Pilates - how effective?

Last year, during my initial phase of "buy eveyrthing that could help", I picked up a Pilates Ball, stretch bands, with a video and a padded excercise mat.
Yeah. needless to say it didn't last long then. But now that i'm going to the gym faithfully, cardio, the weight machines that my f*'ed up joints can handle (due to fibromyalgia), I'd lke to start in on the Pilates again.

what EXACTLY does Pilates do? strengthen? tone? burnn calories? build muscle?

Wed. Jan 25, 1:38pm

Pilates strengthens your core which in return causes you to stand taller and no longer have issues such as low back pain. If the core is strong, everything else will follow. It is also great for flexiblity. Enjoy :)

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 1:52 PM

If done correctly Pilates will do all of those things. It's a fantastic workout but I would really recommend taking classes at first because it can be hard to do at first and maintain proper form.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 1:53 PM

I would also recommend classes. If done faithfully (which I have not!) it can make your body look like a dancer's body. There is a woman who owns a studio in my city and I've seen her around and she has an AMAZING body. One thing that turns me off though is the cost. Pilates classes are REALLY expensive where I live--at least at the Pilates Studios.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 5:25 PM

Incredibly effective - but you must be consistent. My physical therapist has me doing lots of pilates exercises for lower back pain and I concur with the 'take a class' crowd because small adjustments in posture can make a HUGE difference. He initially made me do the stomach exercises with a semi-inflated blood pressure cuff under the small of my back so I could look at the guage and literally SEE that I was raising my back ever so slightly off the mat during the exercise which was causing it to be less effective. I can now 'feel' when I am doing them correctly, but couldn't when I first started.

BTW, my posture actually get comments and my abs are approching rippling status :-) I don't do a full routine. However, when I am able I intend to take a class and keep it up. Can't let progress like this go to waste.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 5:46 PM

FABULOUS!

Even doing Pilates once, you'll use muscles you never knew you had, and come to crave that feeling of pleasant soreness the next day. I do Pilates now 2x/week (just started) and I feel awesome already. I don't have abs of steel, but my butt, back, and abs will get there in a few months. A great tape I use is Mari Winsor's Advanced Pilates. She's very thorough, if you can't get to a studio. :)
Good luck, here's where I bought it from:
www.collegevideo.com!

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 6:16 PM

Hi, I have fibromyalgia too and I think pilates can be a great help to those of us with this condition. But I must caution you - start slowly. I started with a class at the local rec center and it was far too advanced; I was sore for days. I went back again, but there were a lot of exercised I couldn't do because they would agravate my problems (I also have arthritic and structural problems in the knees, feet and other joints.) After a few classes I could do more, and I really felt improvements in my body core. I'd like to do more, but carefully.

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 4:26 AM

The first time I did a real pilates class i could barely move for 2 days, my abs were so sore. But it doesn't just work the core it works every muscle in the body, but at the same time always has the core "activated".
When I went on vacation a couple of years ago, I used a pilates video to get in shape (and nothing else) for two months. By the time I was ready to go, I looked better than I ever had in my life. Toned and Lean. I was so proud.
Oh and the video I was using was "Crunch - Pick Your Spot Pilates". This one is pretty easy, but still a great workout.

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 8:13 AM

OP here.

Between the cost of Weight Watchers, and the cost of my gym membership (which doesn't include classes) I really just can't afford to take Pilates classes right now. The tape that I have is from Gaiam, the manufaturer of the bands and ball that I bought.

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 8:55 AM

Here's my two cents---
I don't think doing the pilates tape will hurt you, and I do think it would help you. After you've done that tape for a while, it may not help you progress until you work on your form. The best way to work on your form is to have a teacher there, but other tapes could help, too. After a while, you may want to think about taking a drop-in pilates class (some only charge $10-$15 for a drop-in), or maybe a rec center or community college in your area offers a low-cost course you could take.

Thursday, January 26, 2006, 9:52 AM

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