Enhance Your Pilates Power with These 6 Effective Tactics

For numerous generations, the exercise regime of Pilates has been hailed as a revolutionary form of fitness, securing a surge of enthusiasm in the contemporary era.

The legion of Pilates devotees within the USA has risen to a staggering 12 million in 2023, indicating a growth of 15 percent from the preceding year. The word “Pilates” has experienced a threefold escalation in online searches in the preceding five years, and forecasts hint at the sector possibly doubling by the advent of 2030, as per data from the Pilates Education Institute. Even the sphere of pop culture has acknowledged Pilates with a specific skit showcased on the acclaimed program SNL.

What could be driving the widespread fascination with Pilates? Presumably, it’s due to its potent fusion of precise, controlled exercises and deep breathwork, combined with a holistic approach to wellness that resonates with the frenetic, stressful pace of our lives today.

Pilates, a powerful blend of physical and mental health benefits, is widely accessible and flexible, perfect for a diverse range of individuals, irrespective of their age or fitness level, as stated by Portia Page, CPT, NCPT, a renowned Pilates educator and the education program manager for Balanced Body.

“Incorporate Pilates into your everyday routine to witness its powerful transformation,” Page recommends. “It’s ingeniously crafted to both stretch and strengthen the body, emphasizing stability, precise posture, intentional respiration, and reinforcing your core. The positive impacts on your mental and physical wellness become evident quite rapidly with consistent workouts.”

Practicing Pilates does not only enhance our structural stance—providing considerable relief for those among us who spend prolonged periods slumped over digital screens—but it also improves our strength and flexibility. Psychologically and emotionally, it hones our breathing patterns and culminates in an amplified sense of self-confidence as we tackle and overcome new feats, as detailed by Page.

Nonetheless, to obtain the full array of advantages from your routine, certain aspects should be heeded, irrespective if you’re a newbie, a well-versed enthusiast, or whether you gravitate towards floor exercises or those performed on the reformer.

Here are six principal tactics employed by Pilates professionals to maximize the effectiveness of their practice—and you can implement them too.

1. Give Preference to Breathing Tactics

Joseph Pilates ardently endorsed, “Above anything, correct respiration is essential,” and this axiom is deeply integrated into the Pilates method. Synchronizing your breathing with every movement is vital for sustaining concentration and enhancing the impact of each exercise, as endorsed by Page.

“Harnessing breath as a pillar for your session ushers you and your physique into a state of being conscious of the immediate moment,” she asserts. “Commencing with deliberate respiration lays out the groundwork for that consistent attention to breath throughout the exercise.”

To get in line with your breathing, Jamie Maitland, an accredited health coach and Pilates teacher, recommends these steps:

1. Situate your hands atop your ribcage to sense it expanding with inhales and contracting with exhales.
2. Begin with a single count for each breathing in and out.
3. Gradually advance to three to five counts for both inhalation and exhalation once you’re comfortable.

2. Initiate Your Exercise with a Gentle Warm-Up

Plunging directly into complex exercises is a mistake often made, as observed by Page. Like swimming, one shouldn’t plunge in without getting used to the temperature first. Initiation with fundamental minor movements forms a solid groundwork that is paramount for later approaching more strenuous actions and postures, explains Page.

“By easing into these movements, we cultivate expertise and make a smooth transition into more challenging exercises and postures—one methodical step at a time—rather than pushing or tensing into a pose or activity.”

Seeking professional guidance for an efficient warm-up is advised, perhaps by visiting a local Pilates studio or viewing an instructional class online.

3. Master Your Body Alignment

Alignment in the world of Pilates refers to the stance of various body segments, such as the cranium, spine, and appendages, in relation to one another during the execution of an exercise. It is a fundamental Pilates principle that promotes equilibrium and accuracy, extracting the fullest benefit from each action, as elucidated by Maitland.

Maitland suggests enrolling in a course where a teacher offers verbal guidance or hands-on corrections to facilitate correct alignment. Similarly, following an instructive online class or intermittently verifying your form in a mirror can also serve the same end.

Utilizing a towel or strap as a guide to straighten knees, feet, and palms during activities might assist, along with specialized Pilates grip socks to avoid slipping and sustain form, as proposed by Maitland.

To sharpen your alignment, Page encourages daily engagement in this exercise, which can be integrated into various positions:

1. Enter the pose of your choice, shut your eyelids, and deeply inhale and exhale.
2. Strive for a balanced stature and confirm that your cranium, ribcage, pelvis, and feet are coordinated (assuming you’re standing). It’s imperative to realize that this state of linearity will feel distinct with every stance.
3. Employ your breathwork and minor tweaks to discover what seems most comfortable and fitting for your body (which is ultimately of primary importance).

“Place greater value on precision rather than volume—remind yourself of the importance of performing your actions with accuracy and attentiveness, instead of striving for rapidity. Indeed, sometimes less is more.” —Jamie Maitland, accredited Pilates educator

4. Strive for a Gradual and Calculated Tempo

Pilates advocates for a deliberate, controlled execution over haste in movement, as advised by Maitland.

“Value the structure and essence of your method rather than speeding through it—attention to detail trumps quantity,” she emphasizes.

For judging your pace accurately, Maitland suggests this guideline: if an exercise is too easy to glide through, the primary focus may be lost, leading to a simple ‘rebound’ rather than an engagement of the specific muscles. Decelerating, engaging the core, and specifying the muscle movement to activate the target area, like the glutes in leg raises, will intensify both sensation and effect.

An appropriate tempo will likely be reached when you feel the burn in the muscle being exercised within a brief time of five to ten seconds.

5. Maintain Utter Concentration During Sessions

Pilates aims to rejuvenate and energize the body, psyche, and spirit, thereby total dedication and the elimination of distractions is crucial.

“One error often witnessed during routines is a scattering of focus,” Maitland articulates. “Participants who drift off lose form, contrasting with those who remain intensely engaged. Considering Pilates entails a mentally demanding exercise, concentration is key.”

If you detect a dwindling of focus, Maitland recommends an elementary technique: rub your thumb against your index to instantly reconnect with the current moment.

6. Incorporate Equipment to Intensify Your Workout

Although Pilates can be effective without any apparatus, those aiming to amplify the challenge may wish to integrate equipment like resistance bands, weighted spheres, or hand weights to elevate their Pilates workouts. Maitland praises Pilates circles as a particularly fruitful accessory for inserting diversity and added intensity.

Maitland imparts a favored routine with the Pilates circle:

1. Recline with bent knees and soles planted solidly on the floor.
2. Arrange the Pilates circle between your thighs.
3. Elevate your legs to a tabletop position with your knees forming a right angle (or keep your soles down for a less demanding variation).
4. Gently press and release the circle utilizing your inner thighs, then reposition.
5. Perform 15 complete compressions, followed by 15 pulses (smaller, controlled movements).
6. Keep the pressure steady for a duration of 15.
7. Repeat the sequence three to four times.