Well done –you have started your Pilates home workout. Getting this routine in home between life, kids, and work is no small feat - congratulations!
Now how can we make the movements harder?
Firstly, if you haven’t started Pilates yet, we recommend an Initial Clinical Pilates Assessment at Move Sports Physiotherapy & Pilates in Geelong, so we can help you understand your specific body needs and help you MOVE well. During our session, we will look at how you move and which bits we can progress or reduce so you can be confident in your body and feel safe when you are loading or doing Pilates.
You have done clinical pilates before but are still not sure - our Mat Clinical Pilates Sessions are starting up again in September on Monday nights at 6.45 pm in Belmont. These sessions go for 6 weeks and progressively ramp up the intensity and complexity each week. You will be guided by a physiotherapist, so rest assured you are in good hands if you have had past injuries or pain.
OK - So you have been doing Pilates for a while and looking to ramp things up?
PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD
Do you know your body adapts to changes in applied stress levels (i.e., loading)? To build the capacity to endure sudden acute spikes of stress without getting injured, it is essential to increase tissue load tolerance. For some, these spikes can be the annual it can be the start of the footy playing season.
When the stress placed on your body and tissues is gradually increased and occurs frequently enough, your body will adapt to the demands and become more resilient, hence your feel stronger and longer! In other words, this means that your tissue tolerance increases, and you can endure more load without getting hurt.
How do you increase loading on your tissues?
adding repetitions
adding sets
adding load
shortening the rest periods
increasing the duration
increasing the distance
modifying the speed
I’ve got this – How do I make my Pilates movements harder?
Here are some tips to try
Slow down (slow controlled movements often require more specific muscle activation)
Increase your lever length - i.e., extend your legs/or arms
Ask more of your core - move your arms and legs away from your body.
Make movements unstable (i.e., use a ball/Pilates ring to make your body stabilize itself and also complete the movement)
Use resistance - i.e., booty band/Pilates rings
Add complexity to the movements.
See our Youtube channel for some simple home workouts to try.
Is this mobo jumbo? Don’t worry – you have got this!
Book an appointment at Move Sports Physiotherapy & Pilates in Geelong and we can guide you through.