There are a lot of wellness myths about Pilates, but believing them could really put your wellbeing at risk. Either the misconceptions reduce your chances of success with this exercise, or they make you miss out on the fitness benefits of Pilates altogether. According to Master Pilates Trainer Kathy Corey, ‘When I tell people that I’m a master Pilates trainer, I get a lot of interesting reactions. People who practice and love Pilates are quick to ask their burning questions…but many people who are less familiar with the popular form of exercise ask a lot of questions—and make a lot of assumptions. They say things like, “Oh, I could never do Pilates,” (and then allude to an injury, health issue, or the fact that they don’t think it’d be challenging enough). Some show confusion, thinking Pilates is the same as yoga. And still others mention having tried Pilates once or twice, but never really “getting” it.’ Let’s take a look at the top six myths about Pilates.
1. Pilates is just for women: Corey details, ‘Pilates was originally designed by a man (Joseph Pilates) and for men. Pilates himself was a boxer and circus performer, and he trained both Scotland Yard and the Hamburg Military Police in self-defence and physical training.’ While Pilates is more popular with women than men these days, more and more male sports teams are incorporating Pilates exercises into their cross training programmes.
2. Pilates is like yoga: ‘Yoga and Pilates approach movement differently; have different breathing styles; and utilize very different exercises—although there are some overlaps in these movements,’ Corey explains. ‘In contrast to yoga, Pilates offers more than just mat-based work; Joseph Pilates invented several pieces of equipment (such as the reformer, Cadillac, tower, barrel and more) in the early 1900s that are still used in Pilates classes today.’
3. Pilates is too easy: ‘Pilates is only easy if you aren’t doing the exercises properly,’ Corey asserts. ‘If you are going through the motions without applying the principles of control, centring, concentration and precision, it may feel easy—but you are not really doing Pilates. Properly performed, the exercises should be challenging and rejuvenating for all fitness levels. Because the exercises engage the deepest core muscles, you need to understand how to do them properly to get the most benefit. That’s why it’s great to take a class with a qualified instructor who can watch and correct your form as needed.’
4. Pilates is too hard: On the other end of the scale, even people who are in good shape find Pilates to be a very humbling experience. However, even though Pilates can be difficult at first, that is not to say that you shouldn’t give it a go. Corey points out, ‘A good Pilates class will include instruction for every level of fitness and a breakdown of how to properly perform the movements for your body.’
5. Pilates only works your core: Corey admits, ‘While Pilates does build core strength, Mr. Pilates always emphasized that his exercises were for the whole body. He believed the more muscles you use to perform a movement, the more efficient the movement would be. This creates a system of functional strength that applies to all movements. The Pilates system teaches a balance of strength and flexibility.’
6. Pilates is only for flexible people: ‘Flexibility is an inherent part of Pilates training, so you will gain flexibility by doing Pilates regularly,’ says Corey. ‘The exercises are geared to improving flexibility for a more limber body with greater ranges of motion. And for those people who are overly flexible, the core conditioning creates joint stability so the goal is a balance of strength and flexibility. All exercises can be modified or adapted to suit each individual’s flexibility level.’
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