Chapter 17
Pilates: Sculpting and
Strengthening
In This Chapter
Getting the lowdown on Pilates
Going back to school
Looking at a basic Pilates workout
F
irst things first: This form of exercise is notpronounced pie-lates but
rather pih-lah-teez. It’s named after its inventor, Joseph Pilates, a former
carpenter and gymnast who invented the technique for injured dancers.
Many of the moves were inspired by yoga or patterned after the movements
of zoo animals such as swans, seals, and big cats.Zoo animals aside, this chapter gives you a quick overview of Pilates, from
understanding how it works to finding a gym or video, to taking a stab at a
quick workout.Understanding How Pilates Works ............................................................
Pilates tends to emphasize your body’s core, that is, the abdomen, obliques,
lower back, inner and outer thigh, butt, and so on. For this reason, Pilates
develops much of what exercisers need — strength, flexibility, muscular
endurance, coordination, balance, and good posture — with a much lower
chance of injury than with other forms of exercise. The discipline emphasizes
correct form instead of going for the burn. Plus, with so many exercise varia-
tions and progressions, we think you’ll have a hard time getting bored with
this creative form of exercise. The moves require you to engage virtually your
whole body. At times, you may try to strengthen one muscle while stretching
another. Pilates moves take lots of concentration; you can’t simply go through