Author Topic: I have joined a pilates class  (Read 13485 times)

clarion

  • Tyke
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #50 on: 26 September, 2012, 02:44:29 pm »
This seems to happen very regularly, while, in most cases, people just get on with it.

Yes, technically, Yoga is a Hindu discipline.  But it is not conjuring Satan in the church hall, is it? ::-)
Getting there...

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #51 on: 26 September, 2012, 11:39:51 pm »
I have heard of a few cases in Poland and Uk where priests (RC there C of E here) have refused to allow church halls be used for yoga - but are quite happy if it's described as aerobics or gymnastics.  ::-) I even knew one person who did think that yoga was "un-Christian" but I'm glad to see only the one.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

barakta

  • Bastard lovechild of Yomiko Readman and Johnny 5
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #52 on: 26 September, 2012, 11:54:36 pm »
My mum's church gave her a load of hassle when she had reflexology during her chemotherapy.  Not satisfied with stating their disapproval out of the blue and ganging up on her even after she was obviously distressed when she was really quite ill, many of them proceeded to phone and hassle us some more for the rest of the week.  I don't believe in reflexology, but it made my mum feel better and it gave her friend a Thing She Could Do and it was no one's business but my mum's.

Aromatherapy was also 'suspect' and "anti-religious" and I suspect yoga and meditation would have been as well. I guess they didn't know mum had a copy of the Koran which she'd bought during her teacher training "to learn more" about the faith of families of children she was teaching.

Thankfully the ex-curate's wife worked at the local cancer hospital and said "if it makes you feel better, it's fine" making it clear it was only a subset of Christians who really had an issue.  We simply stopped answering the phone till they got bored and harangued someone else. 

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #53 on: 27 September, 2012, 07:51:21 am »
Witch hunting lives on...

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #54 on: 27 September, 2012, 01:12:50 pm »
Reflexology is where various ailments are 'located' in the sole of the foot and cured by massage? Well it's New Age but unlike yoga, does not even come from a specifically non-Christian culture - so the priestly opposition is even odder.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #55 on: 29 October, 2012, 11:54:27 pm »
I am in pain after my pilates session this evening. Embarrassingly, my gut is too big for me to lie on my front without considerable discomfort. Then trying to to some of the exercises our instructor presents to us was excruciating. The worst bit was that she noticed that I was deliberately doing them "sideways on" as it were, and asked me why.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #56 on: 30 October, 2012, 05:19:56 am »
Wow, there are always alternatives to exercises that mean that you don't ever have to lie on your front. If it causes discomfort, then I'm sure she would be more than happy to run through the alternative options that will be more effective than trying to do anything sidewards.

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #57 on: 30 October, 2012, 07:49:39 am »
I am in pain after my pilates session this evening. Embarrassingly, my gut is too big for me to lie on my front without considerable discomfort. Then trying to to some of the exercises our instructor presents to us was excruciating. The worst bit was that she noticed that I was deliberately doing them "sideways on" as it were, and asked me why.

That doesn't sound good to me.
I'll assume it's your back that hurts.
The one thing that I'm told often is that if you even feel it in your lower back, then you should stop!
The idea behind using pilates is to strengthen the core muscles which support the back, is to not put strain on the back. It's the thing they seem to watch for more than anything else.
If your back hurts doing any exercise. You either can't do it, or you're doing it wrong and you need to stop!
Don't try and modify the exercises. The instructor should do that for you.
I think my instructor would blow a gasket if she read your post.

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #58 on: 30 October, 2012, 07:58:55 am »
Well I was trying to be diplomatic lol, but yes, most instructors would indeed be a little horrified!!

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #59 on: 30 October, 2012, 10:05:47 am »
No, it's not my back that hurts. It's my stomach! It feels bruised. It's just not used to me lying on it and then trying to do things with my limbs (now there's a statement that's open to smutty misinterpretation!)

I should add that I think I'm generally getting a lot out of these classes. I'm quite pleased in that I haven't yet found an exercise I can't do, although I find a lot of them difficult - balancing on one leg, for example. I did work up into a fair old sweat last night.

I also suffer pain in my knees when we do the exercise when you are on your hands and knees and then stretch out opposite arm and leg. I can alleviate this by putting a towel under my knees for extra cushioning, but I think if I were a stone or two lighter then this would be far less of a problem.

There are few enough blokes who do pilates, if my class is anything to go by: I'm the only one amongst about 20 women. Fat old blokes doing pilates must be very rare indeed.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #60 on: 30 October, 2012, 05:51:29 pm »
No, it's not my back that hurts. It's my stomach! It feels bruised.

Oh. My mistake.
 :D
Still probably worth mentioning it to the instructor.
Glad it's doing you good.

BrianI

  • Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's Lepidopterist Man!
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #61 on: 30 October, 2012, 06:15:11 pm »
Interesting thread this, I've actually considered joining a pilates class in order to (a) improve my core strength and (b) get out the house of an evening....

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #62 on: 30 October, 2012, 06:28:54 pm »
Hi Z. Interested in your post, and I also read a recent post of yours along the lines of "until I learned to sit on a bike properly". Can you expand on this? What were you doing wrong before and what are you doing now?

I've been advised to do Pilates too, so I'm going to be looking for classes in a couple of weeks after I move flat.

hi SP, having good flexibility and good core strength helps to sit with pelvis rotated forward, making the "tail" part of your back more vertical...

A belated thanks for your reply, ZigZag.

Right, I am now at the point where I need to do Pilates or similar soon, hopefully starting in the next few weeks. Any recommendations in the W4 region? Ideally, I'd like some small group or individual sessions. I've been advised to do the APPI-approved version.

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #63 on: 30 October, 2012, 06:39:42 pm »
Is pilates much different than yoga?

Eccentrica Gallumbits

  • Rock 'n' roll and brew, rock 'n' roll and brew...
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #64 on: 30 October, 2012, 06:59:07 pm »
Is pilates much different than yoga?
Very. There are umpteen different types of yoga, ranging from lying on the floor and breathing, to very tough workouts. Some of the postures in pilates are the same or very similar to some yoga postures, but that's the only similarity really.
My feminist marxist dialectic brings all the boys to the yard.


Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #65 on: 31 October, 2012, 08:43:20 am »
So, pilates is all about stretching then?

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #66 on: 31 October, 2012, 08:59:39 am »
So, pilates is all about stretching then?
Not really. It's slow controlled movements and poses designed to strengthen muscles largely in your torso. There's mat-based exercises and resistance bands. I'm surprised Wow says he gets sweaty- I never did, it's definitely strength training rather than aerobic.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #67 on: 31 October, 2012, 09:24:37 am »
So, pilates is all about stretching then?
Not really. It's slow controlled movements and poses designed to strengthen muscles largely in your torso. There's mat-based exercises and resistance bands. I'm surprised Wow says he gets sweaty- I never did, it's definitely strength training rather than aerobic.

I haven't done previously. I can't remember what it was we were doing Monday which broke me out into a sweat. We did quite bit of work with bands on Monday so it might have been one of those.
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #68 on: 31 October, 2012, 01:21:20 pm »
Re sweatiness - it'll certainly warm you up a bit, and if you're working harder to maintain balance, then I imagine you could get a bit sweatier.

<googles APPI> - ah, Aussie version which has physios as instructors. Sounds fair enough, tho' a non-APPI instructor ought to be reasonably clued-up anyway - there's several schools/franchises (see my post #34 upthread). (Hmm, not sure this isn't a parallel of the helmet v non-helmet argument..)

APPI gets a mention here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2161301/Pilates-make-bad-worse-Experts-agree-help-reduce-pain-improve-posture-hidden-dangers.html

- tho' it does appear to be one of the usual Daily Fail whinges (not to mention a free ad for APPI*), whereas the problem simply seems to be that of a crap instructor.

*which is effectively yet another franchise...

<edit> - Wow - re sore knees, are you using a decent thickness of mat ? - yoga mats tend to be quite thin, whereas the mats we use are mebbe 15mm+. Putting a firm foam block under your knee(s) may help too, but keep your toes/foot on the floor (or not, if you want to work harder to keep stable)

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #69 on: 31 October, 2012, 10:13:07 pm »
I often drip sweat when I do pilates but I'm a sweat monster anyway and it doesn't take much for me to start sweating.

Though it has to be said that those ladies do like their heating on.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #70 on: 14 January, 2013, 09:06:56 pm »
Tonight, I touched my toes. :D
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #71 on: 14 January, 2013, 09:11:00 pm »
Fantastic! :thumbsup:
Quote from: Kim
^ This woman knows what she's talking about.

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #72 on: 14 January, 2013, 09:28:10 pm »
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Wowbagger

  • Former Sylph
    • Stuff mostly about weather
Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #73 on: 14 January, 2013, 09:34:06 pm »
Mrs. Wow says "That's a highly appropriate image!"

I say "Git!"
Quote from: Dez
It doesn’t matter where you start. Just start.

Re: I have joined a pilates class
« Reply #74 on: 14 January, 2013, 09:50:57 pm »
I've been doing pilates for a couple of weeks now. It is undoubtedly helping me. Although I don't really get up much of a sweat, as that is not the attention intention  ::-), I do fond find  ::-) myself being quite tired after a class, later in the day. I suppose one is working quite large muscle groups, some of which don't see a lot of action in my case. I definitely feel that it is already helping me on the bike.

Minor annoyance - background music can sometimes be a little loud so that hearing the instructor is more of a strain that it needs to be. Might make mention of it next time.