Pilates has been in fashion for several years now. The success of this new sport should not surprise us because it has countless benefits for our health. Pilates, like yoga, involves a series of flexibility, relaxation and strengthening exercises. It is not a risky sport in the sense that if it is done well there is no danger of suffering any type of injury.
Doing Pilates at home is an option that is gaining great followers. With the help of a personal trainer, an exercise video or a book, it is very possible to follow a complete workout. Making pillars at home is how and very cheap. We will save the money of the gymnasium while also saving the time of traveling to the gym. To do Pilates at home, you’ll need a number of elements.
As you will undoubtedly already know, you can use balls and treadmills to perform the exercises of the routines. However, these objects are not entirely necessary to do Pilates at home and to start the routines you will only need a yoga mat or mat so as not to hurt yourself when leaning on the floor.
If you want to know more about how to do Pilates at home, read on, we’ll explain it all below.
What do you need to do Pilates at home?
- Quiet place to train
- Yoga mat or mat
Instructions for doing Pilates at home
- Pilates was developed by Joseph Hubertus Pilates who, inspired by yoga, tried to create a new sport focused on rehabilitation. Since its creator was inspired by yoga, Pilates today has three pillars that we detail below.
- Breathing is key. All the energy in our body should flow freely accompanied by breathing. You should try to breathe through your nose throughout the exercise and try to keep your breathing slow and calm. There are very complicated exercises in which your whole body will tense up. Maybe then you have a hard time breathing or you run out of breath, but you should try not to let that happen. Relax and try to breathe easy. Air should flow through your lungs at all times.
- Focus on your abdominal and lower back. Pilates focuses on these two parts in particular. The theory from which the whole sport emerged is that if our lower back and abs are strong and resilient, this will have an impact on a healthy and agile body. For this reason, you must maintain a perfect posture throughout your workout. Keep your back straight and don’t bend it. As for your abs, you should keep them contracted throughout the exercise. The contraction of the abs has a lot to do with breathing. As you may have noticed, when you contract this area of your body, your lungs are constricted at their base, while their upper parts widen. At this time, you will be doing all the breathing work with the upper part of your lungs.
- The third and final pillar, which is also of paramount importance, is concentration. When performing any of these exercises, you must be especially focused and pay close attention to concentration. To help you at this point when doing Pilates at home, you should choose a quiet and quiet room. If you want, you can help yourself with relaxing music. It’s also a good idea to do the exercises with your eyes closed, trying to visualize the body posture in your mind.
- Keep these three points in mind throughout your workout. Remember to keep your abs contracted, breathe slowly and perform the exercises slowly and very focused on what you are next. Here are some of the exercises you can start exercising with.
- Stand up straight. Now little by little you’re going to lean forward trying to get your hands to touch your feet. It’s completely normal that during the first few weeks of training you don’t manage to touch your feet. Don’t worry, with time and continuous exercise you will be able to do it. Stay as far as you go. Do not force the elasticity of your muscles as this would be counterproductive to the health of your body. Try bending forward from the hip. Don’t bend your back. You may think that bending your back will bring you lower, but in reality, this will do you nothing more than hurt your back. Stay in this position for the time it takes you to take three deep breaths, and then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat this exercise five times.
- Lie on the floor on your back. Try to lift your body very slowly vertebra by vertebra without bending your back. All the work should be done by your abs and lower back. When you reach the 90-degree position, continue forward and try to touch your feet. Then return to the lying position. Repeat five times.
- Lying on the floor, bend your knees while keeping the soles of your feet flat on the floor. Next, try to lift your hips off the ground. As you will notice, all the effort is being made at the moment by the legs and hips. Perform the entire movement very slowly and then lower your hips again. Repeat five times.
- These three exercises are enough for the first day of training. If you have strength and desire left, perform more sets and repetitions.
Tips for doing Pilates at home
- Although it is entirely possible to do Pilates at home by following the instructions we have detailed above, you should not forget the option of going to an instructor. With the help of a monitor, you will be able to progress much faster and more effectively. In addition, an instructor will be able to perfectly indicate how to perform the postures correctly.
- Pay close attention to all the instructions you’ve read. Remember that doing Pilates incorrectly will not help you at all and you may even injure yourself.
- Despite the common belief, Pilates is not a gentle exercise. Most people who have never practiced it think that it is a very easy and simple exercise to do. However, the reality is very different. Performing an intermediate or advanced Pilates routine by a person who has never practiced any sport will be very complicated. Even someone who is used to doing other types of sports can find problems if faced with an advanced Pilates routine, as these require a lot of flexibility and endurance. For this reason, you should not try to do something that, for the moment, is out of your reach. Don’t lose your patience. As you begin to perform the simpler exercises, you will progress and be able to tackle the more complex ones.