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PILATES

by author and and U.K. Pilates guru Lynn Robinson

• What is Pilates?
Pilates is essentially a body conditioning method that offers both mental and physical training. It targets the deep postural muscles of the body, building strength from the inside out. You use a series of slow, controlled and precise movements which build core strength, good movement patterns and tone problem areas.

• How does it work?
Pilates teaches you to position your body correctly and think about what you do as you move. It develops body awareness, teaching you to breathe efficiently and to use your breath with the movements. You are taught how to engage the deep abdominal muscles which wrap around your body like a natural corset. All the exercises use this strong core and it is from this centre that you move. You learn how to use the right muscles when you move, thus restoring natural movement patterns.

• Where did Body Control Pilates start?
Body Control Pilates is a unique brand of Pilates. It is based on the work of a German fitness instructor, Joseph Pilates who lived for most of his life in New York. In the early 1900s, he developed a series of 40 mat exercises, mainly for the dancers, martial artists and boxers who trained at his studio. Joseph Pilates original exercises are very challenging, you need to be super fit to perform them correctly. Pilates devised studio equipment to help his clients do the matwork and also was for rehabilitation.

Body Control Pilates was developed by myself and Gordon Thomson in the UK. We took Joseph's original exercises and broke them down so that they can be learnt in stages, gradually building strength and flexibility. This revolutionary approach has made Pilates accessible to all people with levels of fitness.