So, a few years ago a new Club Pilates opened up near where I was living. They were having a grand opening that day and being somewhat of a fitness person and all, I decided to step in. I had never done Pilates before, nor had I ever planned on trying it. Im sure youve seen in on tv or in a movie, where theres a bunch of rich housewives doing a pilates workout while they contemplate what to do with the rest of their husbands money. That was the sterotype that came to my mind as I walked in the door. And I pretty much assumed I was going to get fed a load of Bullshit about this type of workout as soon as one of the employees approached me and started talking. However, little did I know that I was soon to find out that this pilates reformer workout was great and that there was an incredible(unknown to me) history of how this machine(the Pilates reformer) and workout was created.
Sometime before 1923, The pilates reformer was created by Joseph Pilates, an expert skier, diver, and professional boxer, " A German-born emigré to Britain and then America, he devised the Pilates method as a new approach to exercise and body-conditioning in the early decades of the last century. His method included the use of equipment referred to by him as:apparatus. Perhaps the best known piece of equipment, is the Pilates reformer, which is in use in the Pilates Central studio today."(1)
During world war 1, Joseph Pilates realized he could use his pilates methods to help stregnthen the muscles and bodies of bed ridden hospital patients by attaching cables and bands to their beds. This allowed these patients to build strength and muscle without EVER getting out of bed. This is how the pilates reformer came to be born! So hopefully the picture of the reformer i posted shows up, but incase it doesnt, the reformer is that strange looking wooden table thing, with two cables you attach to the arms.(youve probably seen it on tv)
Anyways, that is the brief history of how Pilates was developed. Pretty surprising, right. Now, back to my experience with it. So, that day when i walked in the studio i wasn't trying to hear a bunch of hyped up bullshit. Some of the trainers ive worked with know what im talking about, or should i say, who im talking about. So, i they gave me a free session pass for the next day. I thought," ok great, lets see what this lame ass shit is about."
Well, like i said i was totally wrong about this pilates stuff. The next day i ate my preworkout meal(about 35g protein, and 50g carbs) an hour before the workout and then at 11:30am i showed up. I was asigned to my own reformer. There were about 10 other people in the class. The instructor was a pretty attractive, fit and fairly muscular woman. Which made me feel reassured that this wasnt some bullshit hype workout. I mean like i mention in my old posts, most trainers never made physical progress in their lives. And especially with the women trainers, there tends to be a trend where they are skinny and have never built muscle or lost fat in their lives, they get a super easy cerfitication, and whala! They the newest expert trainer at your nearest gym! Lol.
Anyways, i start this reformer workout. And let me just tell you its harder than you think. Its like a mixture of calisthenics, balance, and flexibility, while using your own bodyweight. This shit had me sweating 20 minutes in and the whole workout was an hour. It was challenging for someone of my fitness level and if youve never done it before it will be a good challenge for you aswell. It also made me aware of weak muscular areas in my body which i thought were strong from doing heavy compound movements.
I would recommend the pilates reformer workout to the average person, or an intermediate to advanced bodybuilder or physique guy who is looking to achieve a physique that is muscular but athletic. Also i believe this type of workout would benefit a athlete of any sport, football, basketball, mma, or track and field. This workout will make you aware of muscular weaknesses you were not aware of and will also add something very new to your training regimine.
1. https://www.pilatescentral.co.uk/history-origins-pilates/