SEXY FLEXI: YOGA VS. PILATES
Many flexi enthusiasts will dabble in
both but with skyrocketing studio
prices it pays (literally) to know which
will get you the results.
Originating in India over 5,000 years
ago, yoga has a heavy spiritual focus
and involves a series of poses that are
connected to the breath.
“Devotees who perform a regular
yoga practice will often feel a positive
mental and spiritual impact on their
life. It’s about more than just the
postures, and your ego should be
removed before attending a yoga class,”
says Fisher.
“The practice of yoga can be
humbling and reinvigorating all at the
same time. It is just as much about the
connection with your breath and your
inner truth as it is about the exercise.”
Conversely, Pilates stems from
Joseph Pilates’ work in the 1800s and
is more physically focused, devised
to improve strength, coordination,
flexibility and control of the body.
“Like yoga, Pilates movements are
connected to the breath. With both
mat and barre Pilates classes, the
movements are generally based around
a 10-count breath designed to ensure
you have a full mind-body connection
to each movement,” says Fisher.
“Both yoga and Pilates have a deep
connection to the breath and a strong
focus on core strength. Flexibility is
also a focus for both.”With such a wide variety of both
styles available, you can pick an option
that best suits your own goals – whether
that be recovery, improving strength
or muscle conditioning, prepping your
body for other forms of movement, or
as a form of stress relief and relaxation.
Yoga versions range from the more
spiritual Ashtanga, to Bikram and
hip-hop versions. For fat loss, Bikram
may be your go-to: performed for 90
minutes in a room heated to above 40
degrees Celsius, participants can reach
deeper into the 26 poses, helping to
improve flexibility, balance and muscle
endurance, and aiding calorie-burn.
In one small 2013 study, participants
who practised Bikram yoga three times“High repetitions will help build type
1 slow twitch muscle fibres, which are
associated with endurance and are slow to
fatigue,” says Fisher.
“Low repetitions will work on the type 2
fast twitch muscle fibres, which have great
power, but fatigue quickly.”
Fat loss can be seriously improved by
weight training. A study conducted by the
University of Alabama found that dieters who
lifted heavy weights lost the same amount of
weight as dieters who only performed cardio,
but the weight lost was associated with only
fat loss whereas the cardio group also lost
muscle. Endurance rep ranges or weighted
circuits keep the heart rate elevated to burn
excess calories, while muscle also aids in
boosting the metabolism while at rest.
Ultimately, these protocols need to be
coupled with other lifestyle and training
factors to see significant changes in your
body’s image. One training phase will more
than likely affect the efficiency or value
of other training protocols. For example,
if you improve your strength you will be
able to orientate a heavier weight during
your hypertrophy training, resulting in
added gains.
“It is not the amount of weight you lift that
has the most profound effect on your body
composition; it comes down to the intensity,
time under tension and the nutrition plan
you follow that is going to have the greatest
impact on the results you see,” says Fisher.
“To elicit the fastest change from my
clients, I like to prescribe a program which
contains a variety of both high repetitions
with low weight, and low repetitions with
heavy weight to avoid adaption.”
Kali concurs.
“For women who are just trying to
look and feel their best, I would once again
recommend a balanced approach when
training,” he says.
“Mix up your rep ranges – if you are
wanting to get stronger in your squats, keep
the reps between five and eight but if you are
wanting to grow your booty with squats, then
bump up your reps to 10 to 15.”FOR FAT LOSS: endurance rep ranges of 10 to
15 to elevate the heart rate while still building
muscle mass to improve your metabolism at rest.
FOR CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS: weight
training is unlikely to improve cardiovascular
fitness to any great extent, with the heart
needing to be trained for longer periods of time
to see results. That said, endurance rep ranges
and weighted circuits with minimal rest can
mimic high-intensity interval training protocols.
FOR TONING: endurance rep ranges of 10 to 15,
to stimulate muscle hypertrophy and burn fat,
improving the image of the muscle beneath the
skin. For optimum results, utilise strength-based
training sessions with heavier weights for lower
reps once a week.USE IT