Same Old Same Old?

There is an age old fitness question that I thought I’d touch on today!

Should you do the same workout religiously, constantly perfecting and growing in strength or is it better to challenge the body with different exercises?

My answer may sound a bit like a politician – it’s good to do both. The beauty of Pilates is we can cover both bases in a Pilates class. Let me explain!

There are some exercises like the hundreds, planks and arm circles that are a great way to build strength, measure your progress, and also continue to improve. It’s good to keep some consistency and adding some repeated exercises in to our class – let’s us do that. But we don’t always do them in the same order or sequence… and there in comes the challenge! If we mix up the routine and place our arm circles after other upper body work – you are less fresh and must work harder to stabilize.

I also like to add new movements or variations on movements you know so you are able to challenge yourself in a new way.  In some cases we may try an exercise with less weight so you have to work harder on your balance and stability. Sometimes we add a pointed toe or flexed foot to leg work.  The options are really endless on the reformer!

I believe the key to a good class is some consistency and also some fresh ideas. That’s not to say that each class will have new movements but each class will have a unique sequence, possibly some different cues or a different focus. While we may do a plank every class – there are many ways to do a plank on the reformer so you just never know which one I may choose for you!

I also believe the key is to personalize the session for the person or people involved. I get to know my clients and what issues they may have.  If I know you have tight hips – we are going to find a way to work on that every time until it’s not an issue! If you are weak in the upper body – we’ll gradually get you stronger!

And of course if you have a favorite movement or body part that you just love to work, I’m always happy to accommodate that!