Pilates?

Gaiam has a youtube channel and most of the stuff they put out us pretty decent. Pilates focuses generally in flexibility and core ... but it depends on the routine. some do strength others cardio. based originally on yoga, pilates is...well, flexible.

I’m going to give a plug for organized mat classes for several reasons.

If left to my own devices, I would do a video, skip the hard parts, and eventually just not do a video at all. In a class, you can’t do that. And if you buy a package of classes, there’s financial motivation to use them up.

Pilates can be done wrong, or it can be done right. If done wrong, you get very little out of it, and can risk hurting yourself. For example, there’s a wrong and right way to do roll ups, and most beginners (including me, when I started) fall prey to the obvious impulses to throw your chest and shoulders forward to roll up, rather than relying on abdominal strength. A good instructor should notice and correct on the spot, demonstrate and explain the difference between wrong and right, and provide alternatives to beginners, something a video can’t do. The great thing about studio mat classes is modifications- options for beginners to make moves a little easier til they can build strength,

Once you gain strength, a good instructor will give instructions to make the various moves harder, to build on even more strength. Instructors at my studio are great about this, with modifications for beginners, and second and third degree options for the rest of us.

I’ve done yoga for years, Pilates for a little over a year, and weight training for almost a year. I can very clearly see how the moves, stretches and conditioning learned in one, affect - and improve- the others.

A lot of yoga studios offer mat Pilates classes, too. My studio offers an “unlimited class” package for yoga and Pilates for $100 a month. I get my money’s worth and then some, and then some more.

Thanks for the question - I was thinking the same thing. @springlering62 - is there a reason you suggest mat vs a reformer class? I’m new to Pilates and considering the neighborhood options. Club Pilates (a bit pricey) or mat classes at gym (crowded, heard there’s no form correction).

@rainbow198 thanks for the ideas, I've been meaning to get back to Pilates for ages so its good to get another suggestion for workout on youtube.

@CeeBeeSlim my studio offers reformer but the classes are expensive. I have an unlimited membership for yoga/Pilates I try to take advantage of, and already have a wonderful weight trainer at another gym and just prefer to spend the money on her than Reformer.

However, our mat instructor is very knowledgeable and also teaches reformer classes. She very specifically says she tries to recreate the reformer experience as much as possible on the mat.

She does do form corrections and will demonstrate them as well as does hands on assists if people are having trouble understanding what they should feel.

On the flip side, classes have been absolutely jammed since Christmas, so none of the instructors are really having time or even room to pick their way between mats til things die down in a week or two.