The Pilates equipment

The Pilates equipment looks kind of intimidating. But it’s actually quite the opposite of what it appears!  Rather than various “torture racks” these machines use spring resistance to provide support and assistance making movements easier to accomplish and assist your body in finding new healthier ways of moving. In a Pilates mat class you’ve got your body and gravity. It can be a struggle to make your body move fluidly through challenging exercises. The equipment is designed to help you find your deeper muscles, help your body be aligned and provide feedback to help you feel imbalances and correct them. The mat work is much harder than working on the equipment!

The design of these machines is ingenious. The springs can make movements easier or more challenging depending on what you want or need. The same exercise will target different muscle groups depending on what springs you use. And many exercises have versions for the various machines and this is great because if the swan is confusing or uncomfortable on the Cadillac we can try it on the Reformer and it might suddenly make sense and feel great! The equipment expands your potential for movement and makes things possible that doing on the mat are not possible for you.  Those springs can give muscles great strength challenge as well as wonderfully delicious stretch. Using the machines can give your spine and joints traction to open up space and provide decompression to relieve pain and tension. Unlike traditional gym equipment working on the Pilates machines feels like an active massage. You can get a challenging workout and feel refreshed and relaxed at the end of the hour instead of exhausted and beaten up.

Fitness can feel good. And it should make you feel better. And move better. Doing a grueling workout and being so sore you can barely walk isn’t required in order to get stronger and healthier. And Pilates can provide a very challenging workout that you’ll be sore from but it’s real focus is on improving your movement and posture. Being strong isn’t beneficial if you are not developing better movement patterns and improving your bodies’  structural integrity. And those weird machines are designed to do just that!  I feel like they are grown up versions of playground equipment! And while the exercises focus on breath and form, movement is a form of play. Pilates can give you freedom in your body that you might not have had since your days on the monkey bars!

So, don’t be afraid of those machines. They are there to help you, and so am I. Come try a session and see what you’re body is capable of.