One of the things that makes this class so cool is when a student who has been coming a couple months suddenly lights up and says “I get it.” We go over the main points nearly each class, but sometimes this information needs to gestate in your brain for a few weeks before it percolates down to your muscles. And then suddenly, one class, it reaches your muscles and something feels completely different. For example, a few days ago our patron Caroleen suddenly felt “keep your sternum up” during our Birddog exercise. And another patron, recently figured out what it means to “move your leg from the top of the leg” during leg circles. And Amanda recently found that flexing her feet when we are doing our inner thigh exercise was the key for her. Discovering these little nuggets for the first time can be an exciting part of exercise.

Crunches have been a standard exercise for ages, but their days may be numbered, and the man mainly responsible for this is Dr. Stuart McGill, at the University of Toronto. His ideas led me to revise much of the material in Pilates For Bodies. I’d like to put into my own words what I took away from listening to Dr. McGill.

In a typical crunch, you would bring your head and shoulders up off the floor towards your bent knees, probably with your hands clasped behind your head. This movement produces a backwards curve in the lower back, or the lumbar spine, that is referred to as “flexion” of the lumbar spine. However, repeated flexion of the lumbar spine comes at a cost. It puts wear and tear on your disks, and can worsen some common types of back problems. Crunches will strength your core and abs, but are they worth it? This is where it gets interesting.

Ask yourself this: when in daily life or athletics do you actually perform the movement that is contained in an abs crunch? Not very often. Dr. McGill makes the argument that crunches are based on a misunderstanding of how we use the core. The primary function of the core and spine is to act as a rather stiff spring that stabilizes our torso and transfers forces from one part of our body to another.

So in Pilates For Bodies, we don’t do core exercises that pull the knees towards the chest, or that dramatically flex the lumbar spine. I’ve tried to create exercises that are strenuous, and give you the abs “burn”, but where the role, or function of the core is to control and stabilize vigorous movement, rather like a stiff spring.

Sincerely, Chris

When I’m exercising, I think of it as “stimulation” for my muscles. I try to reach every possible muscle, from head to toe, with its fair share of stimulation. The idea is that when a muscle is stimulated by exercise, then it reacts by becoming stronger and healthier. On the other hand, you don’t want to stimulate a muscle so such much that you start to wear it down. Finding the balance between these two ideas, stimulation but not excessive wear and tear, is one goal in exercise. And by the way, your muscles aren’t the only thing that you can stimulate during exercise. Some scientists believe that when your bones flex, ever so slightly, under an applied load, then they too react by becoming stronger. Unfortunately, the weight of a motionless body, as in Yoga, may not be enough to have this affect. Free weights, or mild impact from moving your body up and down with your legs may be required to stimulate your bone density.

Cheers, Chris

Here is another thing to think about when you exercise: Your body remembers everything. When you exercise with good posture and alignment, then your body will remember that posture and alignment. The posture you learn during exercise will stay with you when you are gardening, playing with the kids, or sitting at the computer. If you want to look long and tall walking down the street, then you should practice exercises that have a long and tall body at the center of the movement. The best exercises are those that teach your body posture and patterns of movement that are applicable and functional in daily life. All this is why, in Pilates For Bodies, we avoid this type of thing:

I sometimes get the question, “What is the concept behind Pilates For Bodies? What is the style?” There is no one simple way to answer this question, but let me mention one element of the style. I like core exercises with a lot of movement. While I’m working my core, I like movements that also use the arms, legs, and as much of the body as possible. I like feeling my cardiovascular system working while I’m strengthening the core. When you come to Pilates for Bodies, this will make sense. We have some exercises that are very big and fast in an aerobic way that is quite distinct from the Classic Pilates.  Cheers, Chris

A new visitor to Pilates For Bodies recently joked that it seemed like an ADHD class. For anyone who has been out of touch with popular culture the last ten years, ADHD is “Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder”, and this new visitor was referring to the fast pace of our workout. We do move from one exercise to the next in a brisk manner. That’s true. However, I wouldn’t recommend this class as for someone with an attention deficit. The regular customers here are highly focused on their bodies and their form. The reason we move from one exercise to the next without a break is to make the best use of our limited time, and to keep our muscles warm. Once you become accustomed to the workout, the benefits of this approach become clear.