Pilates is low impact and gentle on joints and muscles, which makes it a great workout for people who want to build strength without risking injury. It can be performed on a mat, or on specialized equipment like a Reformer that incorporates a sliding carriage and various bands, pulleys and bars.
Build Balance and Core Strength
Pilates exercises focus on strengthening and stabilizing the core, which consists of abdominal and back muscles. These muscles are essential to improving body control, balance and strength, and they’re also important for supporting good posture. A strong core also improves breathing, which can help reduce stress.
Educate Students
As a pilates instructor, you need to be able to explain how each exercise benefits the body and why it’s important to perform each move correctly. This includes being familiar with anatomy, including the musculoskeletal system and basic movement patterns and pathways. You should also understand the difference between flexibility and mobility. Flexibility refers to passive stretching, while mobility involves the range of motion at a joint. You need both for optimal mobility.
Benefits of Pilates
There’s ample research showing that pilates has a number of health benefits, including improved muscle strength, balance, flexibility and endurance. It can help relieve lower back pain, improve posture, reduce the risk of falls among elderly people and boost core, glute and shoulder strength, which can protect muscles and joints from overuse in other activities. It’s also been shown to help reduce menstrual pain, or dysmenorrhea, in women.