My instinct when I began doing Pilates (once I got over trying to keep up with everyone else that is) was to slow everything down, especially once I started working on equipment. I feel like I am constantly unlearning habitual movement patterns and replacing them with more healthy movement patterns. This takes intense concentration and heightened body awareness. For me that translated to taking everything slowly and consequently doing less repetitions. As my body becomes familiar with an exercise I will take it at a faster pace sometimes, but I have come to love the slow and intense versions of those exercises and the multitude of benefits I get out of placing that much attention to the many areas of my body that integrate to make a motion happen.
Apparently there are great benefits to practicing Pilates this way. According to
Connie English there is less lactic acid buildup which means less post-workout muscle soreness. Additionally, by taking it slow you lose the momentum that could take some of the effort out of the movements and instead force your muscles to do all of the work. For individuals with injuries or special needs this type of wrok can be extremely beneficial in rehabilitation, and for those with weakness or imbalance it can lessen the chance of injury by increasing precision. Great results, less injury, less muscle soreness, what's not to love?
No comments:
Post a Comment