The 5 Basic Principles of STOTT PILATES

Breathe Pilates is based on the STOTT PILATES International Pilates method. In STOTT PILATES we work from 5 basic principles of biomechanics to ensure that your exercise is effective and safe.

The 5 principles of breathing, pelvic placement, rib cage placement, scapular mobility and stabilization and head and cervical placement are not separate and discrete but, rather, an integrated system of principles which guides our awareness and our movement through each exercise in order to maximize effectiveness and biomechanical efficiency.

Your spine has 3 natural curves in it – gentle lordosis or convex anterior curve in the lumbar (lower spine), a gentle kyphosis or convex posterior curve in the thoracic (middle and upper spine) and a gentle lordosis in your cervical spine (neck). Maintaining this natural curve will give your spine optimal shock absorption and load bearing ability. The 5 principles help you to be aware of your spinal alignment and to work towards the optimal alignment in any static posture or movement.

Throughout your workout it is important that you pay attention to the 5 principles and try to apply each of them in every exercise. By explaining the principles to you now, at the beginning of your Pilates career, you will be able to have greater awareness, and a greater sense that you are in control of each exercise, hence faster progress and better results.

1. Breathing

Full breath pattern promotes optimal oxygenation of the blood, and can help you to relax and release unnecessary tension from your body. Consciousness of your breathing can also help to focus your mind, and help you to concentrate on the exercise you are undertaking. Breathing, and abdominal connection to stabilize the lumbar spine and pelvis, should precede movement in every exercise you do in STOTT Pilates.

The natural mechanics of breathing are such that, on an inhalation, your ribs lift and separate and your spine extends (arches) slightly, then, on an exhalation, your abdominals contract slightly to compress and lower your ribs, and your spine (especially the thoracic) flexes slightly.

For this reason, an essential in STOTT Pilates, we link inhalation with spinal extension, and exhalation with spinal flexion. However we sometimes use an exhalation during spinal extension to encourage engagement of the abdominals, especially Transversus Abdominus and the abdominal obliques, to help protect the lumbar spine in extension. Forcible exhalation also encourages simultaneous connection of multifidus and pelvic floor to further stabilize the lumbar and pelvis.

Breathing into your upper lungs and chest can cause excess tension and fatigue in the ancillary breathing muscles and muscles of the neck and upper shoulders, especially scalenes, sternocleidomastoid and upper fibres of trapezius, and is not recommended. Breathing into your belly relaxes the abdominals completely and you can lose the ability to protect your lower spine during exercise. For this reason we encourage you to breathe into the lower part of your ribcage and, especially, to expand your ribs laterally and posteriorly. This will help you to maintain your abdominal connection throughout your breath cycle without causing you undue tension. Breathing into the lower lobes of the lungs promotes a more efficient gas exchange also.

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Breathing exercise to illustrate the first principle

Lying on your back with your knees bent, place your hands on your lowest ribs at the sides of your torso, and breathe in through your nose, expanding your ribs outwards and sideways into your hands.

Feel your hands move outwards as you breathe in. Try not to lift your chest too much as you inhale, instead directing the air into the sides and back of your lungs. This is called 3 Dimensional Breathing, (or lateral and posterior ribcage breathing).

Your exhalation should be through pursed lips, and moderately forceful (relative to the difficulty of the exercise you are performing): as if you are blowing out a candle which is two feet in front of you. As you breathe out, have a sense of lifting your pelvic floor gently (a feeling of sucking up gently) and of drawing your belly button towards your spine to push the air out. Imagine an elastic girdle is around your lower abdomen, gently compressing and bracing you there. You can place your fingers on your lower abdominals and feel them work and draw in, as you exhale. Maintain this breath pattern throughout your workout.

2. Pelvic placement

In STOTT Pilates we encourage you to work in neutral pelvic alignment whenever you can safely do so. Neutral pelvis refers to the Anterior Superior Iliac Spine or ASIS and the symphysis pubis or pubic bone being level on the same plane (horizontal if you are supine or prone, vertical if standing or sitting). Neutral pelvic placement creates the optimal shock absorbing and load bearing configuration of the lumbar spine, which is a natural gentle curvature: convex anteriorly (or lordosis).

When you are working in a closed kinetic chain (with either one or both feet supported when supine) having neutral pelvic alignment is ideal if you can stabilize in that position.

When you are in (i) an open kinetic chain (with both feet unsupported when supine) if you cannot stabilize your pelvis in a neutral alignment, or (ii) if your lumbar extensors are gripping in neutral alignment (i.e. you can not get into a tension free starting position in neutral), you can go to an imprint by gently contracting your abdominal obliques to draw your hip bones (ASIS) closer to your ribs, and to slightly flex your lumbar spine towards the mat. It is not necessary to press your lumbar firmly into the mat in imprint. The imprinted position facilitates connection of the abdominals: as they are in a slightly shortened position their ability to contract is enhanced.

If ever you feel that you are not able to stabilize your pelvis during Pilates exercise, or if you start to feel an exercise gripping in your lower back, you can go to a slight imprint position. Eventually as you become stronger we will work you more and more in neutral alignment.

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Exercise to find your neutral pelvis

Now we are going to do an exercise to help you find your neutral, your imprint, and to move between the two.

Lying on your back with your knees bent, place your hands in a diamond shape with the heels of your hands on your ASIS (the forward most point of your hipbones), and your fingertips on your pubic bone or symphysis pubis. When your ASIS and your pubic bone are on the same flat horizontal plane your pelvis in is neutral alignment. Imagine a tray of champagne glasses full to the top is resting on those three points, without spilling a drop.

Gently arch your spine to come into an anterior pelvic tilt, where the heels of your hands (on your ASIS) are higher than your fingertips on your symphysis pubis). Now, gently activate your abdominal obliques to draw your hips towards your ribs and slightly flex your lumbar spine towards the mat. Your fingertips are higher than the heels of your hands; you are in an imprint position or slight posterior pelvic tilt. Now find a place between the two positions, where your fingertips and the heels of your hands are on the same flat plane. This is neutral pelvis.

We are just going to work briefly between neutral and imprint so you get a feel for both pelvic placements: inhale, then exhale and activate your abs to flex gently into an imprint.  Imagine there is a blueberry under your lower spine and you just want to squeeze a single drop of juice from it, not to squash it flat to the mat. Now inhale to stay; now exhale to release back to neutral, where your ASIS and pubic bone are flat on the same plane. Exhale imprint, inhale hold, and exhale release to neutral.

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3. Rib cage placement

The internal and external obliques, and rectus Abdominus connect the ribs and, indirectly, the thoracic spine with the pelvis. As I mentioned before, these muscles are recruited in breathing: on an inhalation the ribs naturally open and separate, with the thoracic spine gently extending; on an exhalation the ribs naturally sink and draw together as the thoracic spine gently flexes. For this reason we encourage the ribs to lift and separate somewhat in spinal extension, as otherwise full extension cannot be achieved. In neutral or spinal flexion we encourage the ribs to draw together and down, which facilitates thoracic flexion. Throughout every movement though, you need to be aware of the connection between your ribs and your pelvis, and think of gently connecting those two points together to facilitate abdominal activation. When supine as you are now, as you exhale think of melting and sinking your ribcage into the mat. Try not to pop your lower ribs out as you inhale. 

Rib cage placement exercise

Now let’s do a little exercise to increase your awareness of your rib cage placement and how it relates to the other principles. Lying on your back, find your neutral spine and "melt" your ribs down towards your belly button in a V-shape. Feel the back of your ribcage contacting the mat more firmly as you do this.

Inhale to raise your arms overhead. Now, keeping your ribs in contact with the mat, exhale to flex your shoulder joints and bring your arms past vertical as far only as you can keep your ribs connected to the mat.

Inhale and return your arms to vertical; now exhale and lower them to the mat. It is important to keep that abdominal engagement at all times otherwise you sacrifice spinal stabilization. Inhalation facilitates spinal extension, but sometimes we can exhale on extension to help maintain abdominal activation and protect our spine.

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4. Scapular mobility and stabilisation

The scapulae or shoulder blades have no direct bony attachment to the rib cage or spine, and hence are very mobile, allowing the shoulder joint a great range of motion and complex actions. The scapulae can elevate, depress, protract, retract, upwardly rotate and downwardly rotate. Because of this complexity and lack of bony attachment it is important to be aware of stabilizing your scapulae at all times: when you are flexing or extending your spine, when you are moving your arms in any direction, and when the spine and shoulders are neutral. If your scapulae are not stabilized it can lead to excess tension in upper fibres of trapezius, levator scapulae, rhomboids, the rotator cuff muscles infraspinatus and teres minor which laterally rotate the humerus in the glenoid fossae, the sternocleidomastoid muscles and various other muscles of the neck and upper shoulders.

Although your scapulae move with your arms, a sense of stability, rather than rigidity should always be maintained. Keep the sense of gently sliding your shoulder blades down your back in a V shape towards your lower spine, even when they are actually moving upwards as in shoulder joint flexion. Keep a sense of width across your shoulder girdle. You should not allow your shoulders to either round overly forward or squeeze backwards together excessively towards the spine. The scapulae should lie flat on the rib cage and glide smoothly across it without winging. Winging refers to the inferior medial border of the scapulae lifting off the ribcage.

Scapular stabilization should be a part of the preparation for every exercise, to be established before movement begins. When flexing your torso off the mat, scapular stabilization will help to avoid protraction of the shoulders and neck tension, while in spinal extension it will help you to avoid overextension of the cervical spine.

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Scapular isolations exercise

We are going to do an exercise to help you understand scapular movement and stabilization a bit more. Lying on your back with neutral pelvis and neutral spine, with your arms softly reaching towards the ceiling, level with your shoulders.

Inhale and protract your shoulders by reaching your fingers further towards the ceiling; exhale and retract to neutral, with your shoulders "beside" you. Inhale and retract by drawing your shoulder blades together; exhale and protract back to neutral. This exercise can be useful in giving you a sense of one of the key movements of the shoulder girdle.

5. Head and cervical placement

When sitting or standing in a neutral position, the head should be directly over the shoulders with the cervical spine gently convex anteriorly. This position should be maintained when supine. Where there is an excessive kyphosis or convex posterior curve of the thoracic in a supine position foam pads or cushions under the head may be necessary to create ideal alignment of the cervical spine.

Generally, the cervical spine should continue the shape of the thoracic spine through flexion, extension, lateral flexion or rotation. When flexing the torso forwards off the mat, movement in the thoracic should be preceded by craniovertebral flexion, which is a gentle flexion of the cranium on the first two vertebrae. You should have a sense of lengthening the back of the neck, rather than jamming your chin down towards your chest. There should always be room to fit a peach in between your chin and your chest.

Be aware that your eye line will help you to keep your head and neck correctly aligned; during thoracic flexion from supine the eye line should be just over the knees, and in thoracic extension prone just forward on the mat. When you are sitting or standing in neutral, your eye line should be at a constant height (eye height). In STOTT Pilates every time you flex your spine you should precede the movement with cranio vertebral flexion, otherwise known as a head nod. When extending your thoracic spine pay particular attention to maintaining an even extension through the cervical spine, and avoid overextension of the neck.

Awareness of scapular stability will encourage correct head and neck placement.

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If you have any questions please ask your teacher in class, or feel free to email me; I'm always glad to hear from you!

Enjoy!

Raphael Bender
STOTT PILATES level 2 certified instructor
APMA level 2 certified instructor

Improve your posture in 5 minutes a day

This simple set of exercises will have you walking taller from the first day!

You’ll notice your posture improving naturally, as you release tension from your shoulders and strengthen your core muscles with these simple movements. By focussing on specific postural exercises, you will straighten your posture and gain a sense of lightness as your body moves back towards balance. Posture is related to how others perceive us, and also how we feel about ourselves. You may be amazed at some of the changes you notice in yourself, as you lengthen your spine and relax your shoulders with these simple exercises.

1. Standing Tall

Stand and place your hands on top of your head. Press your head gently up into your hands, until you feel your whole body straightening pleasantly. Keep lengthening gently upwards as you relax your hands by your sides. For great posture, make this your new way of standing (or sitting)!

2. Core strengthener

Sitting Tall (see exercise 1) on the edge of your chair, firm your waist (like wearing a wide elastic girdle). Holding your body perfectly still, slowly lift your right arm and left leg, and hold for 5 seconds, then swap. Go for up to 2 minutes.

3. All-in-one abdominal strengthener

Start in plank with your elbows on a desk, and your body perfectly straight. Keeping your abdominals firm, rotate your body to side plank, resting on one elbow, then rotate back to the front, and then to the other side, holding each position for 5 seconds. Do  up to 2 minutes.

4. Shoulder and neck release

Sitting Tall in your chair, grasp the chair with your right hand. As your breathe in deeply, try to shrug your right shoulder. As you exhale, relax your shoulder and lean your body to the left, relaxing your neck. Repeat 5 times, then hold the end position for 30 seconds. (Do both sides!)

Raphael Bender
STOTT PILATES level 2 certified instructor
APMA level 2 certified instructor

Stretching and Flexibility

If you are like most people, you would like to be more flexible. Feeling supple and flexible is one of the things we associate with being relaxed, happy and stress free. Stiffness on the other hand makes us feel old, stressed and unhealthy. Generally young, healthy plants and animals (including humans) are soft and supple; old or unwell beings are stiff and brittle. Suppleness is a great feeling!

How much flexibility do you need?

Flexibility describes your body’s range of motion relative to the demands of your daily activities. There is no “ideal” level of flexibility; everyone’s needs are different. Gymnasts, martial artists and dancers need extraordinary levels of flexibility, whereas rugby players, power lifters and sprinters are hampered by excessive flexibility. Your level of flexibility does not necessarily correspond to your subjective feeling of either suppleness or stiffness. Yoga teachers, Pilates instructors and dancers can feel stiff sometimes too!

Flexibility, as distinct from suppleness...

Once you have determined how flexible you need to be (if you're not sure how flexible you need to be, feel free to email me for a chat), there are specific exercises designed to increase your flexibility – stretches. We will go into more depth on stretching below. However, if what you really want to do is increase your feeling of suppleness, this is not necessarily the same thing as increasing your flexibility. Suppleness is a subjective experiential quality, whereas flexibility is simply the range of motion at a certain joint of your body. They do not necessarily correspond with each other.

What makes us flexible or inflexible?

Flexibility, like strength and endurance, is not a genetic quality, but mainly a product of lifestyle, and can be brought to high levels by almost anybody (including you) at any time in their lives (including now!). There is no such thing as inborn flexibility; we are all very flexible when we are born – some of us just don’t stay that way! This is where Yoga, Pilates and stretching in general comes in handy.

Factors which can increase your flexibility

There are many ways to increase your flexibility: exercises which require a full range of motion, such as running (not jogging), swimming or resistance training through full arc of motion (such as Pilates or Yoga) will all increase your flexibility. Having a well-balanced muscular system (where each muscle is as strong as its opposing muscle) will increase your flexibility. This muscle balance, and uniform muscular development, is one of the benefits of Pilates and Yoga. As well, there are many exercises specifically designed to increase flexibility – stretches.

Factors which can decrease your flexibility

Factors which reduce your flexibility include sitting or standing in one position for lengthy periods, repetitive exercise in a limited range of motion such as bicycling, jogging, or lifting weights through a reduced range of movement, and muscle imbalances.

Increasing your flexibility with stretching

Most people think that stretching is the best way to increase flexibility – however there are other factors involved, which will be the subject of a future article. For now let’s start with stretching. Stretching is great! Apart from increasing the range of motion of your joints, correct stretching facilitates muscle recovery, can reduce the risk and severity of many injuries, regulates muscular tension, relieves muscle spasms and improves blood flow to your muscles.

How to stretch

Rule No. 1 – If it hurts, you are stretching too far! Stretching should always feel good.

Rule No. 2 – Don’t bounce!

Rule No. 3 – Always stretch gently, especially if you are injured, or unused to stretching.

Rule No. 3.5 – If you are not getting great results from your stretching, you may have muscle imbalances – see a Pilates or Yoga teacher for a posture assessment.

Different types of stretching

There are different types of stretching. Some are best for increasing your flexibility whilst some are great for warming up and increasing your feeling of suppleness. Your individual goals will determine which type of stretching is best for you.

Dynamic stretching - for suppleness

Dynamic stretching is ideal for increasing your feeling of suppleness, as a warm up, and also the best way of increasing your dynamic, or moving, flexibility; i.e. the ability to kick high. Dynamic stretching is best done at the start of your training session or first thing in the morning when you wake up, to leave you feeling supple and flexible all day.

Dynamic stretching as a general warm up, and to feel supple

The routine below is the best thing for increasing your subjective feeling of suppleness. Do it in the morning when you arise. Dynamic stretching warm ups are all circular movements with no end point so it is hard to stretch too far. Movements with an endpoint (i.e. bouncing to touch your toes) are called “ballistic stretching” or “trying to injure yourself”. Dynamic stretching is also great as a warm up for sports activities:

Step 1: After easy jogging, skipping or similar brief warm-up, (2 minutes) perform gentle rotations of each bodily joint, such as arm swings, wrist rotations, hip rotations. Start in a very comfortable range of motion, with an easy, relaxed action and gradually increase the range of motion as you feel your muscles loosen up. The stretch should be comfortable and pleasant throughout. About a dozen rotations of each joint should suffice to reach maximum rotation, although on cold days, or if you are stiff, your muscles will need more.

Specific dynamic stretching to warm up and increaes dynamic flexibility

This stage of dynamic stretching is only relevant to you if you need added flexibility/warm up for a specific technique (i.e. you need to kick higher).After doing step 1 above, when all your joints are fully mobile, more specific dynamic stretches can be used to complete your warm-up and to increase your flexibility for individual techniques:

Step 2: Begin by performing 12 or so repetitions of the technique (for example a front kick, arabesque etc). Start at a slow, controlled speed, extending only to a comfortable reach. Maintaining control, gradually increase the speed and extension of the movement, until after 9-12 repetitions you reach full extension, and at least 75% of full speed. Always stay within your zone of comfortable movement. If you feel any twinges, pain or discomfort, stop immediately – you have gone too far or too quickly.

Contract/Relax (CR) stretching - for flexibility

Also called Isometric or PNF stretching (which is an acronym for Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation), Contract/Relax (aka Contract-Relax) stretching is extremely effective for increasing your static flexibility i.e., the ability to do the splits (why you would want to do the splits is another question!).  Contract/Relax stretching temporarily suppresses the natural safety mechanism within your muscles, so any vigorous exercise within 2 hours after CR stretching can easily result in muscle injury. Therefore CR stretching should always be performed at the end of your training session, after all other exercises, except for relaxed stretching. Never perform explosive movements or heavy exertion after CR stretching. If you are pregnant, increasing your flexibility is not recommended.

How to CR stretch for flexibility

Step 1: To perform a CR stretch, first relax into a comfortable stretch, for example a forward bend to stretch your hamstrings. Comfort is the point BEFORE pain. Remember Rule No.1: If it hurts you’re stretching too far. Concentrate on your breathing. Breathe slowly and deeply, into your belly, or if you can, breathe into the place where you feel the stretch. 

Step 2: Support yourself in the stretch position, either by gravity or with your limbs. In the case of a hamstring stretch, gently grasp the back of your ankles or thighs; don’t pull, just hold yourself in place.

Step 3: As you inhale slowly and deeply, gently contract the muscles where you feel the stretch, working against the extension of the stretch. You will feel the stretch intensify immediately. Do not work too hard – just a gentle contraction, lasting about 6 –10 seconds is most effective. As you finish inhaling, relax the tension in your muscles totally. As you gently exhale, slowly relax further into the stretch, until you enjoy the same pleasant feeling of stretching as before. Remember Rule No.1! Again inhale and gently contract in the new stretch position for 6 - 10 seconds, then relax, and as you breathe out gently extend again, to a comfortable level. Repeat this process until your muscles don’t want to move any further (About 3-5 repetitions) – this is your current maximum flexibility.

Step 4: Relax in this position, breathing into the stretch for at least 5 slow breaths in and out (around 30-60 seconds) the longer the better. If you cannot comfortably maintain the end position for a full 5 slow breaths in and out, you are stretching too far. Focus on relaxing and breathing deeply. CR stretching should always be comfortable – If it hurts, you are stretching too far. Best results will be obtained by gentle stretching. CR stretching fatigues your muscles in the same way that strength training does, so you should allow 48 hours for recovery in between sessions. Ideally CR stretching should be done to finish a strength workout, with a rest day following. Perform CR stretching 2-4 times per week, with rest days in between

Relaxed stretching - to relax and recover

Relaxed stretching is REALLY bad as a warm up before training, because it decreases your coordination and suppresses the safety regulation systems within your muscles. It is also not very effective for increasing your flexibility; however it facilitates the relaxation and recovery of fatigued muscles – and it feels great! To perform a relaxed stretch, simply relax into a comfortable position where you can release the tension from all your muscles, and you feel a pleasant stretching sensation. Remember Rule No.1! Relax a little more each time you breathe out, not trying to extend the stretch beyond a pleasant level. You can hold relaxed stretches for as long as you feel comfortable, and do them whenever you like, without a warm-up even. Enjoy your stretching!

Raphael Bender
STOTT PILATES level 2 certified instructor
APMA level 2 certified instructor

This is a very basic guide only. If you have any questions about your specific situation I recommend you start with an individual Pilates session with me or any other suitably qualified Pilates instructor. For more in-depth information on musculo-skeletal anatomy and physiology, as well as hundreds of simple step by step instructions for specific stretches for every part of your body (with photos!) check out the following highly recommended texts:

Kurz, Thomas (1994) Stretching Scientifically, Stadion Publishing Co. Laughlin, Kit (1999) Stretching & Flexibility, Simon & Schuster. (you can look at this and several other great books on stretching, in the Breathe lounge!)

Evidence Based Training

Whether your goal is weight loss, flexibility, toning, strength, balance, health, increased energy, or all of the above, Pilates and Yoga can get you there.

Depending on your specific goal, the actual exercises you do may vary, but the principles behind the exercises – how hard to exercise, how long to rest in between – are the same, because the human body responds in certain predictable ways to exercise (or the lack of it).

There is definitely a “right” way to exercise for maximum results. The right way (by definition) is the way that gets you to your goal the quickest, with the least effort and the least chance of injury. Sounds good?

Here’s how to train smart…

What is your goal?

Whether your goal is weight loss, flexibility, toning, strength, balance, health, increased energy, or all of the above, Pilates and Yoga can get you there.

Depending on your specific goal, the actual exercises you do may vary, but the principles behind the exercises – how hard to exercise, how long to rest in between – are the same, because the human body responds in certain predictable ways to exercise (or the lack of it).

There is definitely a “right” way to exercise for maximum results. The right way (by definition) is the way that gets you to your goal the quickest, with the least effort and the least chance of injury. Sounds good?

Here’s how to train smart…

Training and rest

There is a scientific way to achieve maximum results, and it is surprisingly easy! It is, in fact, A LOT easier than the old fashioned “more pain equals more gain” approach!

There has been lots of research done on this subject, especially aimed at maximising the strength, flexibility and endurance gains of professional and Olympic athletes.  The principles are exactly the same if you simply want to lose a few pounds or tone up your middle area. Here is what the research shows:

How often to train

When you fatigue a muscle, either by strength exercises like Pilates Reformer, Yoga arm balances or standing poses, squats or push-ups, by endurance exercise like running, or by isometric or dynamic stretching, it becomes less able to contract, and therefore weaker.

So, straight after you complete your exercise session, you are in a state of muscle fatigue (your muscles are not as strong). If you don’t believe this, try doing 3 classes back-to-back sometime and you’ll see what I mean.

Once you have brought a muscle to a state of fatigue, if you allow your muscle to rest, and give it plenty of fuel (eating well) then after a time, usually around 48 hours, it will recover to greater than its initial strength!  The scientific term for this is called the Training Effect. 

If you continue to rest the muscle, over another period of time, around 48-72 hours, it will gradually reduce, to its beginning level of strength again; the training effect will be lost, and you are back where you started. 

If, however, you again fatigue the muscle whilst the training effect is current, and then rest again, you will get ANOTHER training effect, on top of the first one! This cycle can continue almost indefinitely, with strength, endurance or flexibility training, until you have reached your maximum physiological potential, which is determined by genetics, age, diet, and lifestyle.

So generally, training the same exercise 2 days in a row is a waste of time: after you fatigue a muscle, it goes into recovery mode and rebuilds itself, even better and stronger than before.

If you interrupt this vital recovery phase, by fatiguing your muscle prematurely (i.e., by training the same muscle again the next day), then the recovery phase simply begins again . . .  from the start. ALL benefit from your first training session is negated!

How can you tell if the training effect is current?

You can tell if the training effect is current in two ways:

1. If you have increased your ability in the exercise since the last time you trained, then you know that the training effect has occurred! For example if you can do a headstand for three minutes on Monday and then on Wednesday you can do a three-and-a-half minute headstand, there is a current training effect – you are stronger and more stable than before! Congratulations!

2. If you are still sore from your last Yoga or Pilates session, or if your ability has not increased, it is too early for you to work hard again. Your muscles are still fatigued, the training effect has not yet occurred and, if you train again, there is NO BENEFIT!

How hard should you train?

The training effect will occur fully once a muscle becomes moderately fatigued. You can tell when this happens: your form for the exercise will change slightly, as your body brings new and fresher muscles into play, to support the ones that are becoming weaker. This point is generally around 80% of your maximum.

As soon as you notice that you are doing an exercise with slightly altered form due to fatigue, you should stop. Any further fatigue of the muscle will simply increase the amount of recovery time you need, without giving you a greater training effect.

If you stop exercising before you reach the point of moderate fatigue, there will be no training effect. The muscle will recover only to its previous level.

Exercising to muscle failure should be avoided, as you can often double the time required for the recovery phase, without increasing the training effect.

The scientific way to train

Follow these 3 simple rules, and your strength, endurance and flexibility will show dramatic improvement! This in turn will lead to fster fat loss, toning, increased metabolism, more energy, and a whole host of other benefits. Happy training!

1. EXERCISE ONLY TO MODERATE FATIGUE – stop when you feel the first signs of form alteration, or shakiness.

2. EAT and DRINK WELL – Don’t skip meals, eat low-fat foods, lots of fresh fruit and vegies each day, plenty of complex carbohydrates, such as rice, wholemeal bread, pasta and potatoes and lots of protein. Fish, meat and eggs are the highest quality sources of protein. If you are vegetarian you will have to be very careful to eat enough protein; eat lots of tofu, nuts and pulses, eggs (if you eat them), and consider a protein supplement too. Avoid processed sugar and all processed foods as much as possible. Finally, drink plenty of water (at least two litres per day).

3. ALLOW SUFFICIENT RECOVERY TIME – Don’t fatigue a muscle if it is still sore from last time, or feels weak, or you are ill or injured. Allow at least one full day each week of no training at all. Take a full week off training every 3 months. Get plenty of sleep.

This is a basic guide only. If you have any questions, ask your teacher BEFORE you exercise. Enjoy your Yoga and Pilates, and their training benefits!

Raphael Bender
STOTT PILATES level 1 certified instructor
APMA level 2 certified instructor

Bibliography and suggested reading:

Rushall, B. S. and Pyke, F.S. (1998) Training for Sports and Fitness. Macmillan: Melbourne.

Kurz, Thomas (1994) Stretching Scientifically, Stadion Publishing Co.

Hackney, Peggy (2002) Making Connections. Routledge: New York.

Haas, Elson M. (1995) Staying Healthy with Nutrition. Celestial Arts.

Plowman, S. A. and Smith D. L. (1998) Exercise Physiology for Health, Fitness and Performance. Allyn & Bacon.

How to eat your way to Health and Happiness

Perhaps you have a goal you want to achieve, such as reducing your body fat or increasing your energy levels – perhaps you just want to feel a bit healthier (or maybe you’re sick of feeling unhealthy!). When it comes to eating habits, there are some really simple guidelines, which, if you follow them, will have you feeling healthier, more energized, clearer and lighter in only a few days. This is a general guide only – if you have a specific medical condition please see your doctor!

 

Rule no.1 - Eat the foods your body loves

Rule no. 2 - Drink plenty of water

Rule no. 3 - Have Treats!

It looks really simple; that’s because it is really simple. However simple is not the same thing as easy...

 

The foods your body loves

(A.K.A. Green foods – Check out http://www.glycemicindex.com)

Here is a list of the foods you love, and which your body loves. You love these foods why? You love these foods because when you eat them you feel more energized, more healthy and lighter. You love the way these foods increase your immunity, your energy and your longevity and the way they help you to decrease your body fat (if you need to). Eat until you’re satisfied!

• All green vegetables especially leafy greens
• All other vegetables (include something orange such as pumpkin, sweet potato etc)
• Whole grains including whole oats, brown rice, wholemeal or dark rye bread, wholemeal pasta quinoa and millet
• Beans & sprouts
• Fish
• Plain water (recommend at least 2 litres/day) In winter herbal teas, homemade soups and fruit juice with hot water added are great ways to stay hydrated
• “Rainbow your plate!” – the more colures on your plate = the more of those ‘good guys’ antioxidants are present!!

It’s recommended that you eat these foods steamed, boiled, baked, grilled or raw. Generally the less you cook your food, the more nutritional value it retains.

The “low-carb” diet is a misnomer – it is actually the low PROCESSED carb diet that will help you reach your health goals. So if you want to cut out carbohydrates, cut out all sugars, white flour, white rice and white pasta – do wholemeal instead!

 

Foods you love - in moderation (amber foods in g.i. parlance)

These foods are great for you in moderate amounts; as long as you don’t overdo it!

• Red & white meat (grilled, roasted, steamed, boiled, stewed or barbequed)
• Eggs (very important if you’re vegetarian – eat them every day!)
• Monounsaturated fats and oils such as extra virgin olive oil and flaxseed oil (these oils help to reduce your “bad” cholesterol)
• Low-fat yoghurt (preferably with no sugar or artificial sweeteners added)
• Nuts (high in protein and monounsaturated fat) except for peanuts.

 

Foods your body would prefer you to avoid (red foods)

Your body really dislike these foods why? Because when you eat them you feel fat, bloated and unhealthy! These foods add inches to your waist and remove years from your life – that’s why you don’t enjoy them!

• All fried foods including fried “foods you think you love”
• Saturated fat – such as fatty meats like sausages, low-quality mince, high fat cheeses etc.
• Confectionary including “natural” confectionary.
• Sweet fizzy drinks (a.k.a. liquid confectionary)
• White sugar, white flour and salt (the 3 white demons)
• Peanuts (high in transfats, which are the worst kind of fat)

Treats!

Treats are important for helping you to stay motivated. Having said that – eating unhealthy treats doesn’t help your motivation much, so here are some ideas for healthy(ish) treats to keep you on track and reward your good habits.

• Low fat fruit yoghurt
• All low-fat milk and dairy products (generally soft cheeses such as ricotta, feta, boconcini etc are lower in fat and more easily digested)
• Soy ice-cream (it’s a lot lower in fat than regular)
• Nuts and dried fruit
• Muffins and cakes made with wholemeal flour and monounsaturated fats (ie olive oil in muffins and banana cakes)
• Fresh fruit (this is also in the “foods your body loves” category)
• Dark chocolate (70% or more cocoa) – the more cocoa, the more antioxidants.

A great general rule is to eat until you’re 80% full (“pleasantly full, as opposed to “OMG I just ate SO much”) and to eat smaller meals more often. Eating your largest meal just before bed is not recommended; eat a light dinner and you’ll wake up in the morning feeling lighter and more energized.

 

Heathy eating online resources

Nutrition Data http://www.nutritiondata.com/ information on nutritional value of almost every food there is

Glycemic Intex http://www.glycemicindex.com/ information on GI ratings of different foods, and explanation of what GI means

Enjoy your healthy eating habits!

Raphael Bender (Trust me on this, I'm married to a naturopath!)
STOTT PILATES level 2 certified instructor
APMA level 2 certified instructor

& Kate Mitchell, Breather, Adv. Dip Health Science (Nutrition) Adv. Dip Health Science (Naturopathy)

You can read our full set of guidelines for exercise during and after pregnancy on our Prenatal Pilates and Yoga page. The guidelines have been developed by 3 Breathe Pilates instructors, in conjunction with physiotherapist Antony Lo.

You can read our complete guide to rehabilitating spinal injuries on our Clinical Pilates page, under "information for therapists".

Cool quotes from wise old guys of history

Here's what some of our favourite cool old guys from history reckoned about the trials of modern life...

“People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering.”
~ St Augustine

"A fall from the third floor hurts as much as a fall from the hundredth. If I have to fall, may it be from a high place.”
~ Paulo Coelho

“The single most important thing you can do in business is to be yourself.”
~ Sherry Lansing

“People of the world don’t look at themselves, and so they blame one another.”
~ Mevlana Rumi

“Retire into yourself as much as possible. Associate with people who are likely to improve you. Welcome those whom you are capable of improving. The process is a mutual one. People learn as they teach.”
~ Seneca

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“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has simply nothing to do. He may as well concern himself with his shadow on the wall...”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When you meet someone better than yourself, turn your thoughts to becoming his equal. When you meet someone not as good as you are, look within and examine yourself.”
~ Confucius

The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
~ William Shakespeare

“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.”
~ Carl Jung

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”
~ Leo Tolstoy

“Humility is to make a right estimate of oneself.”
~ Harry Truman

“A man must consider what a rich realm he abdicates when he becomes a conformist.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“A smooth sea never made a skilled mariner.”
~ Unknown

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“Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves.”
~ James Allen

“Follow your bliss.”
~ Joseph Campbell

“What is the seal of attained freedom? -No longer being ashamed in front of oneself.”
~ Friedrich Nietzsche

"Lack of self knowledge is natural in other living creatures, but in humans it is a moral blemish" - Boethius

For more wisdom from cool old guys you can click here