If you want to see the Corkscrew in motion, click here to watch a demonstration by our expert tutor. Should you need to modify then the hips can be kept on the mat with just the legs circling. Typically this exercise involves 3-5 repetitions.Īn important point to note is that this exercise is not appropriate for those with osteoporosis. Engage the abdominals throughout and avoid straining the neck area, this is best achieved by using the core to control the movement. To perform this exercise correctly and safely, it’s important that you try not to rotate the spine, instead allow the hips to lead the movement. It also serves to benefit the development of whole-body balance from a supine position. The purpose of this exercise is to promote sequential mobilisation of the hips and spine. Therefore, these exercises can be modified or adapted as necessary for those less capable. It’s worth noting however that Joseph Pilates primarily worked with dancers, namely the New York School of Ballet, and individuals who would be considered fitter than the average person. While each of the exercises below has a wide range of benefits, they are particularly useful for improving balance and flexibility. As they have proved so effective they still to this day remain largely unchanged. In Pilates’ original work ‘Contrology’, he devised 34 exercises. It was concluded that Pilates exercise has a significant effect on the static and dynamic balance of the women, as well as an increased performed in the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Participants in the study exercised three times a week for 12 weeks, 40 minutes at a time. A 2014 study by Daegu University in South Korea examined the effects of mat-based Pilates on the balance ability of elderly women. Traditional (mat) Pilates has several principles including control, centring, precision and breathing, and with the exercises, he laid out, a range of benefits can be gained:Īs well as the average Pilates student, improved balance and flexibility has also been proven to be greatly beneficial for older adults, particularly when it comes to preventing falls. Today, poor diet, sedentary lifestyles, and a culture of sitting down, particularly at work, impact our health – so there may be truth in his claim. Pilates felt that his work was decades ahead of his time, implying that the modern way of living, poor postures and inefficient patterns of breathing were all factors that impaired a person’s health. While modern interpretations, Stott, Body Control Method, Integrative Approach et al, have brought in a more scientific approach to exercise and training, they still retain the core tenants of Pilates’ original ‘Contrology’. The original work of Joseph Pilates has developed significantly since its inception in the early 20th century.

Pilates moves