Feeling a little awkward?
If you haven’t done a Pilates reformer class before, then you probably felt a little uncoordinated and out of your depth. That’s perfectly natural, everyone feels like that to begin with.
You’ll get the most benefit by being consistent, especially in the beginning. So don’t just try it once or twice and give up. It’s like learning anything new. It all just takes a little practice, but by about your third or fourth class, your muscle memory kicks in, and you’ll be wondering why you were ever worried.
It’s also important to remember that Pilates is not a competition. It’s about you and your body at any given time. Please don’t put pressure on yourself to be able to do the same intensity or range of movement as the person next to you – they may be seasoned Pilates goers or simply have a different range of movement to you. It’s important to work at your own pace.
And of course, your highly experienced instructor will be there with you every step of the way, helping you get into position and execute each exercise safely, so that you get the most out of it. Each exercise is able to be modified from beginner to advanced, allowing you to do a workout that suits you best for now, and increasing the intensity as your body conditioning improves.
Feeling a little sore?
That’s perfectly normal too. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (or DOMS for short) and it’s a sign that the body is already starting to tone up!
Stretching is important before and after class to reduce muscle soreness, but the other big thing is to continue to move – so book in for your next class straight away and don’t let a little muscle stiffness stop you from achieving your goals. If a body part is super sore, just let your instructor know and they will modify your resistance or exercise accordingly to make it more comfortable for you.
Having said that, the Studio Pilates reformer puts the body in a non-weight bearing position, which removes added stress and pressure from the joints that one may possibly feel participating in other types of exercise programs. Our classes are incredibly safe when done properly.
Your safety comes first and this is why our classes are designed by our team of physiotherapists. You should never feel any pain in your neck, back or any of your joints at any time. If you are having any physical concerns, please speak to your instructor before your next class, so they can work with you to optimise or modify your technique.
Feeling fabulous?
You might be feeling a few other things after your Studio Pilates workout: Invigorated. Strong. Energised. Motivated. Empowered. Challenged. That’s all very normal too. In fact, expect to feel more of these things as you come along more often.
Getting in a rhythm
It’s really important to be consistent with your workouts. Coming regularly will help you not only get the hang of the exercises more quickly, but will also bring about the results you are working toward much quicker. So, if you haven’t booked your next few classes yet, jump online and do it now! Think of it as your reward in your busy day
