Pilates & Weight Training
by Hayley Kotton, LMT
Pilates and the lifting weights have a great deal in common. Both are particular in how the neck moves or does not move. Both depend on a strong core to strengthen and protect the body and breath is an essential ingredient. It is also possible to focus on the hamstrings and knees over the quadriceps in both arenas.
You have probably gone to the gym and seen many people work out their necks. This is very apparent in bicep curls as well as vertical or horizontal crunches. During a bicep curl with free weights and a bicep curl on the Pilates reformer, the elbow bends and the hand move straight back towards the arm pits. There is no movement other than the forearm. The body is hardwired to compensate and recruit muscles as needed. Thus the neck careens out and the head comes forward to meet the weight. It is possible to train yourself not to move the neck. The use of breath, to be explained below, becomes important. In a similar situation someone’s neck is dragged up and down as they do sit-ups/crunches by hands folded under the head. Consider opening your shoulders, placing your fingertips behind each ear, and keeping shoulders wide and your neck a fist's distance from your chest. It is not desirable to crunch towards your knees, rather crunch upward toward the ceiling. You will certainly feel this in your core!
The body’s core is its powerhouse. Using it while lifting will help your strength and help you combat injury. Many free weight exercises in the gym require one to be bent at your hips, your torso horizontal to the floor. From this position you can do exercises such as the triceps extension, upright row, and dead lift. Often we resort to bending at the waist and letting the gut hang out. I see clients who list this as one of their contributing activities and now have major back pain. This is because while bending at the waist the back is required to hold up the entire upper body. This is a lot of work for mostly postural muscles, the quadratus lumborum, the lumbar paraspinals, and the posterior transverse abdominus fibers in particular. The Pilates solution is to bend from the hips. You may even consider placing your hands on your hip sockets and hinging from them. Once bent continue applying Pilates by sinking belly button to spine. In this way your core muscles act as a splint strengthening the back muscles nearby.
As you undertake any exercise it is important to exhale on the exertion. This means that every time you do a repetition, exhale. When you bring your forearms towards your shoulders in a bicep curl, this is when you exhale. When you do a crunch you probably already exhale as you tighten your core, but make sure you are not holding your breath. The muscles need to work and you create 18 times more energy by supplying them with oxygen.
Many people who lift weights or use cardio machines are heavily reliant on their quads. People involved with Pilates have experienced the great benefits of moving the work of the body to the hamstrings. People increase their endurance, increase their lower body strength, and minimize injuries and pain. Using your hamstrings is easy to understand but difficult to employ as the body must learn a new way of working. A Pilates student would usually begin on the reformer machine; this is very similar the horizontal leg press. One could use the reformer approach to the leg press. This requires isolating the knee, extend the knee joint alone, and so extend the legs, using the hamstring muscles. Pilates students can place their hands on their hamstrings as a cue to help them contract.
Weight lifting does not need to be a scary undertaking. For those Pilates students who are beginning or currently lifting weights, be sure to use your Pilates knowledge in the gym, be safe, and enjoy the transformation.
<Back to Article Archive>
<Home>