Archive for the ‘Pilates’ Category

Centerworks Pilates Teacher-Training Workshop: Basic Pilates Matwork

Register NOW…To get started with a rewarding career
as a Pilates Professional!

Basic Pilates Mat Workshop

Dates: May 4 – 6, 2012
Hours: Fri.,10am-6pm, Sat.,10am-6pm, Sun., 10am-4pm

Registration: By Phone:
Call Aliesa – cell: (316) 734-5360
or call Kasondra at Prime Concepts Group: (316) 942-1111

This is YOUR chance to become a GREAT Pilates Mat Teacher!

  • Enjoy a Rewarding Career in Mind-Body Health & Wellness – Teach Pilates Matwork!
  • Gain the knowledge and skills you need to successfully teach a Basic Pilates Mat class.
  • Starting with Fundamental and Beginner Pilates Matwork exercises – Develop Your Expertise.
  • Acquire strong teaching skills for seeing, cueing, and spotting.
  • Learn how to progress new Pilates Mat students into a solid Basic program.
  • Discover the brilliance of the Pilates Matwork system and how the development of the mind-body connection is key for whole-body health & wellness.
  • Enjoy the benefits of helping others improve their whole-body health and quality of life with Pilates!

Required Workshop Resources

  • Centerworks® Basic Matwork Manual
  • Book/DVD set – Posture Principles for Health, by Aliesa George
  • Book – Return to Life Through Contrology, by Joseph H. Pilates

                                Required Materials for the Basic Mat workshop are not included in workshop fees.
                               These resources can be purchased separately at http://www.Centerworks.com/store
                               or ordered by phone when you register for the workshop.

Workshop Location:

Centerworks® Studio,
2637 N. Shefford, Wichita, KS 67205

Payment Options: Cash/Check/CC-Visa, MasterCard, AmEx

  •  Full Payment of $750
  •  Payment Plan $250 Deposit (due now) + $500 balance (on or before May 4th)

*There are two additional Matwork Workshops – Intermediate & Advanced to complete the “Matwork only” portion of
this program. The Basic Mat Workshop is the first in a series of eight Centerworks Pilates Teacher-Training
Workshops to become a comprehensively trained Pilates Teacher. Dates for the additional 2 Mat workshops and 5
equipment workshops to complete the series will be scheduled to meet the needs of the group enrolled in the Basic
Mat workshop who intend to complete the full Centerworks® Pilates Teacher-Education Program.

**To provide you with an excellent hands-on learning experience, a minimum of 4, and maximum of 8 participants
enrolled by April 30th is required for this workshop to be held. Please register early to reserve your spot!

Download a Copy of the Workshop Flyer: Centerworks_Pilates_TT_Basic-Mat-Flyer-May 4-6-2012

Call to Register Today! Aliesa – cell (316) 734-5360, or Kasondra (316) 942-1111

Abs vs. Thighs: Preparatory Exercises to Help Find the Abs & Relax the Hip Flexors for Effective Core Strengthening

***This article is the 2nd in a series of Abs vs. Thighs to improve core strengthening.  Click on the link, If you missed the first article Abs vs. Thighs: Which Muscles Are Really Working To Strengthen Your Coreto start at the beginning of this series for all the details!

Use this easy preparatory Pilates exercise to get the Abs to work more and the fronts of the legs to do less for effective core strengthening.

Getting our Abs to work more and the fronts of our legs to do less for effective abdominal strengthening is a critical component for pelvic-lumbar stabilization, proper breathing, better hip mechanics for walking & running, improved posture, and reduced low back pain.

The exercises and awareness tips I’m sharing with you are things that have helped me in my own journey to get out of my Quads and into my Abs.

And so far, every client I have progressed through this series of exercises has achieved a greater understanding and awareness of what to do, and how to do it for improved form and function.

At Home Workouts with the Pilates Arc Barrel

Have A Barrel of Fun with a Pilates Arc Barrel!  Discover the benefits of better fitness.  Improve posture, increase core strength, gain flexibility, and stay inspired to achieve whole-body health. 

There is no better way to start your day than using your Arc Barrel and doing A Barrel of Fun workout! Improve your posture, stretch tight chest and shoulder muscles, open your hips, wake up your core.  Bend your mind, and your spine with a quick 10-20 minutes of Spine Correcting fitness fun.

Joseph Pilates had some very inspirational thoughts on maintaining good health.  He said, “If your spine is inflexibly stiff at 30, you are old.  If it is completely flexible at 60, you are young.”

So where does your spine lay on this spectrum for measuring your youth and vitality?  Are you old, or are you young?  How supple is your body to bend forwards, backwards, and sideways?

The good news is that where ever you are at today, there is always the opportunity to make improvements, and the Pilates Arc Barrel and Barrel of Fun exercises are a great way to help your spine, shoulders, and hips retain their youthful mobility for better health.

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There are 45 Easy-To-Learn Pilates Arc Barrel exercises in the book, A Barrel of Fun!

  • Warm-Up Exercises
  • Core Exercises
  • Hip & Leg Exercises
  • Arm & Shoulder Exercises
  • Cool-Down & Stretching Exercises

If you already have a Pilates Arc Barrel at home, and are just looking for a great resource with exercises to keep you feeling young, you can get a copy of the A Barrel of Fun book  available in a spiral-bound book, or downloadable E-book format.

If you’re ready to get A Barrel of Fun book and a Pilates Arc Barrel, enjoy one-stop shopping and get them together now. Enjoy a discount on this Arc Barrel combo order and have everything you need delivered to your doorstep to help you keep your youth, vitality, and  enjoy the benefits of a fit and flexible spine.

The Pilates Arc Barrel is an easy-to-use piece of Pilates equipment that is a great addition to your at-home workouts! 

Order YOUR Pilates Arc Barrel and Barrel of Fun Book Today!

 

Pilates Training Tips: How to Execute a Great Side Plank

This is the 2nd article related to improving the Pilates Side Plank exercise.  If you missed the first article, Pilates Training Tips: Preparatory Exercises for Side Plank, you might find it a helpful  to review and practice some of the recommended preparatory exercises first, then progress to the more advanced Side Plank exercise described here.

Benefits of the Pilates Side Plank Exercise

Balance to support the body, strengthening the shoulders, and improving lateral torso control are three primary benefits of the Side Plank exercise.

It takes every ounce of focus to do a well-executed Side Plank.  And while the Side Plank is a great exercise to improve shoulder strength, it is also an exercise that can quickly create shoulder pain, or a shoulder injury if executed incorrectly. 

Vocal Training Benefits of Pilates

People always ask how I got started with Pilates.  Everyone finds the work with a different goal in mind.  For me, I was suffering from a voice injury.  It hurt to talk, and swallow.  My job as a Fitness Specialist and coordinator of Aerobic classes was compromised, and I have never done anything but teach! 

Teaching involves talking!!!  So I was in search of something new I could teach, that would get me out of the noisy health club environment and put me in a quiet place where I could talk safely.

And somehow I found Pilates…

Abs vs. Thighs: Which Muscles Are Really Working To Strengthen Your Core?

This article is part 1 of a 6-part series with tips to improve Pilates technique, increase effective Abdominal Strength, reduce overuse of gripping hip flexors, and improve functional mobility of the spine, pelvis, and legs.

When you do a sit-up,  Pilates Roll Up, Neck Pull, or Teaser, or even during the Ab Series of 5 in Pilates Matwork, How much are you using the Hip Flexors and Quads vs, the Abs and Psoas to do the work? 

Increasing your awareness of Abs vs. Thighs can help you change some bad habits for muscle recruitment, improve your true core strength, increase the flexibility of your back, and free up your hips & legs for better mobility.  Changing habits for Abs vs. Thighs will help you improve Ab strength, relax tight hip flexors, discover how to use your core more &  Quads less for effective sit-ups, & Pilates Roll-up exercises.

Pilates Training Tips: Prepartory Exercises for Side Plank

Here are some Pilates training tips and preparatory exercises for safe shoulders and a strong core for success with Side Plank  in an Advanced Pilates Mat workout.

In Pilates Matwork the Side Plank exercise is a part of a higher intermediate or advanced workout.  In Joseph Pilates’ book Return to Life, Joe calls this exercise The Side Bend. 

This is an excellent exercise for strengthening the arms & shoulders, as well as the lats, lumbar spine, and hips.  In order to balance the body perched on one hand and one foot, the pelvic floor, inner thighs, and core must also stay very strong and active.  The Side Plank/Side Bend is a challenging exercise to do and do well!

As with all other Pilates exercises, organizing the body for efficient movement is critical to get into and out of your Side Plank/Side Bend safely.  Done well this is an excellent arm and shoulder exercise.  Done wrong, this exercise can be one that can create shoulder problems, and shoulder pain.

Pilates Matwork Fitness Tips– Advanced One Leg Circle with a Twist

When doing the Intermediate/Advanced version of the One Leg Circle with a Twist in Pilates Matwork, there are some really important things to pay attention to for maximum benefits, support, and ease of movement to execute this exercise well.  Body awareness, and being able to quickly activate the muscles that twist & untwist the body are key in enjoying a free swinging leg, core strengthening, solid back support, and the added benefit of hip and back stretching that comes with the spiral twist of the pelvis.

There are two distinctly different versions of the Pilates Matwork Exercise – One Leg Circle for you to consider:

Pilates Matwork Fitness Tips: For The One Leg Circle Exercise

How to Hold the Hips Still On the One Leg Circle Exercise in Pilates Matwork

Use these helpful Pilates Fitness Tips to improve your exercise technique for the Pilates One Leg Circle exercise in Matwork. 

There are quite a few different variations and modifications for each of the Pilates Exercises.  Any change to an exercise has value, it just shifts the focus to help you find & feel different things that need your attention.  Different is not good or bad, just different.  It might depend on what your goals are for the workout, or what parts of your body need to become stronger or more flexible that is the deciding factor for any exercise you do.

Thinking about variations for the basic version of the One Leg Circle in Pilates Matwork, there are many ways that this exercise can be tweaked to help improve body awareness, muscle support, and technique. 

ACSM Top 20 Fitness Trends for 2012

According to an article in the Huffington Post, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has ranked the top 20 fitness trends for 2012.  A survey was completed by 2,620 ACSM certified fitness professionals.  While some things have remained the same, Pilates is off the list for the second year in a row.  But let’s take a look at the list…  Then help decide if you think Pilates should still be considered a player in the top 20 trends.

Free Resources From Centerworks For Pilates • Foot Fitness • Whole Body Health. Go To Download Directory.