Pilates & Fitness

What is Pilates?

pilates Pilates exercise is a body conditioning routine designed by Joseph Pilates, that helps to build flexibility, strength, endurance and coordination in the legs, abdominals, arms and back. Pilates exercises are designed to align the body's bony structures thereby creating correct and balanced musculature function. Great focus is on the body's centre and maintaining alignment.

With our Pilates instructors fully trained, to the highest standards, in matwork exercises and equipment, a group or private Pilates class can be created according to the requirement of the individual or number of individuals.

Why Practice Pilates

Pilates is suitable for every body
Created by Joseph Pilates in the 1920s, the Pilates method is a set of principles and exercises designed to dramatically develop strength and stabilise the core. It aids in increasing flexibility of the spine, improves co-ordination through flowing movement, fine tunes postural alignment and helps with correct breathing in order to achieve a slimmer, longer, stronger body.
Each Pilates workout engages the entire body with an emphasis on strengthening your core region – abdomen, lower back, & buttocks. As these muscles become stronger you will create muscle balance to the front and back of the body resulting in improved posture and relief from lower back pain and muscular tension; perfect for the modern day worker spending long hours over a computer.
Your glutes and abs (bums and tums) will become more toned with Pilates classes, your legs and arms leaner and your energy levels will dramatically improve.
Hollywood stars have followed the lead of dancers and swear by it.
Dramatic results from these fitness exercises; expect a total change in your body that will amaze you.

"You must always do it slowly and smoothly. Then your whole body is in it." - Joseph Pilates

Pilates instruction is well-known for toning abdominals and the results one can achieve from this. The reason that Pilates focuses on working from the core, especially the deeper abdominal muscles, is that toning the abdominal and pelvic floor muscles provides stability and freedom of motion throughout the body. This is one of the reasons that Pilates courses have been so successful for people with back pain.

Who Founded Pilates?

pilates The Pilates system was developed in the early 20th century by German-born Joseph Pilates who termed his method "Contrology" as he believed that his method incorporated the mind to control the body's muscles.

Born in 1883, Joseph Pilates was a sickly child who dedicated his entire life to improving his physical strength. Besides skiing frequently, he began studying body-building, qigong and gymnastics. By the age of 14, he was fit enough to pose for anatomical charts and came to believe that "modern" life-style, bad posture, and inefficient breathing lay at the root of poor health. He ultimately devised a series of exercises and training techniques and engineered all the equipment (the Pilates reformer from hospital beds and springs) required to teach his method properly.

Rehabilitating Detainees with Pilates

A gymnast, diver and bodybuilder, Pilates moved to England in 1912, earning a living as a professional boxer, circus-performer and self-defense trainer at police schools and Scotland Yard. Nevertheless, the British authorities interned him during World War I. During this time Joseph Pilates began to work with rehabilitating detainees who were suffering from injury and disease.

It was invention born of necessity that inspired him to utilise bed-springs to create resistance; reformer Pilates exercise equipment that helped to rehabilitate the soldiers. With his study of yoga and the movement of animals he trained his fellow inmates to an outstanding physical shape that, it is said, helped them to survive the great pandemic of 1918.

The mid 1920s saw Pilates migrating to the US. On the ship to America, he met his future wife Clara. The couple founded what was to be the first of many Pilates studios in New York City and soon established a devout following in the local dance and performing arts community of New York. Well-known dancers such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham became devotees and regularly sent their students to him for Pilates lessons.

Joseph Pilates wrote several books, including Return to Life through Contrology and Your Health. He died in 1967 at the age of 83 in New York.

Pilates in London, LA fitness professionals and Pilates instructors all over the world are fast seeing a growing trend towards this fitness program.

Losing Weight with Pilates

losing weight with pilates If weight loss is the issue, then a practice involving a dynamic Pilates sequence can be created for private one to one or group training.

These exercise programmes are designed to reduce weight, lose inches and sculpt bodies.

The Pilates 6-Pack

Many people come to Pilates in order to gain stronger abdominal muscles and this is ultimately very achievable. However, the work does not stop at one's core.

Structural integration and learning to create a flexible, strong body that can move freely and efficiently are important goals of Pilates fitness. To this end, Pilates works all body parts in a very balanced way.

How can Pilates Support Corporations and Individuals?

Back problems are one of the biggest causes of absenteeism from work. Pilates exercises incorporated into a corporate health and fitness programme can help staff to maintain a supportive posture, teach individuals to be body conscious and aware of faulty movement patterns and encourage them to integrate healthy habits into their lives.

Pilates and the Growing Issue of back Pain

pilates and back pain The principles of Pilates are consistent with an exercise programme that promotes back health. In particular, learning awareness of neutral alignment of the spine and strengthening the deep postural muscles that support this alignment are important skills for the back pain patient.

Clients with pain stemming from excessive movement and degeneration of the intervertebral discs and joints are particularly likely to benefit from a Pilates exercise programme. In addition, postural asymmetries can be improved, thus decreasing wear and tear resulting from uneven stresses on the intervertebral joints and discs.

Pilates improves strength, flexibility and suppleness of the muscles of the hip and shoulder girdle. Fluid and supported movement through these joints helps prevent unnecessary torque on the vertebral column. Pilates also teaches awareness of movement habits that may stress the spine, and help the patient change these habits to those that preserve neutral alignment. Awareness of excessive tension and the use of proper focus helps the patient use the body efficiently.

In certain circumstances the Sublime practitioner would ask to communicate with the client's osteopath/chiropractor/physiotherapist to co-ordinate rehabilitation or, at the very least, ask the client for their medical practitioner's go ahead in a specific exercise programme.

Increased Productivity at the Office

increased productivity What is fitness? What is health and fitness?

For men fitness is often more of a priority than health. With Sublime that is a good place to start as like peeling the layers of an onion, the health benefits will unravel.

What kind of fitness training might your employees be interested in? What would fitness classes, even a commitment to fitness courses have on the productivity of your team? What does life fitness mean to your team?

We encourage you to ask your heads of department if they believe fighting off the 'afternoon sluggishness' might make deadlines and targets easier to attain. We are more than happy to come in and talk to you, offer a sample Pilates class, yoga class, fusion class, meditation class, bespoke class to your requirements.

Fitness for women and mens fitness classes can be created if it is your belief that your staff would feel more comfortable in unisex classes. As a result of getting the team moving, you as an employer will reap the benefits of a happier, healthier, more positive staff!