What Happened when I took a gym Reformer class: Part 2

Not only did I attempt the classical work on a gym reformer, I also attended a gym reformer class.  

First off, not a single exercise for the entire hour came from the Original Method - no actual Pilates! 

Secondly, there was almost no spinal movement, no movement from a powerhouse,  just gym exercises.  Thirdly, my workout partner - a long time pilates practitioner - left after 15 minutes as the class was making her so tight and unbalanced.  Here is my takeaway from the class and where it differed from Pilates:

• No Centering. The majority of the exercises -  squats, lunges, kneeling planks, etc. -  took the body out of alignment creating tension in the joints instead of supporting them through alignment.

• No Control. Each exercise focused on isolated contraction or stretching rather than working control from the connection of the entire body.  Strength follows from control,  stretch follows from connection.

• No Concentration.  There was no cohesive system or movements that built from one to the other. The system of pilates organises the body in order to train it to move well.  In constantly using the springs for resistance, they no longer helped to find concise movement patterns.

• No Precision.  In trying to retrofit  gym exercises on a moving apparatus, I was often kneeing oddly on knees or elbows, compensating through a part of my body, or balancing on joints to work another side. There was no attention to the form of the whole body,  just the isolated exercise. 

• No Flow.  The class was isolated flexion focused gym exercises, or overstretching, without any focus on the connection of the mind to the body. Flow in Pilates refers to the ability to maintain the mind/body connection between exercises, not building diffiulty of isolating exercises.  It was very much about strengthening/stretching muscles in the superficial way rather than finding freedom of movement from deep connection.

• Unsafe.  Standing in the spring well where a slip could cause the carriage to collide with the leg, being told to use a lighter spring to brace my stomach more, balancing on joints or moving apparatus were all challenges that increased the danger to my body, rather than increasing my fitness.
  

Does any of this sound familiar?

As a client, maybe a first timer to Pilates, how do you know if your pilates session is the original method or just another gym workout?  Ask yourself the following questions :

• Is the reformer necessary to do this exercise?

• Does every exercise use my whole body?

• Do the exercises systematically follow on from each other, using the same muscles to work the whole body?

• Does every exercise benefit my body?

• Am I maintaining connection and control or am I bracing, gripping, overstretching through an exercise?

• Do I leave my pilates sessions feeling grounded yet lifted, worked yet relaxed, centered? 

If not,  you have not experienced the full benefits of The Pilates Method!