How To Prepare For A Pilates Class?

Are you planning to soon join a Pilates class?

If so, are you using Pilates mat exercise? How about music in Pilates class? Find them out here.

Be warned that walking into any Pilates studio could be daunting, especially if it is your first time.

You would notice a variety of very odd-looking contraptions, which you could logically infer as ‘Pilates machines.’ Never worry.

Whichever studio you go to, there surely would be a knowledgeable and friendly staff or personnel who would accommodate and orient you to Pilates sessions.

How could you prepare for your first ever Pilates class? You might be truly excited. There is no need to be nervous or to be embarrassed. Beginners are always welcome to join such classes.

Here are practical tips that would help you overcome your first-time jitters.

What you should bring?

Remember that you do not need to take with you much when you drop by any Pilates studio.

Generally, the studio provides every equipment and material you would need for the workout. However, you may prefer to workout using your own mat.

Pilates mats are commercially available in various stores. You should be lucky enough to learn that your studio might actually be selling such items.

Take note that such mats are usually made a bit thicker than any conventional yoga mat. Ask your instructor about his recommendations before you purchase your Pilates mat.

It is important to make yourself properly hydrated prior to starting the workout. Thus, you would still need to carry with you a water bottle.

You would not need to guzzle water during the workout just like what you usually do on your aerobic and cardiovascular workouts.

But you certainly would feel a little thirsty at the middle of the session so keep a water bottle handy.

What to wear?

You should not dress to impress when attending a Pilates class. It is very important that you make sure your clothes are comfortable.

Wear outfits that would enable you to make movements and to fully stretch. Loose clothes are fine, but keep away from baggy clothes.

The instructor should be able to see your body during the workout to see if your alignment is correct during movements.

Baggy clothes may tend to be too revealing especially because there are certain movements that are very complicated.

As for the footwear, take note that Pilates should be done barefoot. There is no need to buy and wear fancy and fashionable shoes.

Avoid wearing excess accessories. Belts, long necklaces, and dangling bracelets are not only distracting; they could also pose dangers especially if they get caught up in the Pilates equipment.

You surely would not want to strangle yourself. Also make sure your hair is tied back so it would not fall into your face and cause discomfort. You may also opt to wear hair bands. There would be no problem if your hair is cut short.

One last advice: do not wear strong perfumes and deodorants before going to the Pilates class. This is because many people are simply sensitive to strong scents. You need to be considerate of others.

What you need and what you get from a Pilates mat exercise?

Pilates Mat exercises have been considered very beneficial, especially for those who want stronger abdominal muscles and a stronger core.

Usually, exercises are done with Pilates machines. But Pilates Mat exercises however, have more challenging exercises simply because your body doesn’t have to rely on the support of the machine to do the work, making it shoulder the work that you are making it do.

These results in a variety of developments, more so, on the abs than any part of the body, and we all know that that piece of fat under the navel is really hard to get to.

The other benefit of a Pilates mat exercise is its sheer lack of exercise equipment. Unlike other Pilates exercises, this only requires you, as the name says, a Pilates mat.

And you’re ready to go, of course every Pilates exercise requires you some sort of instructor, either a real one, or a video, to tell you what to do, or if what you’re doing is correct, which brings us to the question of do I really need an instructor?

And the answer is yes, every exercise needs an instructor, even something you might think as simple as a Pilates mat exercise won’t look very simple once you’re in a hospital bed.

Pilates mat exercises can be very advanced body work, and doing it wrongly can as with every type of work out, give you injuries.

A Pilates mat instructor has to be certified by a qualified school make sure that your instructor has real qualifications before you take Pilates mat classes.

A DVD or a real one? Essentially, most Pilates experts recommend a real instructor, an instructor can point out what you’re doing wrong, can position you correctly if you don’t have the right posture, and can personalize the exercise you’re doing specifically for your body’s needs.

However, there are lots of Pilates mat exercise videos out there that have been getting good reviews recently.

Some people might have gone on to saying that it’s as good as the real instructor, well to each his own, but my suggestion is, if you can afford a real instructor, then get one.

That’s the problem with real instructors though, the price, you’ll have to pay for classes monthly for that, but with a DVD, you’ll only have to buy it once and then you can use it for years to come.

What’s also good with a Pilates mat exercise DVD is its convenience, you won’t have to travel to the gym or to class you can just spread your mat on the floor, turn on the DVD and the you’re good to go.

Pilates Exercise Equipment

Pilates exercise equipment can help make a wonderful workout program into an amazing way to transform your body.

There are a handful of useful items available that will help you maximize the benefits of your routine. These helpful tools are great for the seasoned exerciser as well as the beginner.

The first piece of Pilates exercise equipment you want to get is a DVD that offers a viewing of a typical routine.

You simply work out right with the people on the screen. While this is not the newest innovation in Pilates exercise equipment it is the most important item.

Following a good plan is simple if you have the instructor right there with you. Those of us who can’t afford a personal trainer opt to buy the DVD Pilates exercise equipment instead. Using a DVD will help you finish a complete routine without skimping. It also provides great motivation for the user.

The Pilates ball is a favorite among people of all abilities. This Pilates exercise equipment is just plain fun. You can accomplish a lot in a workout by balancing on one of these large bouncy balls without feeling a thing.

The results are great and you barely break a sweat. This is among the most popular Pilates exercise equipment on the market.

One of the most important aspects of this type of workout program is its safety. This approach to fitness is very kind to the body. In fact, it is even used in some physical rehabilitation approaches.

This is a very appealing feature that is the key to the Pilates workout. People of all ages and abilities are able to use this program.

No matter how safe any workout is you really want to choose a mat when completing floor exercises. Pilates exercise equipment includes this necessity to floor workouts.

Perhaps, this is one of the most important pieces of Pilates exercise equipment, especially if you have hardwood floors.

Resistance bands are great for adding a little more challenge to the routine. While the resistance bands are not an absolute necessity to a successful workout they can really help to keep things interesting for the advanced client.

This Pilates exercise equipment can be introduced at the intermediate level but not recommended for beginners.

There are various other items that can be used to supplement the workout. No matter if you use additional Pilates exercise equipment or not you will definitely see results if you stick with the routine.

Should Pilates Classes Use Music?

Pilates classes are very popular these days. Most gyms and fitness centers offer regular Pilates sessions that are guided and facilitated by fitness professionals.

In reality, it is very different from all other fitness sessions. But many individuals do not readily identify that difference especially when their Pilates sessions use music.

Some Pilates experts do not use music while others make it a point to feature facilitative tunes to make participants more inclined to do the tasks.

Should Pilates classes use music? It is considered a matter or preference whether a facilitator/ instructor would use music or not in every Pilates class.

There are specific times when music would help in making the session more effective, though there would also be instances when it would just serve as a form of unnecessary distraction.

Professionals should know when music should be used in their Pilates sessions.

For classes that involve mostly beginners, music could be used sparingly. This is because when people are relatively new to the program, it could help them attain and maintain interest if there is an appropriate music or tune that comes with the basic Pilates movements.

However, in some instances, music is omitted especially when the instructor wants to make sure participants would listen to and understand specific Pilates movement instructions.

A competent and effective Pilates instructor would ensure that participants focus on keeping proper posture alignment, breath control, and stability.

They should also make sure the students maintain a neutral spine or lying position.

In this regard, it would help if music used would not use catchy tunes and interesting lyrics.

Thus, most instructors prefer to use meditative music to prevent the participants from focusing instead on the lyrics.

For advanced Pilates students or participants, music could be used as an effective strategy to attain and support smooth movement.

The right choice of music to be used is important as it could be significant and vital to ensuring a smoother flow of movements.

The good flow of sound could also help keep the movements become more targeted.

However, when using music during Pilates classes, make sure you avoid using heavily rhythmic music.

This is because such tunes could only encourage and prompt the class to unnecessarily choreograph Pilates movements just to keep up a tempo.

In general, the Pilates class members should be able to move more naturally so they could be enabled to move at a strategic pace that would suit their bodies with their individual variations.

Overall, music could surely enhance any Pilates session or class. For people who have become very familiar to Pilates movements, music could be a form of further enhancement to achieve more harmony between movements and breathing.

For beginners, music should definitely take a back-step because such participants could only be unnecessarily distracted.

Doing Pilates without music could also be effective especially if you do the movements on your own.

But for classes, meditative or strategic music could certainly be of great help. Instructors should take their choice of music to be used as another challenge.

 

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