

Pilates is increasingly important for veteran performers on tour. Kathy Lopez went to some of Chuck’s shows to help him prepare, and he writes in the book: “The concentration, precision of movement and breathing really paid off during my performances… I have a saying about doing our sometimes difficult songs, ‘either you do the songs or the songs do you’.”

Pilates pilgrim

The Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage can often lead walkers to a spiritual awakening — and for some a career as a Pilates teacher. The Guardian recently published stories from readers about trips that had changed their lives. Reader Kerryn, 39, from the Isle of Wight found herself at a turning point in 2019. She was unhappy at her job in HR and felt burned out. So she joined her twin sister Leanne for a month walking 550 kilometres of the French-Spanish section of the Camino. 

An afternoon alone in an ancient Spanish monastery had a particular effect on her. She told the Guardian: “Throughout the journey I kept trying to figure out what I was meant to be doing with my life. I had always endeavoured to help people wherever there was need, and I had a “wake-up moment.”

On her return to the UK, Kerryn decided to retrain as a Pilates coach. She had already used Pilates as part of her rehab treatment after running and horse riding injuries. She tells the Guardian: “Suddenly my world had colour again and I felt so did my life. I studied fervently – focusing on the rehab aspect Pilates has become well associated with and on particular populations, including postnatal clients, those affected by lifelong conditions, and those who just needed help.

Kerryn now runs her own Pilates company and says: “The highs of seeing your client succeed help me remove the scales of comfort from my eyes and see the real, proper, positive difference I make in the world.”

The joy of socks

“These are *officially* the 9 best Pilates socks money can buy, according to our Fitness Editors,” is the headline of a sock-it-to-’em feature in Marie Claire. It’s a sort of Oscars for socks, with the team assessing comfort, sliding, sweat-wicking, material and affordability.

What’s surprising is the sheer variety of sock categories. The “Most Stylish Pilates Socks” are deemed to be Alo Yoga Pivot Barre Socks. The “Most Versatile Pilates Socks” are the Sweaty Betty Barre Gripper Socks, the “Best Low Pilates Socks” are the Lululemon Power Stride No-Show Socks with Active Grip, while the “Best Affordable Pilates Socks” are the Keyri Non-Slip Pilates Socks.

There’s much more. The “Best High Pilates Socks” are Fasecks Antiskid Socks, the “Best Hybrid Pilates Socks” are the Alo Yoga Strappy Siren Grip Sock and the “Best Coloured Pilates Socks” are Apres Pilates Grip Socks. While finally the “Most Comfortable Pilates Socks” winner is the Alo Yoga Throwback Barre Sock.

It would be no surprise to see a lifetime achievement award for socks too. Suffice to say that all sock wearers, be they high, low, coloured or hybrid are welcome at Pilates Central, even if you buy them from Marks & Spencer or Chapel Market.

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The Pilates Central Team