N2Fitness

As an athlete and personal trainer myself who has practiced Pilates, I find it odd that as a trainer you'd buy into the hype that Pilates is some sort of majical exercise regimen -- when in fact, Pilates is just the name of the person who developed the regimen of exercises; and the regimen itself is nothing more than a series of "bodyweight training" exercises, and a series of stretching and strength training exercises that is done on a mat on the floor, and/or on a special piece of equipment (ie, Pilates reformer; Pilates chair).

Because of this -- the fact it's merely a stretching/strengthening regimen, which is performed at only a low-to-moderate intensity (eg, cardiac output), and involves very low volumes and resistive loads -- Pilates is just not adequate for nor capable of producing very significant physical changes including weight loss and more important, a reduction in body fat mass. To achieve the latter requires much greater intensity levels and higher volume/ loads.

The people who benefit the most from a Pilates regimen are already physically-fit -- and have a relatively low body fat percentage. These persons also face significantly less risk for pain and injuries as a result of performing Pilates, which can be high risk due to the intensive stretching of the joints; and if a person is lacking in joint flexibility, yet is doing exercises that require them to have very good joint flexibility -- as is the case with Pilates, Yoga and other forms of exercise -- their risk for injury skyrockets. The more fit persons -- who are already lean, have overall flex

Plus, if the person is after fat/ weight loss, Pilates will leave them frustrated -- to get the body's systems reved up enough to burn significant body fat during and after the workout, the person must do Pilates non-stop for hours. Madonna performs 3 hours of Pilates per day! Guess what, if you do ANY physical activity for 3 hours non-stop, you will lose weight! It's not Pilates that's producing the weight loss -- it's the non-stop physical activity that's causing the body to get rid of its stored fat!

So the moral here is simple: Do Pilates. But know exactly what the risks and rewards are -- and don't buy into the hype that floods this industry of ours. If you're already fit and reasonably conditioned -- ie, are within 5% of your ideal body fat composition; or within 5 to 8 pounds of ideal body weight; and you have good overall strength, flexibility, agility, balance, coordination and other fitness variables -- important for safe performance of exercises including but not limited to Pilates [which requires you to have these capacities just to be able to do the Pilates exercises without risk for injuries -- then, by all means, do Pilates! Because you will benefit and may see certain results almost immediately. Why? Because you are already conditioned! -- and the only thing Pilates will do is tax your systems in a new way, causing those systems to adapt [which in turn results in an improvement that is felt or seen]. This is exercise physiology 101. This is how our body works! It's not because of the exercise itself -- Pilates in this case. It's the way God engineered ou

Lean "Hollywood bodies" get that way because they can afford to shell out big bucks -- 3-4 hours a day with a trainer.

Monica: Okay, I may have committed a crime to express a different professional opinion than yours -- and on your own blog! I consider you a colleague and meant no disrespect to you nor your readers, nor the Pilates studio you've plugged in your blog.

Leave it to me to hog your blog. For having done so, name your favorite charity -- in St. Louis -- and I will donate $100 cash and/or in-kind services to their cause.

I have not been on these blogs for a very long time and I did not intend to return with my mouth wide open to this extent. Issues such as this trigger my sensitivities -- to fitness myth and misconceptions. This would seem to be a fair blog hog policy: if you hog the blog, expect to pay!

~B

description of the exercises he created, but “Pilates” has become the generic brand for his work. There are some who religiously repeat only those exercises that Joe himself showed them. There are also those who have watched a few videos and obtained an internet 3-hour certification. There is a large population of dedicated professionals in between these extremes. There are posers and charlatans in any human endeavor. I am sure you would be able to cite a number in the Personal Training business. The fact that there are fakers and scam artists making impossible claims, does not refute or diminish the efforts of Trained Pilates Instructors creating benefits in peoples lives daily.

You may not be aware that Pilates is being used regularly by Physical therapists to assist in rehabilitation from injuries. You also might benefit from learning instructors trained by STOTT Pilates™ are regularly prepared to deal with Injuries and Special Populations. Pilates is a very personal experience. There is an intensity and challenge level appropriate for each of us.

Any exercise performed within an aerobic range for sufficient duration will initiate fat burning. This can be walking, swimming, bicycling and a variety of other exercises including Pilates.

I hope I have been able to address your concerns, and would invite you to visit us at our studio to learn more and find out how you can continue your daily Pilates exercises without adding any more damage to your joints.

Regards,
Michael & Monika Nobs

exercise training nor recommendations of any kind.

I know exactly what you are referring to when you say "[trainers who think of themselves as an expert as a result of their] internet 3-hour certification" -- and can attest to the gravity/ seriousness of these and other quacks in our industry. I hold university-based degrees -- including formal education [didactic and practical curricula] in health and medical sciences, exercise physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology, etc -- two nationally-accredited fitness industry certifications -- including the one and only board-certification in our industry [not to mention the only fitness certification that requires a 4-year degree in health/ exercise sciences, just for exam eligibility. Passing both the written and practical examinations are entirely different matter (ie, a 40% failure rate). MDs and PTs -- who know a thing or two about quality and risk -- also hold this credential [certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) through the NSCA. My point: You are absolutely correct in that Pilates quality -- and trainer competency in regards to Pilates instruction [and all exercise training for that matter] -- is highly variable.

Therein lies the reasons for the grave risks for neuromusculoskeletal injuries and pain and disorders when performing exercise. Not when performing Pilates. In other words, you are correct -- namely, I made the error in not making a distinction -- a very critical distinction -- between (a) the intent, reason for doing, purpose, quality, safety, value, results produced from the performance of

including any trainers whom she may associate with, etc.

Furthermore, despite the importance of university-based education and national accreditation, there are many many trainers without these [academic and professional credentials] whom are exceptional trainers! Just as there are folks who hold these credentials who are somewhat horrible trainers! I I speak professionally on the issue, and have written feature articles in fitness industry trade magazines on this issue of competence and quality.

Where we disagree is in regards to your statement "any exercise performed within an aerobic range for sufficient duration will initiate fat burning." Yes. But not to the degree most people erroneously think.

I can go into a very detailed presentation of exercise sciences -- in lay terms -- and can provide countless evidence including textbooks and research studies conducted and written by folks much smarter than myself; holding the best credentials [MDs, PhDs]. But before these sciences can be understood -- even the very basics and fundamentals of exercise sciences, particularly those that pertain to this highly-complex area (ie, metabolic physiology) -- requires a person to have [already] at least an intermediate-level knowledge of the same sciences! A person -- be it you or anyone -- has to understand basic biological principles including cellular metabolism -- just to be able to grasp and apply basic principles of cellular metablism during and after exercise. This is where people go wrong -- this is why there is more misinformation and myth about fitness and weight l

And sleep, by definition, is long duration. In fact, sleep is of continuous duration for 6 to 8 hours. Even if it were 3 hours, sleep for 3 hours is very long duration. Sleep is in the aerobic range. In fact, sleep is in the so-called "fat burning zone" -- which is another hijacking of basic exercise sciences [deceptivel marketing hype].

Sleep is in the aerobic range. And make no mistake, anything and everything we do -- 24 x 7 -- is considered "exercise" -- again, it's basic physiology and physics. And so, sleep is technically an exercise -- why/ how? Because to the human body, all movement including the beating of your heart and activation of smooth muscle tissues [what lines your arteries] is considered "work" -- and "work" is exercise. Pick up a book on 10th grade physics and you'll read about this. Find a book from the 1950s on "exercise" and instead of seeing the word "exercise" used throughout the book, you will see the word "work" used over and over and over. It's basic science.

It's too bad that what you say is erroneous. Because "any exercise performed within an aerobic range for sufficient duration" is what 99.9% of most people's days -- 24 x 7 x 365 consist of. Sitting on the couch watcing TV is "exercise performed within an aerobic range for sufficient duration" -- as is driving your car and sitting in traffic.

It's basic sciences. The KEY lies in what I said in my original post -- intensity [in relation to the work performed on a physiological level and other variables].

This is why those of us whom are knowledgeable on the practical applicatio

If you don't, losing weight and losing fat is literally impossible. That is the whole problem with the whole system in this country.

People lack awareness of how their own body works! And when you lack awareness of something you don't know that you don't know. And when you don't know something, it is impossible to take the right actions.

I have written long enough and revealed more than I wanted to reveal. Oh well. Most whom know me, know this already.

Other than the above we are in agreement. But the above is the most important aspect. And so, I encourage you to read up on and study these sciences. It was the sciences -- and my own significant transformation via my ability to apply these sciences in my own daily life, from age 18 to the present -- some 30 years later -- that give me the insights I have.

And hey, I may visit the studio! I welcome the invitation and appreciate it. But probably will not because of embarrasment for having been a blog hog.

But if I were to stop by the studio I would not be there to practice Pilates to avoid "any more damage to [my] joints." Thanks for your consideration but I have no joint damage.

That's one of many other things that a person, who knows what they're doing -- and who knows how their body functions and who knows its limitations, can and will avoid via smart decisions. As mentioned earlier in this dissertation, it's not the exercise -- in this case Pilates -- that may produce a result. It's the knowledge a person has between their ears. And you can't get that from physical exercise. That's only had through

Brian, I appreciate your candid responses. You can donate to Ponybird Home in Mapaville for severely disabled children. This is a charity I hold very near and dear to my heart. Glad you continued your blog so the kids win in the end. Linda Dallas, the executive director, will be thrilled!