The Truth About Pilates

Pilates, Easy or Not?

Sylvia Favela,
Author of Bodyweight Pilates

Let’s face it if a girl can do a simple ab lift then it’s no sweat for a guy to do double the reps, right?

Dead WRONG!

Shawna Kaminski, Sylvia Favela and myself rocking a workout in San Diego

Guys literally walk by a room of ladies doing Pilates because they think it’s only for girls.  I can see why that would happen and I wouldn’t blame them for walking by.

However, what if I said by doing this system of Pilates you’ll get more out of your workouts, increase endurance and reduce the risk of injuries.   Not to bad for a “girls” only workout, right?

Let me explain by saying this…

Pilates has been the hidden secret to developing a store core, and by this I don’t mean banging out hundreds and hundreds of sit-ups.  This won’t develop in a strong core at all.  You may end up with tight hip flexors and a sore neck.

Body weight Pilates core workouts targets the intricate muscles that surrounds and protects the low back, spine, pelvis and hips.  We necessarily don’t think about of this when starting your workout.  Although when we think about a tight low back, tight hamstrings and hip flexors its main origin of pain is coming from somewhere.

And, Yes….you guessed right, a weak core and overcompensation of muscles.

But, it’s easy right?  No Way!

Unless you have tried a class where most of the movements is based on breathing and calm execution of moves, then it may become a little more relaxed but that’s not the case here with body weight Pilates.

Take my friend Justin for example; he was former Pro Baseball player and currently a L1 Certified Crossfit Coach.  He thought for sure Pilates was only for ladies and all they did was lay around and stretch.

After one body weight Pilates workout he quickly changed his opinion of what Pilates is.  Now, Justin is a great athlete and in perfect shape and you wouldn’t think this system would challenge his fitness level.

To be more accurate, within 3 minutes of the Pilates system, Justin was sweating and feeling deep muscles he never knew existed.  The whole body works as a unit and the muscles fibers are firing throughout the body.  Causing faster fatigue and body burn.

However, now he is addicted in a good way to Pilates because his endurance has increased and his regular fitness workouts have gotten better because of the control, strength, flexibility and core strength from the Pilates system.

Body weight Pilates movements uses your own bodies resistance and mechanics to strengthen itself.  Each exercise is executed with control and awareness, so you do need to be an effort into the workout.  There is no throwing around your body or loss of control of each movement.

A traditional sit-up simply wont target the deepest layer of the abdominal muscles, these movements target the superficial layer of the abdominals and you see a ripped six-pack, and don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with a sexy looking midsection.

Wouldn’t it be even more flattering when you can chisel the abs even more and not only make the abs look strong from the outside but from the inside also.  More and more fitness training has adopted Pilates moves as the thing to do to have a strong core.

The best part about doing this Pilates system is you can easily add it into your already existing workouts at home or in the gym.  No one will know you are doing Pilates unless they are as up to date as you are with knowing what to do have a strong midsection.

There is a confusion of what Pilates is and people thinking they have to be strong to start doing it.  Here’s the thing, just start.  I haven’t met anyone yet who has been able to go through a series of moves with me without falling apart because of the muscle burn they are feeling.

Tim for example was challenged by his wife to try a series of Pilates using my system, he thought it would be a breeze for sure but figured there was something to it because her body changed fast and was impressed with what he saw.

Sure enough, he soon became addicted to it.  Let me explain by saying Tim is a very active 47-year-old guy, he is always riding dirt bikes and in the gym.  He was amazed of how his performance and control improved in the gym and his ability of staying up on his bike the entire time riding.  It’s the core he said, not to mention he lost 10 pounds within two weeks of the using the system all without dieting.

The body takes a new shape and form as you begin Pilates, it’s not going to put extra muscle mass on you, and it’s designed to develop functional muscle.  And a lean toned midsection is just a few of the benefits.

Functional muscle development allows your body to move through daily act ivies whether it’s playing with the kids or in the gym or anywhere for that matter.  Bending over to tie your shoes or pulling a shirt over your head shouldn’t be a task, the mobility and flexibility that accompanies Pilates are lasting benefits as long as they are continually practiced.

I asked my friend Justin to help me out with a Bodyweight Pilates workout for you…

Here is an overview of the body weight moves in the above video….

*  X-Push Up Back   – 15 reps, 3 sets, 10 sec rest between each set
*  Ab Kick Push Up   – 15 reps, 3 sets, 10 sec rest between each set
*  Ab Cincher   – 15 reps, 3 sets, 10 sec rest between each set

Get more out of your workouts and challenge yourself to increase your performance in and out of the gym or on your days off head over to Body Weight Pilates for more body weight works.

Enjoy and have fun!

Sylvia Favela, aka “Queen of Pilates”, author of “Body Weight Pilates”.

CLICK HERE to discover her bodyweight secrets