Pilates has been in fashion for several years. The success of this new sport should not surprise us because it has innumerable benefits for our health. Pilates, like yoga, bets on a series of flexibility, relaxation and strengthening exercises. It is not a risk 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 popularity. 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 gym money while also saving the time of commuting to the gym. To do Pilates at home you will need a series of elements.
As, without a doubt, you already know, you can help yourself with balls and tapes 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 mat or yoga mat so as not to hurt yourself when leaning on the ground.
If you want to know more about how to do Pilates at home, continue reading, then we will explain everything to you.
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 the key. All the energy in our body must flow freely accompanied by breathing. You should try to breathe through your nose throughout the exercise and make sure your breathing is slow and calm. There are very complicated exercises in which your whole body will be tensed. Maybe then it’s hard for you to breathe or you run out of breath but you should try not to let that happen. Relax and try to breathe easily. Air should be flowing through your lungs at all times.
- Focus on your abdominal and lower back area. Pilates focuses on these two parts in particular. The theory from which the whole sport arose is that if our lower back and abdominals are strong and resistant, this will result in a healthy and agile body. For this reason you have to maintain a perfect posture throughout the training. Keep your back straight and don’t round it. As for the abdominals, you must keep them contracted throughout the exercise. The contraction of the abdominals has a lot to do with breathing. As you may have noticed when contracting 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 work of breathing with the upper part of your lungs.
- The third and last pillar, 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 is 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 tight, breathe slowly, and perform the exercises slowly and very focused on what’s coming next. Now we present some of the exercises with which you can start exercising.
- Stand on your feet with your back completely straight. Now little by little you are going to lean forward trying to get your hands to touch your feet. It is completely normal that during the first weeks of training you cannot 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 to bend forward from the hip. Don’t round your back. Surely you think that by bending your back you are going to reach lower but in reality this is not going to do anything more than hurt your back. Stay in this position for as long as it takes to take three deep breaths, then slowly return to the starting position. Repeat this exercise five times.
- Lie face up on the floor. Try to lift your body very slowly vertebra by vertebra without bending your back. All the work must be carried out by your abs and lower back. When you get to the 90 degree position continue forward and try to touch your feet. Then return to the lying position. Repeat five times.
- Lying on the ground, bend your knees while keeping the soles of your feet on the ground. Next try to raise your hips off the ground. As you will notice, all the effort is being made by the legs and hips at the moment. Go through the entire movement very slowly, and then lower your hips back down. Repeat five times.
- These three exercises are enough for the first day of training. If you have strength and desire, perform more sets and repetitions.
Tips for doing Pilates at home
- Although it is totally possible to do Pilates at home following the instructions that we have detailed above, you should not forget the option of going to a monitor. With the help of a monitor you can progress much faster and more effectively. In addition, a monitor will be able to tell you perfectly how to perform the postures correctly.
- Pay close attention to all the instructions you have read. Remember that doing Pilates incorrectly will not help you at all and you can even injure yourself.
- Despite popular belief, Pilates is not a gentle exercise. Many of the 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 a medium or advanced Pilate’s routine for a person who has never practiced any sport will be very complicated. Even someone used to doing other types of sports can have problems if they are faced with an advanced Pilates routine since they demand a lot of flexibility and resistance. For this reason you should not try to do something that, for the moment, is out of your reach. Don’t lose patience. As you begin to perform the simpler exercises, you will progress and be able to face the more complex ones.
