This was emailed to us and we thought others might be interested!

Six months on I have learned a lot more about Pilates, its benefits and limitations. One thing remains consistent in that it is unpopular with men. I do hear more openness towards it and a better understanding of what it is but there remains an unfortunate reluctance to participate. I started Pilates to improve my flexibility and to engage in a new practice that would drive me to challenge myself to think differently and learn new skills. I believe I have been very successful on both fronts. I’ve found some measures of flexibility which show me how much I have been able to improve my hamstring flexibility but more important than any measure is the feeling I get after working out. I come away with a feeling of lightness in the back of my legs up through my back which is wonderful and it illustrates to me I had no idea how my inflexibility felt. This is akin to the feeling of the frog that is being slowly boiled and doesn’t recognize the gradual increasing of the water temperature.

The biggest surprise for me came the morning after I started playing indoor soccer again after a gap of several years. I expected to be extremely stiff and too my surprise I felt great with no stiffness at all. Now that doesn’t mean I am in great shape, aerobically the soccer kicked my butt, big time! I had hoped I could use jump boarding to maintain my aerobic fitness but I’ve concluded I need to do more aerobic work beyond Pilates. The other disappointment is that my left knee was unable to take the strain of twisting and turning and so that’s the end of my indoor soccer season. If I had started Pilates 10 or even 20 years ago I would have learned that the biomechanics of my knee movement puts strain on the outside of my knees and I wouldn’t have worn away the meniscus on the outside of my left knee. I did not realize Pilates focuses on proper biomechanics as well as developing strength and flexibility. I can only look back at what might have been had I started Pilates earlier!

Back to my observation that men are not engaging more actively in Pilates, given my experience above, this is disappointing as learning how to use your body more effectively could be a huge benefit to young athletes and in reality all of us. I was encouraged listening to a radio interview with one of the Portland Trailblazers staff that Brandon Roy will be focusing on Pilates and Yoga this summer. Brandon wants to develop the ability to be stronger and tougher and was looking to do more weight training and instead the Trailblazers coaches have convinced him to focus on strengthening his core and improving his agility. I expect to see an even stronger and faster Brandon Roy next season.

As for myself, I’ll keep on working on my Pilates practice and keeping my female classmates amused, I hope I’m not slowing you down too much. Maybe I’ll be successful in convincing one or two male friends but if I don’t it will be their loss and I’ll continue to enjoy my all female company.

I would love to hear your views why Pilates is not more popular with men or why you enjoy it and what you have got out of it.

Andy Robbins

My name is Hannah Walker and I’m a high school Junior interested in talking with you about teaching, your training, and your experiences owning a studio, to find out a little more about working as a Pilates instructor.

I am planning on coming to your studio for my Pilates certification and would like to learn more about your instructors as well as your thoughts on the STOTT PILATES method versus other teaching styles.

A little background about myself. I was a serious ballet dancer from age 4 until 15 and discovered Pilates through my dance studios. I stopped dancing ballet but have enjoyed taking some modern classes since then and I still continue with Pilates at Pilates Plus Northwest as well as Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis at Center Gyrotonic. My objective is to obtain my Pilates certification before I graduate high school, and eventually obtain my Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis certifications as well.

I know you are very busy, and don’t always have the time to meet with people. I thought that perhaps it would be more convenient if I emailed you some of my questions, and you can get back to me at your leisure.

Hi Hannah:

Actually, I didn’t choose STOTT PILATES, it chose me, and I am feel very fortunate about that. I decided to begin taking pilates classes after acquiring a dance injury (a stress fracture to my left tibia) that wouldn’t heal. It is a long story, but, in essence, I ended up missing nearly a year of my dance career while I was at Oregon Ballet Theatre. During that time, one of my co-workers (another dancer) suggested that I go with her to do pilates. The instructor had also been a dancer and she was a certified STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainer. Well, I had studied pilates in New York City many years before, so this particular style was unfamiliar to me, but as soon as we started going to classes, I fell in love it. I especially liked how anatomically- based it was. My teacher had been educated to work with injuries, and she worked very specifically with me on my imbalances and weaknesses; I began to realize that many of which may have instigated my injury. After I finally returned to dancing after being off for months, I was shocked at the amount of strength and over-all control I had gained. Even my co-workers were amazed.

It is difficult to find positions available that offer full-time work and benefits for pilates teaching only. Typically, in the United States, pilates instructors are self-employed. Nevertheless, those jobs do exist. At large gyms, clubs or resorts, you can find salaried or set hourly positions like this. Sometimes workers have multiple roles to acquire this employee status. For example, you may be a pilates instructor at a large gym and also do personal training or administrative work. At any rate, I think one of the benefits of pilates is that it can be taught in your own home. Because the equipment and initial investment is relatively low, compared to many start up businesses, a certified instructor can do really well. Also, many studios rent space and equipment to certified pilates instructors to run their own business within.

Depending on where you live, pilates can be very competitive or relatively unknown. Certainly, it is more popular than ten years ago, but that can also work to a new instructors advantage; the public does not need to be educated about what pilates is or its benefits like teachers had to do a decade ago. I think an instructor that is considering a career in pilates should do some homework about the region that they intend to work in prior to acquiring their certification. He or she should look seriously that the region’s demographics and if it can support a teacher. Also, I have seen excellent pilates teachers thrive in areas that are not typically supportive of a business like pilates, but because of the individual’s personality, talents and skills as a teacher he or she excels anyway.

Income varies widely depending on the region in which you live. An instructor that I know in Los Angeles makes over $80,000 per year. She doesn’t work at a studio but instead has built a business catering to the affluent people in that region. She requires her students to purchase STOTT PILATES equipment, and she teaches them in their homes. She is an excellent instructor and uses word-of-mouth referrals to gain new students.

I am not sure that this same kind of business could thrive in a city the size of Portland. There are people in this city with this same level of affluence, but compared to population there are fewer. Also, the Portland mind-set is completely different than L.A.

In a city like Portland, an excellent, hard-working, full time teacher (30-35 hours per week) can probably earn about $45,000-$60,000 per year, depending on their circumstances (if they are a business owner and how many hours they work.)

I think an Exercise Science Degree could be helpful to someone interested in pursuing a career in pilates. In fact, I have met many college students getting a degree in Exercise Science or Physical Therapy pursue the pilates training as a means to be employed while in school. Because of the ability to have a flexible schedule and be self-employed as a pilates instructor, it is a great job option that is complementary to their academic pursuits.
Business courses are definitely helpful to individuals considering opening a studio.

Yes, word-of-mouth referrals are the primary way that we acquire new students. Initially, when we opened our studio, we had to invest money into print advertising, conventions, and offer ongoing specials and discounts etc. After about four years in business, we found that most of our clients were finding us through referrals and on the internet. After seven years, we discontinued all of our print advertising. Having excellent instructors and keeping our clientele happy has been the best way to build loyalty and a consistently positive reputation in our area.

Thanks, again, Hannah, for contacting us. I wish you the best of luck, and I look forward to meeting you one day.

Thanks much,
Leslie

If you had told me 6 months ago I would be writing a blog about Pilates I’d say you had the wrong guy. If you had also told me I would be getting up a 5:15am twice a week to go to Pilates classes, I would have said that guy was crazy. How times change, here I am fulfilling both. Now I’ve been working out for two months at the studio, I thought I’d share my experience to date.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised my male friends have absolutely no clue what Pilates is about. They are worried about me though, one of them asked me what’s next, Jazzercize? All I can say to them is come on down and try it, I’d love to see what they can do! I did expect my female friends to be a bit more up on the topic and one of my coworkers made me laugh when she said “doesn’t that have a piece of equipment called the punisher? Not quite but it certainly feels like it at times.

I started Pilates to improve my flexibility and a good indication of my improvement is the fact that Leslie doesn’t have to work so hard getting my limbs to move in our sessions. I liken my starting point as similar to the Tin Man in the Wizard of OZ, and since then I can already feel a huge improvement, I had forgotten what it is like to have some level of flexibility. I did get a glimpse of the long road ahead when I happened to look in on an advanced mat class on a Saturday morning and saw them lying chest down with one leg bent under them to their shoulders. This still brings tears to my eyes and I’m not convinced my leg will ever do that.

I have benefited from two other things I didn’t expect; increased strength and improved biomechanics. On the strength front, like a typical male I couldn’t see the exercises making me stronger. Boy was I wrong, I found out early in one of Leslie’s sessions it didn’t take much to get me into an exercise that set my arms on fire. Lisa Rulis is now keeping me honest and I can hear her saying during an exercise “what are you feeling?” when I’m working so hard it’s difficult to breathe let alone respond! I had no clue how much of a work out you can get from only a mat.

The biomechanics really surprised me. I assumed my body simply wasn’t supposed to do some things and I’ve since learned it’s just the way I am using it. I wish I had started Pilates 20 years ago and I bet I wouldn’t have had to have four instances of knee surgery. I am simply amazed this isn’t pushed more in professional sports and I now I understand the brilliance of the Blazers including Pilates in Greg Oden’s recovery schedule. I hope the rest of the team are using it.

I’m going to wrap up with a few things I’ve learned in the studio:
1. Long shorts – In my first reformer session, Lisa mentioned men don’t like having to open their legs. I can share the reason, without wearing long shorts there is a definite risk of a wardrobe malfunction. Not pretty for anyone.
2. It’s not the equipment – whenever I find myself on the reformer and the ropes won’t go taught, I have to remind myself it’s probably not an equipment malfunction. That said, it is a great excuse if you are well and truly stuck during a specific exercise.
3. Laugh at myself – I have to do this every time I go and it is good to have a regular humbling experience. Despite the 5:45am group being labeled intro/beginner, I now understand this group isn’t really made up of newbies like me (isn’t that right Lois). Still, it is good to have some very experienced people to copy, seeing is so much easier than listening.
4. Do something out of the ordinary – For me, starting Pilates has been like living in another country. Having to understand something completely different is a great way to get me thinking outside of the box.

Commonly, people know static stretches to build passive hamstring length. An example of static hamstring stretching would include lying your back while your instructor holds your leg in the air.

This photo illustrates a static stretch for the hamstrings using a wall to support the leg rather than a person

Static stretching will encourage the muscles to relax in order to create elongation, however, because the stretch is done passively, it may create an imbalance with the opposing muscle groups, make the muscle less sensitive to neural messages sent to the it by the brain, which diminishes its’ ability to generate force, and reduce blood flow in the stretched muscle. Therefore, static stretching is not considered a wise way to stretch prior to strenuous activity; a static stretch should only be held for 6-30 seconds, and should be done only preceding a gentle activity.

A dynamic hamstring stretch, conversely, involves actively taking the muscle in and out of a stretch. Since good flexibility is specific to body position and speed, a dynamic hamstring stretch will lengthen the muscle, but also prepare it for quick, ballistic and/or explosive activity. Consider when a soccer player kicks a ball or a martial artist kicks an opponent, he or she requires long muscles that can respond quickly in a variety of positions. In addition, since dynamic stretching increases blood flow to the muscles, it is an ideal way of stretching to prepare the muscles to be able to lengthen during a variety of situations- from playing sports and to doing other daily activities as gardening or picking up heavy objects. Training your hamstrings to stretch dynamically can greatly diminish the risk of tears and other injuries.

There are numerous exercises on the pilates reformer that can be used to dynamically lengthen the hamstrings. Here are three great exercises that can help you create long, strong and responsive hamstrings.

Feet in straps:

The back is stable against the carriage using the abdominal muscles, and all the muscles of the legs are active (gluts, hamstrings and quadriceps) to maintain the extension of the knees and to create resistance against the straps. When the legs are brought towards the body, the hamstrings are elongated, but the opposing muscle groups are active and the spine and pelvis are stable. This exercise begins slowly and can progress to a faster pace (still with control), 8-10 times.

Elephant:

During elephant, the gluts and hamstrings actively work to press the carriage out, simultaneously, the spine is supported in a neutral position. Then, the carriage is pulled in by using the hip flexor muscles. Notice that the upper body remains completely stable while the movement occurs at the hip joint, as if it were a hinge. This exercise begins slowly and may progress to a quicker pace (still with control), 8-10 times.

Front Splits standing on the floor:

In this exercise, the front leg is straightening to push the carriage out and bending to pull the carriage back in. The quadriceps are working to straighten the knee creating a hamstring stretch, then the hamstrings are working to pull the carriage back in. This exercise begins slowly and can progress to a quicker pace (still with control), 5-8 times.

All of these pilates exercises should be executed under the guidance of a certified pilates instructor.

There is a carriage in which one can sit, kneel or stand on and which glides back and forth. On the underneath side of the carriage or wheels which allow it to glide and 5 different springs which create resistance to work against.

Resistance can be created for the arms or legs in various positions by either placing the hands or feet on the footbar (the bar at the front) or by putting the hands or feet into the straps. Depending on the exercise, all parts of the body can be used to either move the carriage or to stabilize the body against resistance that is very light or very heavy.

 In this particular exercise, the student is rotating her spine against resistance when she turns to the left, using her obliques, to create the rotation.

 The focus of an exercise, muscularly, can change depending on the amount of resistance (number of springs). For example, In this next exercise (pictured below), the student is pushing the carriage in and out with her arms. If the weight is lighter, then it takes more effort to control the position of her back to maintain a plank position, if it is heavier than it becomes more challenging for her upper body.

    This remarkable piece of equipment also allows you to use the straps to work the upper body and legs while, simultaneously, working the abdominals to create length of the spine. Seen here, the arms are working but also the spine is rounding into a deep curve.

The reformer also allows you to build strength and flexiblity by controlling the carriage in a standing postion. Imagine trying to keep the carriage pressed out and bending forward (as seen below) on very light spring weight! This exercise is a great workout for the muscles on the inside of our legs and challenges flexibility of the hamstrings, coordination and balance!

Yoga which means “union,” is a highly sophisticated system of whole-body integration. It has a physical component, the asana (postures or poses) that promote toning and strengthening muscles, flexibility and range of motion, balance and relaxation. It generates motion without causing strain or imbalance in the body. It also asks for a full union of body, mind and spirit, so you can’t be distracted while doing yoga–you need to be fully present. Yoga is a spiritual practice, providing tools to help quiet the mind, become more grounded, and live in harmony and tranquility.

Pilates, on the other hand, is an exercise form developed by Joseph H. Pilates during World War I. The Pilates method emphasizes building strength and improving posture, balance, coordination and stamina. The exercises can be done on the floor (mat-based Pilates) and on specialized equipment. Designed to strengthen, stretch, and stabilize muscles without building bulk, Pilates can benefit anyone. In Pilates, emphasis is placed on ensuring that the movement is done fluidly, but, accurately: The quality of the movement is more important than the number of repetitions completed.

So, what are the similarities between the two methods?

• Both methods facilitate deep concentration and integration of the whole body. Often described as the mind-body connection, this leads one to be fully present and in the moment
• Both improve alignment and posture and create a sense of balance in the body.
• Both forms are excellent for injury prevention. Both promote healing and help facilitate recovery from injury.
• Both are interested in creating a sense of energetic flow through the body, facilitating grace, poise and coordination.
• Both forms have been “tried and tested.” They aren’t just some new fitness fad.

What are some of the main differences?

• Yoga adds a spiritual element to the mix. The Indian sage Patanjali wrote the yoga sutras thousands of years ago, describing the spiritual and philosophical path of yoga.
• Yoga takes a holistic approach to the body, while Pilates focuses on a specific area called “The Powerhouse.”
• Pilates improves flexibility by fluidly moving the limbs in their full range of motion against a stable base of support, while yoga improves flexibility by lengthening muscles during dynamic poses (asanas).
• Yoga offers tools to aid in relaxation, relieving stress, and meditation.
• Breathing is very important in both forms, but the technique is different.

Why is the combination so beneficial?

• The concentration required in a Pilates workout really helps build the focus that is required for doing the yoga asanas (poses), pranayama (breathing techniques), and meditation.
• The focus on precision and movement technique, emphasized in Pilates, assists the yoga student to work more correctly.
• The asana in yoga give the Pilates student a broader scope of practice to apply stability and good technique.
• The stronger core body developed in Pilates, gives the student confidence to go more deeply into their yoga practice, more safely.

Practicing both Pilates and Yoga, gives a student more tools for developing a whole body that is vital, aware and adaptable.