Pilates equipment
Proper gym machines for our gym club or home
Perhaps pilates equipment is not used all around the World, but certainly in United States, Europe, Pan-Asia and parts of Canada; there, the explosion of this relaxing and healthy activity has influenced most of their citizens, and everyone ones what this new method of exercising is about. Pilates equipment is used to perform pilates method; this is a training exercise for physical movements designed to strengthen, stretch and balance our body; we can achieve all this by practising specific exercises which focused their selves in breathing patterns. Pilates equipment is not only a bunch of tools for performing fitness exercises, but also an important adjunct to professional sports training and helps the physical rehabilitation of all types; this practice is widely embraced by dancers, actresses, actors, gymnastics, etc. The pilates equipment gives us the chance to do exercises such us “the sawn”, and “elephant” to improve our breathing and the posture of our spine. All this without the need of sweating like we do in our fitness class, or in luxury spas across the country. |
If we use the pilates equipment carefully, this alternative yield numerous benefits, among them, it increase through deep and lung capacity; also we learn how to breath properly. We get flexibility and strength, specially in the abdomen and back muscles, we achieve an excellent coordination (mental and muscular). We have to mention the balance, posture and core strength: they are all increased by the practise of this technique; the same happen with our bone density and joint, they improve very quickly. The pilates equipment teach us to keep the balance and control of our body. Pilates historyBut pilates is not a recent discovery; believe it or not, pilates was born in 1914 by the hand of Joseph Pilates. He was a performer and a boxer who lived in England; at the outbreak of the First World War he was placed under forced in Lancaster with other Germans nationals. It was there where he taught his fellow camps the exercises and concepts developed 20 years ago and that he had being studying till then; he was a yoga and Zen apprentice. By that time he was working on several devising systems called “matwork” (part of the pilates equipment); a few years later he was transferred to a different camp, where he became a nurse in charge of helping many internees who suffered from wartime diseases and physical injuries. At this time, he tried to develop equipments in order to rehabilitate his patients, taking springs from each bed and rigging them to build spring resistance, the traditional pilates equipment. In fact, Pilates equipment today is not so different from the one used by that time, we find spring tension, supports for backs, straps to hold feet and hands, supports for neck and shoulder, among others. The nature of this equipment was to challenge and support the body as it learns how to move efficiently. |
 |
 |
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|||
 |
 |
 |
|
 The Pilates Reformer |
The Pilates MethodThe most renowned of the whole pilates method equipment is the device called Reformer; it has a sophisticated system of springs, pulleys and straps which allows us to perform more than 100 exercises on this versatile apparatus. The crux is located in the gliding platform where we sit, stand or lie; the user pulls and pushes off the foot bar by using the legs arms, wrists and ankles in order to slide back and forth the rails working in this way our muscles. The pilates reformer helps us to establish our torso stability while we work peripheral limbs; the adjustable springs gives us the chance to lengthen and strengthen our muscles rather to building bulk. The pilates equipment also includes resistance bands, also known as flex bands, they are a stretchy strips made of latex that can add a light resistance element to our Pilates workout; this tool is also used in the fitness disciplines and with rehabilitation techniques. Among its benefits we find: lengthen our major muscles, target the lower and upper body, work the core abdominals, sculpt a strong physique, improve our flexibility, focus the mind and body, and enhance our joint mobility. This pilates method is an excellent way for toning and sculpting our body from ankles to wrists due to its versatile characteristics. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
© ABCpedia.com 2005-2006 - Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without the written permission of the publisher