Here are a few frequently asked questions about Pilates.  We hope you find this information helpful. (We think Pilates training is one of the best ways you can improve your whole-body health.)  And it's a great complement to every other fitness and recreational sport activity you enjoy.

Question: How much does it cost to do Pilates?

Aliesa George Answers: Fees for Pilates training will vary depending upon the services you utilize. Private training fees can range from $40 to more than $100 per hour depending on the expertise and qualifications of the teacher. (Fees for Pilates Lessons are comparable to Personal Training at a gym or health club.) Mat Class fees can range from $8 to $25 or more per class. Group Pilates Equipment classes (Reformer, Tower, Chair, or other) are also becoming popular. Equipment classes are generally limited to fewer participants than a Mat class, so expect fees to be slightly higher. ($12-$40/class) Studios may offer discounts for packages, special pricing for specific services or other programs in addition to Mat classes and Private Training. Fees might also be slightly higher or lower than the estimates given here - depending on the city or area of the country you live in.

Aliesa George Answers: Books and videos can be good tools to help you remember what you’re doing. However, nothing can replace the eye of a qualified and experienced Pilates teacher to help you understand the exercises and find the right muscles to do each exercise correctly. Books and videos will show you the basics of the exercises, but won’t help you become aware of the ways you’re cheating, or help to identify your bad habits and assist you in correcting them. Also, not every exercise is for every person. Following exactly what’s on a video may be dangerous for your body. Besides, just doing Matwork is only half of the system, so you’re missing out on half the benefits Pilates has to offer. Use of both the Pilates equipment and mat exercises is the ideal and best way to utilize the Pilates system.

A qualified Pilates teacher can help you:

• Find the right muscles to get the most benefit from the exercises.
• Learn how to modify or tweak the exercises for your body to be in safest position.
• Identify which exercises are appropriate for your body and which exercises you should skip or wait awhile before adding to your workout.

Question: How do I know if my Pilates instructor is a qualified teacher?

Aliesa George Answers: Great Question! Anyone can call themselves a Pilates Teacher – If they’ve read a book and watched a video, participated in a weekend workshop, or completed a Comprehensive Pilates Teacher-Training program. It’s a buyer-beware market right now. To the uneducated consumer, without asking questions, you may not know if your teacher has the background and experience necessary to really help you get the most from your Pilates training experience.

The Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) is an international non-profit organization to provide information and education to Pilates teachers and consumers. For more information, or to search for a Pilates Teacher/Studio near you visit: http://Pilatesmethodalliance.org

The PMA™ recommends that anyone wishing to teach the Pilates Method:

• Participate in a Pilates exercise program prior to attending a teacher training program.
• Attend a comprehensive training program, and maintain a commitment to education.

The following are general guidelines, questions, and information you can use to help search for a qualified Pilates teacher:

1. Are the instructors trained through a comprehensive training program?
2. Did that training program require a written and practical test, lecture, observation, practice and apprentice hours?
3. How many total hours were spent in the training program? (The Pilates Method is a knowledge based method of exercise and training. Time spent in certification training produces qualified teachers.)
4. Does the instructor have any other movement related teaching experience.
5. How long have the instructors been teaching Pilates?
6. What is the instructor's / studio's philosophy and specialty? Are they able to handle special needs, injuries and rehabilitation?
7. Does the instructor or studio teach the full repertoire of Pilates on all pieces of apparatus?

Question: What is the difference between using the Pilates equipment and Matwork?

Aliesa George Answers: The Pilates Matwork is actually the most difficult part of the method, because you have to do all the work to stabilize and support your body. The Pilates equipment, Reformer, Cadillac, Chairs, & Barrels, place the body in a non-weight bearing position, taking stress and pressure off your joints while strengthening and stretching the body. The equipment has spring tension which works similarly to a muscle contraction helping the body understand how to move correctly and efficiently. Working with the Pilates equipment helps strengthen the body to better support and use the right muscles for doing Pilates Matwork. If you have injuries, medical concerns, or any doubts about your safe participation in “group” Pilates classes, it would be best to begin with individual training and use of the equipment to ensure your safe participation and help you get the most benefit possible from working out with the Pilates system. Ideally, all participants should do both Mat and equipment training during their Pilates workouts.

Question: What is the difference between Pilates & Yoga?

Aliesa George Answers: There are many different forms of Yoga, so it’s not really a fair comparison. Both are systems for whole-body health, and utilize mind, body and breath but from there they are very different. Joseph Pilates developed his system based on his study of both Eastern and Western forms of exercise, so many Pilates exercises do look similar to Yoga postures, but the thought process, focus, and emphasis are not the same. If you were to compare Pilates to Hatha Yoga, Pilates is active, vigorous movement to connect the mind & body, and Hatha Yoga Postures are still positions to quiet and connect the mind & body. Pilates breathing emphasizes inhaling through the nose to filter the air, and a strong exhale through the mouth to empty as much air from the lungs as possible. Yoga breathing is both in & out through the nose – in a quiet, contemplative manner. Hatha Yoga postures do not require any special equipment, Pilates has a series of floor work exercises, and apparatus that should be utilized together as a system to facilitate strength and flexibility, teaching participants how to move the body correctly and efficiently. Many Yoga students (and Yoga teachers) have commented that the things they have learned about their body, posture, movement, and support through Pilates has greatly benefited their Yoga practice.

Question: What are the benefits of Pilates training?

Aliesa George Answers: The benefits of Pilates Training are many! Pilates requires complete control over mind-body-and movement. Every client receives the benefits their body needs. This is achieved through conscious effort to execute each exercise as correctly as possible. Some clients see changes in how their body looks and how their clothes fit, other clients are no longer bothered by chronic aches and pains. Less fatigue, more energy, improved seated and standing posture, increased muscular strength with the development of longer, leaner muscles, improved flexibility, increased body awareness, improved breathing and breath control, improved mental outlook, improved concentration & focus, more efficient movement habits to benefit daily life activities, rehabilitation of soft tissue injury, reduced chance of injury or re-injury, and the ability to move with grace & ease. The Pilates system takes the stress off your joints while enjoying a fun and efficient total body workout.

Aliesa George Answers: Why not get maximum results from your fitness program. The Pilates principles apply to everything you do to move your body. Becoming aware of your strengths, weaknesses, and muscle imbalances, can help you be more conscious in all of your fitness activities to work correctly and efficiently. The benefits you gain from “tweaking” your body mechanics, getting your muscles to work in the correct order, and using the most efficient muscles during each exercise should transfer to all of the other forms of exercise you participate in. This means Pilates can help you get more benefits from every different activity you enjoy for exercise.

Question: Why is Pilates so different than lifting weights for strength training?

Aliesa George Answers: Both Pilates and weight lifting improve muscle strength. The Pilates exercises focus on strengthening the body from the inside out for functional strength. This is a part of why Pilates develops longer, leaner muscles. Most of the Pilates exercises place the body in a low to non-weight bearing position – taking the stress off the body while developing both strength and flexibility. The spring tension that you work against with the Pilates equipment simulates muscle contraction and elongation. Your muscles are working all the time in both directions with every movement. Most weight lifting exercises hold the spine in a still, neutral position. Pilates emphasizes changing the spine position to facilitate movement of each segment of the spine in all directions – bending forwards, backwards, side bending, and twisting. This emphasis helps to build balanced strength and flexibility throughout the whole torso. Pilates is also a low repetition system – the goal is to do each exercise only a few times as well as possible – reinforcing proper movement habits and leaving muscles with the memory of how to work correctly. If you are too fatigued to use the right muscles and attempt more reps your chance of recruiting the wrong muscles is very high – and injury may result. Pilates is an excellent tool for improving your results in the weight room if weight lifting is an activity you enjoy. You will gain the added benefit of improved mobility with great strength.

Question: How many days a week should I do Pilates?

Aliesa George Answers: Since the Pilates system is a combination of strength and flexibility training, your body needs the practice and reinforcement of skills you are learning. It is best to begin with one-on-one sessions with the Pilates equipment to identify assist in quickly improving your body. Group Matwork classes can be a fun and economical way to learn the Pilates floor work exercises. For the best results your program should include both Mat and equipment training 2-4 days per week.

Question: What if my schedule won’t allow me to participate at least 2 days a week?

Aliesa George Answers: One day a week is not ideal, the changes in your body happen so slowly with one hour to learn and six days and twenty-three hours to forget, progress at this pace may be frustrating. If your schedule will not permit you to be in class or private sessions a minimum of 2 days a week – it is important that you request a home program. If you are willing to practice some of what you are learning at home between sessions you will be reinforcing the new habits you are establishing with your Pilates training and it will be easier to progress more quickly.

Question: How quickly will I see results from my Pilates training?

Aliesa George Answers: Most students begin to notice changes after their first session! The focus and attention to detail that is a part of learning Pilates helps your efficiency in getting results. Joseph Pilates said, “You’ll feel better after 10 sessions, look better after 20, and have a whole new body after 30 sessions.”