“Power core!”
“Killer core!”
“Sculpt your core!”
The fitness world has jumped on the “core”bandwagon. And Pilates is often misconstrued as a “killer core workout”. People want to be “ripped” and “shredded”, which sounds quite violent! And people aren’t clumps of clay, to be “sculpted”! A “six pack” is not the physical manifestation of physical enlightenment.
The abdominal muscles are not a cure all. The idea that you “need a strong core for your back” is not really accurate. You need a strong back for your back! And you need a strong body for your whole body. And Pilates is for your whole body.
Most of us are spending a lot of time flexing our bodies forward. Like over a computer, phone, or any other number of tasks. The abdominals flex us forward. So spending another hour flexing your spine forward to “blast your abs!” is perhaps not the best idea, if a balanced and functional body is what you want.
I see workouts such as “gymnast ab routine” and “ballet dancer workout” advertised all the time. Those are great, if you are a gymnast or dancer. If you work 40+hours a week at a desk it might not be the most appropriate use of your time. It might not be the most beneficial for your posture. It might not cure your chronic back/neck/shoulder pain, no matter how many “crunches” you may do.
What will improve your posture and help you get out of pain is a balanced diet of movement. When exercises are so hyper focused on just one muscle group they don’t relate to how the body actually works. While it’s helpful to isolate muscle groups for specific reasons (i.e rehab, sports training) the body works as a whole and movements are made up of many groups of muscles working together. When you work the body with movement you get a body that moves well.
I’d like to kill the myth that Pilates will give you a “dancer’s body”. Nope. You know how you get a dancer’s body? Be a dancer. Train hours a day for years on end. You will develop a dancer’s body because you’ve danced and trained and the body responds to demand. And that takes years. And it’s not really about the “look”, that isn’t want makes a good dancer. A good dancer can move.
You don’t need a “dancer’s” body. You need your body to do what you do in your life. You don’t need “6 pack” abs. Gymnasts get those 6 packs because they need them. To basically fly and not break upon landing! The athletes you see in the ads promising “6 pack abs in 20 minutes a day!” did not get the abs they have in 20 minutes a day! Our bodies are capable of amazing things but if you just want to develop functional fitness you don’t need to train like a maniac. That “insanity” workout is insane!
Pilates is so beneficial because it takes the body through all the ranges of motion a body does. It starts with simple movements and builds to more complex movements as you get more capable. The beauty of Pilates is that you can start at any level of function or “fitness”. If you haven’t been active for years you will not be expected to workout like a professional athlete training for triathlon! If you’ve been having some nagging back pain for months you don’t need to do a “killer core” workout. Gentle movements done with mindfulness go a long way.
The spine gets overlooked in fitness. But it’s the spine that’s really our bodies “core”. I see ab work as spine work. We move the spine and the abs do their job, sometimes moving, sometimes stabilizing, often a coordinated combination of the two. Doing tons of “crunches” will leave the spine wanting to curl forward. Moving the spine mindfully will give you balanced and 3 dimensional strength, supporting both healthy posture and functional movement. Because we actually want to be able to use these bodies to move, right?
Unless you’re just looking to “get ripped” and pose for photos to rack up likes. If that’s the case, then by all means…crunch away.
Solara Pilates 