Christian's Views on Pilates

In another post "Can Christians Practice Pilates" I wrote that Pilates is different from Yoga and it does not involve meditation, so it is ok for Christians to do Pilates.

I came across yet another friend who has have spine condition and chronic back pain that really bother him and even affect his quality of life. Regardless the numerous recommendations his friends (aka me) and even doctors or physiotherapists gave, he is reluctant to try Pilates. He said his pastor is really against Pilates, yoga and Taichi kind of exercise.

This is a really a sad misunderstanding that some religious personels have on Pilates. This really stems from lack of understanding of what Pilates is really about.

Here is a Christian's perspective from "A Christian Response":

"So far, we found nothing of major concern regarding the history and practice of the Pilates Method. Though most accounts of Pilates’ life mentioned his adaptation of yoga positions in some of his exercises, there was no indication that the Hindu yogi philosophy was also grafted in. As with tai chi, the physical postures of yoga are not of themselves harmful—uncomfortable, perhaps, but spiritually innocuous. The danger in these practices lies in their religious and philosophical teachings, but there is no sign of such teachings in standard Pilates material."

However the website warned that while the "Pilates exercises themselves may be spiritually neutral, sometimes those that market Pilates material are not". So watch out if the person/ company that is selling Pilates material (whether the studios/ instructors/ DVDs/ books etc) are promoting beliefs that are contradictory to the central tenets of Christianity. Or if they have blended in methods that involve spiritual philosophies (such as hybrid program Yogalates / Yogilates). So before signing up any Pilates class, you might want to do some homework of reading up the provider's website, or speak to your instructor to understand their standpoint or if they have any intention in promoting their own religious beliefs in their pilates class.

Research on Pilates - ACSM

It is a misconception to many that Pilates is just another fitness hype and there is no systemtic scientific study conducted on Pilates. Well, here is one presented at ACSM in March 2005:

"LAS VEGAS - Pilates is a beneficial exercise to enhance flexibility and muscular fitness and endurance, particularly for intermediate and advanced practitioners, but may have limited potential to notably increase cardiovascular fitness and reduce body weight. New researchconducted by Michele Olson, Ph.D., FACSM and presented today at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition supports the practice of Pilates to achieve some health benefits, and adds to the knowledge about the technique

In a recent study of the method, Olson and her team measured the metabolic and caloric cost of basic (beginner), intermediate, and advanced Pilates mat workouts to assess what the popular technique may and may not do for exercisers. Participants performed basic, intermediate and advanced workouts in random order while the research team monitored heart rate, metabolic rate and rate of perceived exertion.

Results indicated basic Pilates activity translated into low-moderate intensity, comparable to active stretching. The intermediate workout was shown to be of a moderate intensity level, similar to the energy requirement of speed walking at a rate of 4 to 4.5 mph. The advanced workout was found to be of high-moderate intensity, equivalent to basic stepping on a six-inch platform.

The team also found the most dramatic increase in caloric cost occurred when participants progressed from basic to intermediate or advanced levels of training. Additionally, the duration of the workout affected energy cost in intermediate sessions. For example, a 30-minute session at an intermediate level burned 180 calories, and continuing the workout burned an additional 90 calories each 15 minutes...

...an another phase of the study, the team measured abdominal muscle activity during key Pilates mat exercises. Participants performed five Pilates ?ab? exercises, then basic crunches for comparison. Results showed that the rectus abdominis muscle, which runs along the mid section of abdomen, was challenged similarly for most of the Pilates exercises. However, the Teaser exercise and Roll-Up challenged this abdominal muscle more than the crunch. The external obliques, the muscles on either side of the abdomen, were challenged to a greater degree by all of the Pilates exercises compared to the basic crunch. In particular, the Criss-Cross was the most effective for the external obliques....

...Olson says the practice of Pilates promises to become even more mainstream, and warns that this can potentially create a problem with a lack of quality instructors. ?A qualified Pilates instructor has studied for five or more years, and may have even traveled and taken intensive courses from masters. There are more than 500 exercises, and it takes more than a workshop or short course to learn and teach it correctly."

KL trip – Part II: The fake Pilates

I felt really guilty after pigging out on the previous night, so I headed straight to the hotel gym when our meeting ended early. The equipments there had reasonable variety and were well-maintained (after all it was in a 5-star hotel!). I trained my legs (which I am too lazy to train on normal days) and did a lot of stretching in the empty studio. Me and my colleague, L, was rather excited to know that there was a Pilates class happening at 6-7pm, the timing was just nice for us to lengthened ourselves before heading out for dinner (to pig out yet again)!

Unfortunately, both of us were horrified by what the instructor taught in the supposedly-Pilates class. We could not figure out what she was trying to teach in the first 5 minutes. It was NOT Pilates for sure, it was not yoga also. It was more like aerobic-styled yoga-wannabe.

Enough was enough, after the instructor finished her version of “Hundreds”, me and L exchanged glances and decided to leave the class! We could not tolerate anymore non-sense from the instructor that could potentially injure ourselves.

According to other club members, she was apparently an acclaimed instructor and her Pilates class was rather popular (it was full-house, by the way). I feel really sad, as the people who attended her class sacrifice their time and money, hoping to stay fit, yet they were “cheated” into fake Pilates which might injured them.

This make me ever more determined to let more people know what is real Pilates. I hope that the Pilates community (both instructors and practicioners) here can help people around them to be more aware about Pilates.