Pilates-Pro.com

Six Pilates Tips From a Choreographer

2010-03-16T16:00:00Z

Kim Gibilisco photo by Tom CaravagliaBy Kim Gibilisco

Often, people believe that the more directions you are drawn in, the weaker your focus and level of mastery. Like many Pilates instructors, my work takes me beyond the walls of the Pilates studio. I am also a choreographer. Over the years, I have found that the more I pursue developing my choreography for my own dance company, Kim Gibilisco Dances, the stronger my understanding, teaching and self-practice of the Pilates method becomes. Likewise, the more I study and train in Pilates, the more my choreography evolves. One discipline greatly informs the other, as they have several commonalities.

For both disciplines you need to be a creative thinker; a problem you’ve seen many times might require a fresh approach now and then. Puzzles you solve in choreography are not unlike the body riddles you find when training a Pilates client. So if you are a Pilates trainer who pursues more than one passion in life, ask yourself how this passion can inform and transform your Pilates practice and teaching. Here are six techniques I use in my dance-making that have improved my teaching of Pilates:

Pilates Pro Newsfeed

2010-03-10T20:25:00Z

Our semi-regular rundown of Pilates (and Pilates-related) news from around the web. Enjoy!

LifePower in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business JournalIt looks like some of those 2010 fitness trends are spot on; here’s a major corporation trying on the “yoga gym” idea. Life Time Fitness is testing a new club concept called LifePower, a smaller, “boutique-style” gym that focuses primarily on yoga and Pilates. The Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal reports on the opening of the second-ever location of the LifePower brand, and catches up with Life Time’s CEO, who calls it “a higher-end, futuristic, functional training that top-end personal trainers can deliver.”

While we’re on the topic of the gym biz, here’s one we missed in the last edition of Newsfeed. It’s Survival of the Fittest for Small Gyms, from the Los Angeles Times, takes a look at how the little guys are faring in this rough economy, with some encouraging numbers.

Pilates continues to enter the Smartphone app market. Here’s veteran instructor Lynda Lippin’s review of FitDeck Mobile’s new Pilates app for BlackBerry.

The Indianapolis Star gave us this quick, concise upper back extension series, courtesy of instructor Beth Lohman from Zionsville, Indiana’s Pilates Wellness Studio, as well as this fun nugget about Indianapolis Colts linebacker Gary Brackett’s Pilates regimen.

A pricing structure worth noting as we ride out the recession: any-price classes. Read about how a new Brooklyn yoga studio, Dharma Yoga Brooklyn, is hedging its bets on a 100% donation-based model.

The New York Times ran a couple of articles of interest to Pilates practitioners lately. Even More Reasons to Get a Move On shows that regular exercise promotes healthier aging and longer life—not exactly a shocker, but it breaks down the details. Evidence That Little Touches Do Mean So Much points to studies that illuminate the power of touch, including one that correlates pro basketball teams’ performance with their proclivity to touch one another—worth considering when you’re cueing your next client.

How to Work With the Pilates Foot Corrector

2010-03-02T23:30:00Z

By Dianne Wise

The Foot Corrector is that small, saddle-like piece of equipment you’ve probably seen on the floor in Pilates studios. It was designed by Joseph Pilates himself, just like the rest of the Pilates apparatus, yet it seems not to be used as frequently. After all, how many of our clients ask us to work out…their feet?

Developing a “foot program” for your clients, however, can yield many benefits. A lot of people don’t realize that our bodies’ joint-alignment begins with the feet, which act much like the foundation of a house. If the foundation is not properly laid down, the rest of the structure does not have a stable base of support. To compensate, some parts of the structure might take on more weight than they’re designed to hold and can become damaged, or simply buckle. As the foundation for our bodies, our feet do a lot of work supporting our body weight. They also endure the abuse of walking on hard surfaces all day long. It’s very important to keep them healthy and happy— too often they are ignored.

There are many excellent options for working the feet in Pilates: apparatus exercises such as Footwork on the Reformer or Parakeet on the Cadillac mobilize and strengthen, while props like small hard balls (for tissue release) and Therabands (for spot-strengthening) are excellent for detailed work. The Foot Corrector, however, is the only piece of Pilates apparatus that works the feet in a weight-bearing, and therefore functional, position.

Workout Dresses to Boost Your Studio Style

2010-02-26T16:15:00Z

Zobha’s Grace V dressBy Lauren Charlip

The spring 2010 fitness-wear lines are coming in, and we’ve noticed that several companies are showing workout dresses. We’ve always admired women who take their workout get-ups beyond the mere T-shirt or tank top, who go for a real “look.” Now, it seems, fitness brands are making that easier for all of us. In fact, a few companies are taking styles that were successful as tops and adding some extra length, which allows for forgiving coverage of the hips, thighs and behind. And of course, these dresses pair perfectly with leggings for studio-to-street style—great for anyone who spends the bulk of their time in workout gear.

Here are a few of our favorites:

A Pilates Program for Olympic Skiers

2010-02-19T12:00:40Z

Back in November, when we were working on Pilates Equipment Circuit Classes, we had the chance to talk at length with Margy Verba, who runs FlowMotion Pilates in Bishop, California, and discovered that she had worked with members of the 2006 U.S. Olympic ski team. In the spirit of Vancouver 2010 Olympic fever, we invited her to share a behind-the-scenes look at the Pilates program she designed for skiers training for the 2006 Winter games in Torino.

By Margy Verba

In the spring of 2005, I was pondering the next step in my Pilates career. I had been working in the mountain resort town of Mammoth Lakes, California, and was in between studios. Then I got a very interesting call. Both the men’s and women’s U.S. ski teams were coming to do some training at Mammoth Mountain: Did I have time to work with them? Could I start the following week? After reflecting for about half a second, I accepted. I had already put together a Pilates program for skiers; when you work in a ski town, most of your clients are skiers, after all.

Pilates Pro Newsfeed

2010-02-16T20:09:07Z

Our semi-regular rundown of Pilates news from around the web. Enjoy!

Marchioli and Swieczkowski in The Dallas Morning NewsA Dallas-area multiple sclerosis patient is walking down stairs, standing up straight and even wearing heels again, thanks to the Pilates work she’s been doing. At first, Rebecca Swieczkowski at Get ReFormed Pilates in Frisco, TX, had to move Sharon Marchioli’s legs and support her body. Because Marchioli tired quickly, the two would chat during breaks between exercises and became fast friends. “I am just like a liberated woman right now, totally liberated,” Marchioli told The Dallas Morning News. Click here to read their story.

The U.K.’s Daily Telegraph introduced us to Poolates (created by American Pilates instructor Rebecca Pfeiffer) which features interesting adaptations of Pilates concepts for exercises in the pool.

While we’re on the subject of “-ates” hybrids, the latest thing in the land down under is Burlates, according to Australia’s Daily Telegraph. Burlesque star Rachel St. James has dropped Pilates concepts into movement with a burlesque flair and is leading the Aussie charge in the realm of “boudoir fitness.”

Pilates and osteoporosis expert Rebekah Rotstein breaks down myths and shares do’s and don’ts for living with osteoporosis in this CNN video clip.

About.com’s Marguerite Ogle brought us this lengthy interview with BASI Pilates founder Rael Isacowitz.

Australia’s Daily Telegraph also ran this interesting piece about an Aussie world champion swimmer using Pilates to replicate the performance-enhancing qualities of high-tech “super” swimsuits, which constrict swimmers’ bodies so they don’t drop their hips when fatigued. “It’s not like I’m trying to build muscle there. It’s more trying to teach those smaller muscles to work properly when they need to,” butterfly champ Marieke Guehrer told the newspaper.

PhysicalMind Institute Restructures, Preps for New Direction

2010-02-12T20:45:00Z

By Lauren Charlip

Recently, we got word of big new developments at the PhysicalMind Institute. We put in a call to PMI founder Joan Breibart, to find out just what was afoot.

PhysicalMind, which has offices and a learning space in downtown Manhattan, but has never had a large, central working studio space, will be opening a studio headquarters on Manhattan’s Upper East Side in the coming weeks (near 80^th Street and Lexington Avenue). Breibart has also announced a reorganized staff, and is in the process of making changes to the PMI teacher training curriculum.

“It’s a reorientation,” Breibart says. “We are forming this team and opening this new place because we’re looking ahead at the clients we’ll have in the next five to 10 years.” Breibart tells us she’s factored in the explosive growth that Pilates has experienced in the last decade, along with the hard reality that many Americans are more unfit than ever. “You have an overweight, aging population, and that’s very different from when Joe Pilates was around,” she says. “You also have a population with a lot of injuries. You have people who are full-time computer users [with problems from the ergonomics], and kids who spend so much time texting and playing video games.” All of this, she says, indicates a new direction for the Pilates work that PhysicalMind instructors will be doing with clients in the coming years.

Pilates Marriages: Couples Who Say 'I Do' to Running a Studio Together

2010-02-10T16:00:00Z

By Nicole Rogers

Owning your own business is a tough job. Most Pilates professionals know this because they’ve had some experience going into business for themselves. Freelancers, studio owners, and people who teach from their homes can all share stories about the joys and challenges of being your own boss.

So what happens when your partner in business is also your partner in life? With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we thought it would be a great time to look into these Pilates-studio romances. We found three couples—the Collets, the Winters and the McCullochs—willing to open up and share the ins and outs of being in the ultimate Pilates partnership.

Pilates On Call: Working With Pregnant and Postpartum Clients

2010-02-03T00:45:00Z

Amanda Martin

Debra GoodmanFor the fourth installment of our Pilates On Call series, we’re focusing on the topic of pregnancy. We’re sure it will be a busy and popular post, if site traffic for this topic is any indicator.

Pilates On Call is a month-long, open Q&A session with an expert, so this is your opportunity to ask about the finer points of Pilates exercise with this population. Perhaps you’d like advice for working with a newly pregnant client, or information about a particular pregnancy-related condition.

We’re thrilled to welcome Debra Goodman, MSPT, back to the site. She’s written several popular articles on Pilates and pregnancy for us, and has an extensive background treating pregnant and postpartum patients. She is one of few physical therapists trained in internal evaluation and treatment of the pelvic floor muscles. And we’re equally thrilled to introduce Amanda Martin, owner of balance in Athens, Georgia, a Pilates and wellness studio that specializes in working with pregnant and post-natal clientele, among other populations. She has been doing this kind of Pilates work since 2004.

Post your questions in the comments section below or email them to us editor@pilates-pro.com. Debra and Amanda will get to them as quickly as possible, but might need a day or two to respond.

Pilates Poll: Information You Need

2010-02-01T19:10:40Z

We thought we’d ask what you would like to see on Pilates-Pro.com this year. This is a great opportunity to speak up and let us know what kind of coverage you’re looking for. Vote for the category that most represents your needs.

If there’s something you’d like to see that we didn’t mention, please share specific requests in the comments section below. Do you have a burning Pilates question you think we can help answer? Or perhaps there’s a topic you’d like to suggest we look into? This is your chance to let us know!