5 Benefits and Drawbacks of Pilates
Edited By: Stephanie Dawson
Benefits
• Body Awareness
Practicing Pilates helps you to connect your mind and body. As you become more advanced you will learn more about your body and it capabilities. Practicing Pilates improves body posture and reduces common body aches and pains.
• Increases Balance
Pilates workouts are helpful in improving the balance of your body and strengthen the stabilizing core muscles. When you are able to balance yourself better, you can perform better in any sport or other activity.
• Prevents Injury
A human body contains some weak links. Practicing Pilates involves the working and movement of the entire body which helps strengthen any weak spots, it helps to improve balance so that one muscle group doesn’t overpower and damage the other muscles.
• Feel Good Chemicals
Pilates releases endorphins which are chemicals in the brain. These chemicals boost your mood and relieve stress. Doing Pilates improves body posture and makes you more graceful.
• Develops Core Strength
Deep muscles of the back, abdomen, and pelvic floor are the core muscles of your body. We rely on these muscles for many movements. When your core is strong that means your neck and shoulders can relax and the rest of the muscles can freely do their job.
Drawbacks
• Expensive
Following the instructions in Pilates can be costly. The cost is justified by instructors as they have gone through an expensive training system. Equipment and studio rentals are also expensive.
• Performed Carelessly
While practicing Pilates can be very useful for toning the transverse abdominal and rectus muscles, if performed wrongly or carelessly it can lead to an over-development in the internal and external oblique muscles of the abdomen.
• Pioneering
Pilates involves controlled movements that require strength and coordination along with a smaller number of repetitions that are called pioneering. This aspect of Pilates has received criticism.
• Unable to Provide Cardiovascular Training
Pilates in its original form is not actually a complete physical fitness discipline. It cannot provide cardiovascular training. Cardio exercises are necessary for providing a complete workout.
• Unauthorized
There are instructors who make use of Pilates exercises that Joseph Pilates did not invent. This has decreased the authenticity of exercise regime. The term Pilates has been used for marketing purposes also.
