And I’ll Bet You’ve Never Heard #4 and #5!
Here is the best brief explanation for why Pilates is used by professional athletes, physical therapists, and everyone in between. Here’s the secret sauce revealed by one of today’s leading and long-time Pilates instructors.
Most of these reasons I’ve never heard before. You won’t see them on the usual list of Pilates benefits, because they just don’t come up in regular conversation. Here’s why ‘dynamic stretch’ and ‘eccentric contraction’ are so much better for you, and more.
Funny thing about reading why Pilates is so effective – I found that it actually energized me, renewed my practice and even inspired some of my couch potato friends to try Pilates. This is, quite frankly, a moving post!
Take a look!
No Other Exercise Comes Close To the Benefits of Pilates
Pilates is now one of the most popular fitness methods world wide. Most people, including the medical community, recognize its health benefits, it’s surprising that few people fully understand just how beneficial Pilates is.
You are about to discover why Joseph Pilates is the Einstein of fitness, and why no other exercise method has more benefits, setting it completely apart from all other fitness programs.
Here’s a Quick Look At the Top 5 Pilates Benefits
- There are three muscle groups in the center of the body that are virtually ignored by every other exercise method. When these and other muscles in the ‘core’ are strengthened, everything changes, improving posture, balance, strength, mobility, and athletic performance. Pilates is so effective for improving athletic performance that elite athletes now include it in their conditioning programs. Plus, mounting evidence indicates that strengthening core muscles may be more effective for the relief of most back problems than medical treatment.
- Most back problems disappear by strengthening core muscles, specifically the inner (transverse) abdominals. This Pilates idea has been confirmed by research and is a key principle in physical therapy.
- Exercising with fluid and controlled movement, central to Pilates, does not create wear and tear on the joints unlike so many or our top exercise methods such as hiking, jogging and most of our indoor aerobic workouts.
- ‘Dynamic stretch’ found in Pilates and few other exercise methods is, according to research, much more effective than any other type of stretching. It stretches muscle tissue more quickly and with less discomfort. This is because you are stretching while you move rather than holding a position until the muscle stretches.
- Pilates primarily involves ‘eccentric contraction’ which studies have found to be more beneficial than other muscle building techniques. It builds strength with long and lean muscle tissue instead of short and bulky muscle – it’s strength with less body weight, faster recovery time and less risk of injury.
For more including the sources for the research mentioned go here.