Posts Tagged ‘pilates’

Which Pilates Machines Is Right For You?

Friday, May 22nd, 2009

If you’ve been doing Pilates for any length of time, you’ve probably come across a couple of Pilates machines. There are a number of these pieces of equipment available on the market today. A Pilates machine, such as the Pilates Reformer, is an all in one, self contained Pilates workout.

I don’t care which “brand name” of Pilates you practice, whether it’s Winsor Pilates, Malibu Pilates, or Stott Pilates, there is a good chance you’ve used one of these machines. Maybe you have even bought one for your own home gym. If you don’t have one but thought about buying one…keep reading.

Alright, let’s get down to it. Here is my review of the three best Pilates machines available on the internet today. I am going to review, for your benefit, the Pilates Reformer, the Malibu Pilates Chair, and the ever popular Pilates Power Gym.

I want to start with the big dog on the market, the Pilates Reformer.

Pilates Reformer

This legendary (alright I’m being a little facetious with this term) Pilates Reformer is the top of the line Pilates machine out there. It is the equipment of choice among most of the worlds Pilates teaching elite. Although the name certainly does sound like some ancient torture device straight out of the Spanish Inquisition (which, if you remember your Monty Python, no one expects), it is actually a state of the art and up to date exercise equipment model.

As most people know Pilates is a modern form of core strengthening exercise system developed by Joseph Pilates in the early part of the last century. Mr. Pilates was a prisoner in an internment camp when he realized he needed to keep active in order to survive his outer conditions. At the heart of Joes system is the concept that the health of the whole of the body could be greatly improved by strengthening the core inner abdominal and postural muscles.

The Pilates Reformer allows you to sit in its carriage on a padded seat and pull and push yourself along the track using the patented pulley and spring system. This way you can build yourself up with a steady and progressive pace, increasing your workload with time.

Pilates Power Gym Review

What a beautiful piece of equipment is the Pilates Power Gym. Assuming you are under 250 pounds, it is perfect for you with its padded foot straps and handles just like the Pilates Reformer. Like the Reformer, you can adjust the PPG to your own fitness level to strengthen your body’s core muscles. As well, it is only about half the size of the PR and is fairly light weight for easy maneuverability. The sturdy carbon steel frame makes firming and toning a snap. You can quickly sculpt your thighs, calves, abdominals, hips, butt,and back using its modern technology. Use it for a few weeks and see a whole new, fit not fat, you.

Malibu Pilates Chair

This is one of the smallest and certainly most compact of the whole body Pilates machines. And clocking in at just under three hundred and fifty bucks, it might just be one of the most affordable. It comes with a free wall chart and diet plan that make massive weight loss not only possible but simple and easy. Even sitting on your backside (it is a chair after all) you are going to get a serious work out with the MPC.

Whichever Pilates machine you choose you are sure to feel fantastic as you see those unwanted pounds drop off your body weekly until you see a whole new wonderful you.

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Pilates Fitness: Go For The Modernized Trainings

Saturday, March 21st, 2009

You are most probably grown tired of doing your routine exercises because you feel exhausted and tired after doing it. Instead of refreshing you and giving you some relaxation, your traditional exercises may have been stressing you more. If this is also happening to you and you want to have a new set of challenging exercises, the Pilates fitness program is here to answer all that you are looking for.

There is no need for you to endure the hardship of doing those exercises, especially now that Pilates fitness is here to give you a perfect alternative for such dynamic and interactive stretches and movements. The credit for this fitness program should actually be given to its founder, Joseph H. Pilates. He was previously a sickly child back then which was why he did a lot of exercises. He became a skin diver, skier, and a skilled gymnast.

When he developed this program, he was thinking of the victims of the war who were injured and need physical training to be able to make the body function again. After the Pilates exercises were being noticed, he had his first students who happened to be some dancers who strongly believed that this program will help them improve their skills. His next students were some individuals who were physically challenged individuals, elderly people, health enthusiasts to movie actors and actresses.

You might be thinking how this program had helped a lot of people. This is because the Pilates fitness training is all about movements of the body. The movements are usually slow movements but intense in performance. The program focuses more on improving and strengthening the inner core muscles, including the back and the abdomen, so that the outer body will look and become slimmer yet fully developed.

As such, one is guided through a slow development from executing small-scale movements to large-scale actions as confidence increases. Pilates motion that runs from the core towards the extremities allows greater control of joints in the body. Likewise, injuries are far from happening in this sense.

The Pilates training is beneficial to almost every individual, especially to those who are on the age of maturity. This kind of training will help them improve their body condition through the movements. After doing this training, their body will definitely have a posture, coordination, flexibility, and strength that is noticeably improved and better than the previous condition. This is also good for those who had been through surgery.

But there is one thing that needs to be cleared about this training. It should be emphasized that doing this training does not only requires physical performance. Your mind should also coordinate with your body as it moves and therefore needs focus and concentration as you do the training. You will surely get positive results when you do the Pilates exercises together with the correct breathing techniques on a mat exercise or you can also use the Pilate training equipments.

Among the equipments provided by the Pilates fitness are the reformer, the pedipull, the cadillac, the barrel and the chair. These are designed in line with the program to help participants to do the training with full focus and concentration. Using these equipments, the Pilates fitness program will give your body a good and fully developed muscular appearance. The inner core will be strengthened and the outer will be stretched out.

With all these details, as far as one can tell, the Pilates fitness exercise is a one set of modern methods that you can use to have a body that is stronger, flexible, and fit than it was before.

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