Mat Pilates is a pilates training practice that can be done on a mat, meaning, no reformer is used. In this class, you hold movements like planks, side planks, and core exercises to build your muscles and core strength. Much of the equipment that you find in a reformer class can also be used in a pilates mat workout. Your instructor will give you options to use bands, exercise balls, and sometimes even small weights to help level-up your pilates experience.
Core strength is the foundation of how Pilates works. Strengthening the core develops stability throughout the entire torso. This is one of the ways Pilates helps many people alleviate back pain.
Trunk stability through core engagement is the most important aspect of Pilates training since it dictates how the body moves, not just in the studio or gym but in daily life. For Joseph Pilates, the goal was to create a method that would allow the body to move with grace, ease, and efficiency. Such a body has to be both strong and flexible, and it has certain qualities of movement, such as being centered and balanced; fluid yet controlled.
These qualities, or Pilates principles, are applied in every Pilates exercise. By practicing functional movement patterns, muscles are developed evenly, appearing long and lean.
Achieving strength without bulk draws many people to Pilates. According to the method, balanced muscular development is a result of training the body to move with harmony and efficiency. The Pilates Method posits that an imbalanced body can lead to muscular weaknesses, which may potentially cause compensations in the body that inhibit a joint from moving through its full range of motion.
“You will feel better in ten sessions, look better in twenty sessions, and have a completely new body in thirty sessions.”
The Pilates technique also prioritizes quality over quantity. Unlike other systems of exercise, Pilates exercises do not include a lot of repetitions for each move. The idea is that by performing each exercise with precision and focusing on the breath you can achieve significant results in a shorter amount of time.
Deep breathing is also fundamental to Pilates. This means exhaling fully with every inhale to empty the lungs of stale air and invite fresh oxygen to flow in. Improved breathing and circulation allow the body to function optimally from the inside out.
Joseph Pilates said that above all else, one should learn how to breathe properly. Full, deep breathing feeds and stimulates the circulatory system.
