Pilates has cardiovascular fitness benefits. Check out the benefits of Pilates equipments exercises to strengthen your cardiac activity.
When Joseph Pilates originally set out to teach his unique exercises to German internees during World War I, little did he know that one day hundreds of fitness professionals would teach his techniques, and infomercials would sell products based on his methods. But as popular as Pilates exercise has become over the last two decades, until now no research has been conducted to scientifically validate its effectiveness. This article will look at what the first study to date has to say about the claims modern-day instructors make about the method. In particular, the following questions will be addressed:
• How many calories does a Pilates workout burn?
• Does Pilates exercise raise the heart rate enough to qualify as a cardiovascular fitness workout?
• Does Pilates exercise really target the core muscles? Specifically, how does it compare to the gold standard for abdominal exercise—the gym crunch?
• The Heart of the Matter
• To determine whether a Pilates workout has cardiovascular fitness benefits, we looked at participants’ exercising heart rates and found that they varied throughout the workouts. Some moves, like the more advanced Jack-Knife and Side Lift, boosted the heart rate well into the target zone. In contrast, exercises like the Seated Twist and Leg Circles, which are performed lying down or seated, caused the heart rate to plummet. In addition, while the intermediate and advanced workouts raised heart rate significantly from resting levels—averaging around 120 and 130 beats per minute, respectively—the heart rate response was not like that seen after classic cardio activities like jogging or indoor cycling. To keep the heart pumping (and calories burning) during a Pilates workout, exercisers would need to decrease the number of breaks between exercises and maintain a more constant flow throughout the session.
• We concluded that Pilates mat exercise, if done at an intermediate to advanced level, can provide a moderate cardio stimulus similar to that provided by some lower-impact activities like walking, but in a more interval-like way. To say that Pilates could replace higher-intensity cardio activities like running would be misleading. Even at the intermediate to advanced level, Pilates is more like flow types of yoga or circuit resistance training with light forms of resistance.
• Targeting the Abs
• Previous studies on the effectiveness of various abdominal exercises have provided information about the types of movements found to be most challenging to the midsection muscles (Juker et al. 1998; Willett et al. 2001). Using this information as a way to measure the effectiveness of Pilates exercises in the abdominal area, we placed electromyography (EMG) electrodes on the rectus abdominis (RA) and external obliques (EO) of the 12 test subjects and measured the amount of electrical output elicited by these muscles during 10 reps of five different Pilates exercises—the Hundred, the Double Leg Stretch, the Criss-Cross, the Roll-Up and the Teaser. (We also used EMG electrodes to measure the output elicited by the hip flexor muscle. See the next section on possible risks.) The basic gym crunch was used as the control.
Ref: http://www.ideafit.com/fitness-library/pilates-exercise-lessons-lab-1
6 Moves To Shrink Your Belly
Toe Dip
A. Lie on your back with your legs up and bent at 90 degrees—thighs straight up and calves parallel to the floor. Rest your hands at your sides, palms down. Keep your abs contracted and press your lower back toward the floor.
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B. Inhale and lower your left leg for a count of two ("down, down"), moving only from your hip and dipping your toes toward the floor (without letting them actually touch it). Exhale and raise your leg back to the starting position for a count of two ("up, up"). Repeat with your right leg and continue alternating until you've done 12 reps with each leg.
Leg Circle
A. Lie on your back with your legs extended along the floor. Raise your left leg toward the ceiling, with toes pointed and hands at your sides, palms down. Hold for 10 to 60 seconds. (If this position is uncomfortable, you can bend your right leg and place your right foot flat on the floor.)
B. Make a small circle on the ceiling with your left toes, rotating your leg from your hip. Inhale as you begin the circle and exhale as you finish. Keep your body as still as possible—no rocking—by tightening your abs. Do six circles, then reverse direction for six more. Repeat with your other leg.
Ref: http://www.prevention.com/fitness/strength-training/pilates-workout-6-moves-flat-belly#ixzz2TufQ2VJ6
Crisscross
A. Start as in the Toe Dip but with your hands behind your head, elbows out to the sides. Curl up to raise your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor.
B. As you inhale, rotate your torso to the right, bringing your right knee and left shoulder toward each other and extending your left leg toward the ceiling in a diagonal line from your hips. As you exhale, rotate to the left, bringing your left knee toward your right shoulder and extending your right leg. That's one rep. Do six reps.
Ref: http://www.prevention.com/fitness/strength-training/pilates-workout-6-moves-flat-belly?page=2#ixzz2TufbFS3l
Leg Kick
A. Lie on your left side with your legs straight and together so your body forms one long line. Prop yourself up on your left elbow and forearm, lifting your ribs off the floor and your head toward the ceiling. Place your right hand lightly on the floor in front of you for balance. (If this position is uncomfortable, extend your left arm on the floor and rest your head on your arm.) Raise your right leg to hip level and flex your foot so your toes are pointing forward.
B. Exhale as you kick, swinging your right leg forward as far as comfortably possible and pulsing for two counts ("kick, kick"). Inhale, point your toes, and swing your leg back past your left leg. That's one rep. Do six reps without lowering your leg. Then switch sides and repeat.
Back Extension with Rotation
A. Lie on your stomach with your forehead on your hands, palms on the floor. Separate your feet to hip width. Pull abs in.
B. Raise your head, shoulders, and chest off the floor. Rotate your upper body to the right and back to the center, then lower. Repeat to the left side and continue alternating until you've done six rotations to each side.
Ref: http://www.prevention.com/fitness/strength-training/pilates-workout-6-moves-flat-belly?page=2#ixzz2TufoA9ZU
Make your cardiovascular muscles fit with Pilates equipments exercises.
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