Slimming Pilates. Exercise video
Pilates is a special kind of fitness. It differs from traditional physical exercises by smooth and slow pace of movements, breathing mode and mental concentration. That is, it is gymnastics with elements of yoga. Pilates for weight loss is used today by millions of women all over the world, because in addition to getting rid of extra pounds, it brings with it the healing of the whole body. This is achieved through correct understanding and competent implementation of the complex.
There are three types of Pilates:
- workouts on the floor
- training with equipment
- training on simulators
Floor workouts include sitting or lying on the floor. Workouts with special equipment are also exercises on the floor, but using dumbbells, balls, rubber buffers, rings, etc.
In training on simulators, devices that are not quite usual in the usual sense are used: special designs do not provide for fixing the support on which the person is located
That is why, when performing strength exercises, the trainee makes additional efforts to maintain balance on an unstable surface. This includes the work of many small muscles that “sleep” when exercising on conventional simulators.
Pilates combines exercises aimed at the work of muscle groups in the central part of the body – chest, abs, hips. But it is in these zones that the greatest reserves of fat are concentrated. In addition, an extremely important advantage of this type of fitness is the gradualness and smoothness of movements, the complex is based on slow flexion and extension, twisting and untwisting. These exercises for the whole body develop flexibility, mobility, and strengthen the rectus and oblique muscles of the abdomen, which system designer Joseph Pilates calls the “strength frame.” During training, muscles are involved in the work, the existence of which you did not even suspect.
A gentle, consistent and at the same time deep effect on the body leads to excellent results – a sculpted body, rejuvenation of all organs, excellent well-being
However, all this is achievable only under the condition of strict adherence to the principles of the system, and this is:
- correct breathing
- constant monitoring of the “strength frame”
- conscious concentration
- smoothness and softness of movements
- regularity of classes
Of course, in one Pilates workout, your body will burn fewer calories (only about 300 kcal) than during the same time spent on intense aerobics or dance gymnastics, Pilates exercise really does not contribute to instant weight loss. Slow weight loss, on the other hand, ensures that the pounds don’t come back. you will get both a slender figure and a general recovery of the whole body. And all this without fuss, dangerous physical stress and inhuman efforts.
It is no coincidence that Pilates is called “lazy aerobics” and the most non-traumatic type of physical activity aimed at losing weight. After all, Pilates is a minimum of dynamics and a maximum of static exercises with a special breathing regimen.
Pilates training acts as an excellent metabolic accelerator, thereby strengthening the deep layers of the musculature. Pay attention – strengthening, not pumping and building up volumes. Muscle tissue will actively continue to burn calories after exercise. When training in the Pilates system, do not rush to weigh yourself, it is better to measure volumes. In a month, you are guaranteed to lose one size.
About breathing. When doing Pilates exercises, it is necessary to master breathing “in the back” – in the zone of small ribs. This means that when you inhale, the front of your chest should not expand, and your stomach should not be inflated. Concentrate all your attention on filling the bottom of your lungs. You should feel like your back is swelling when you breathe. This deep breathing will allow you to bend, twist, and generally move without restricting the amount of air you breathe. As you inhale, you saturate the body and, in particular, the muscles, with oxygen.
The system includes more than 500 exercises, each of which performs a specific function. The set of specific exercises is usually selected by the trainer, taking into account the goal to which the person who comes to the fitness room strives. In fact, you can practice Pilates at home, on your own, after reading special literature and watching a video. But experts strongly recommend: before starting classes, visit a professional trainer so that he selects exercises based on the state of your physical form, general well-being, and advises on the subject of contraindications (they are negligible, but they are still there). And the first 3-4 trainings are desirable to be carried out under the supervision of a trainer.
When setting a goal for pilates to lose weight, revise your daily diet in the direction of increasing the consumption of vegetables, fruits, diet meats, red fish, natural juices and pure water.
According to Pilates proponents, proper nutrition can double the weight loss effect of this system.
While doing the exercises, turn off your mind from unfinished or future tasks. The developer of the system, J. Pilates, drew attention to the fact that it is necessary to control your mind and concentrate entirely on training.
Pilates for Beginner Weight Loss Applicants
Warm up. For 5 minutes, do walking in place, swinging your legs and arms.
Twisting of the spinal column (roll-down). In a standing position, straighten your shoulders, tighten your abs and, if possible, move your shoulder blades strongly towards the spine. Fix the position, and then carefully, slowly, begin to twist forward (vertebra by vertebra), in parallel with this, strongly pulling in the stomach. Touch your feet with your toes and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 4-5 times.
Twisting the press. Starting position – lying on the mat, arms extended along the body, palms down.
Pull your stomach in and, carefully lifting the shoulder blades off the floor, begin to twist forward
Fix the pose at the moment of the greatest tension for 3-4 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Repeat the exercise 5-6 times.
“Hundred” for the press. The starting position is the same. Lift your shoulder blades off the floor and extend your arms forward. Raise your legs off the floor at an angle of 45 degrees, pull your stomach in and press your lower back to the floor. Now do quick and sharp swings with your hands – 5 swings with your palms down, 5 – with your palms up. Repeat the exercise 10 times and slowly return to the starting position.
Shoulder bridge for the buttocks. The starting position is the same. Place your feet on the floor, bend your hips at an acute or right angle. Make sure that the body and arms are on the floor, and the stomach is tucked up. Pull your abs in strongly, tighten and firmly squeeze your buttocks and begin to lift your back off the floor (vertebra by vertebra), going into a stance on the shoulder blades (shoulders) and feet. Lock the position for 3 seconds and slowly return to the starting position. Do the exercise slowly, control your stomach, not letting it relax. Repeat the exercise 5-6 times.
You can enhance the effect of the exercise by placing additional stress on the back of the thigh by pushing the feet forward.
Leg circles to train your hips. Starting position – lying on the side of the mat, the stomach is pulled in as much as possible. Lift your leg up and begin to slowly describe a circle with it: the leg at the knee should not bend, the circles are extremely large, the “lower” leg is stretched out on the floor in a straight line. Do the exercise for 30-60 seconds, first clockwise, then counterclockwise. Then change the position, turning over on the other side, and repeat the exercise.
Swimming. Starting position – lying on your stomach on a rug on the floor. Tear off your legs and arms from the floor, pull your stomach in forcefully and begin to perform small short movements with your legs and arms, as if you are hitting water with them.
Move in this way for 30-60 seconds, do 2-3 sets
Completion of the workout. Lie on your back, press your knees to your stomach and do several rolls on your back like a swing. Stand up, walk with your usual pace, bringing your breathing back to normal.
Pilates coaches believe that it is enough to exercise only 10 minutes a day to lose weight, provided that all recommendations regarding mood, breathing, correct exercise performance and regularity are strictly followed (at least 3 times a week).
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