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By ANGELA BILLINGS
Correspondent
By
now most fitness-savvy women in Central Jersey have not only heard of
the exercise sensation known as Pilates, but probably also have taken a
mat-based class -- either at a large sports club, your local Y or JCC,
or with a DVD that Daisy Fuentes swears by. Some of you even may have
gone so far as to purchase your own Reformer, but who among our suburban
elite has strained her muscles under the watchful eye of one of Joseph
Pilates' direct disciples? Or has challenged her mind and body in a
studio equipped with the complete line of apparatus designed by Pilates
himself -- the Wunda chair, Cadillac, Tower, Barrel and Reformer? Well,
don't feel so bad --until last week, neither had I. |
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During my 12-year career in the health and fitness industry, I have had
numerous sub-par Pilates experiences. This has resulted in a nasty case
of "I don't see what the big deal is," and has led me to advise readers
and clients to avoid wasting their time. Furthermore, my distrust was
strengthened by the plethora of exercise gadgets that relentlessly
bombard Americans via infomercials and home-shopping channels -- the
only "magic results" usually being the customer's disappearing money or
reappearing injuries. The
frustrations are endless: In-home Pilates Reformers stick, scrape and
provide too little resistance; mat-based classes neglect upper body and
lower back work; and videos offer 38 variations on leg lifts (yawn). But
my personal favorite is the proclivity for certain instructors to banter
about the phrase du-jour, "the core," while neglecting almost
half of the core's strength and flexibility -- namely, the muscles of
the lower back, and the spine's extension. Obviously, I have been
decidedly unimpressed. That is, until I recently spoke with one of
Central Jersey's elite Pilates instructors: Deborah Harris. |
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"It's true," said Deborah Harris, owner of Premier Pilates in Warren, in
reference to my disappointment with inadequate mat-based Pilates
classes. "Unfortunately, certain unscrupulous people got themselves
certified not through a rigorous training program but simply by paying
$30 to $50 for an online course. As you can imagine, the quality of
instruction suffers and injuries happen."
Deborah Harris, 28, studied under
Pilates Master Teacher Romana Kryzanowska (who was left the technique by
Joseph Pilates himself), at the competitive and intense Authentic
Pilates Training Program in Manhattan. |
STAFF PHOTO BY MATHEW APGAR
Kathy Metzler, Angela Billings and Lynne Lee
exercise on
Tower units during a class at Premier Pilates & Yoga in Warren.
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A new look at an old form
Hearing these women's insistence on
thoroughly trained instructors and sharing their frustrations with the
cracks in the industry was a breath of fresh air. I promptly arranged to
have a private session at Harris' studio in Warren and a much needed
closer inspection of this 80-year-old form of exercise and
rehabilitation.
After a stint teaching Pilates at
the Pennsylvania Ballet, Harris (who also has taught Pilates to members
of Cirque du Soleil and various Broadway dancers) opened her own studio.
"We've already outgrown our original
location, and just moved to our brand new facility in July," said the
Bridgewater resident while giving me the grand tour.
At first glance, I was struck by the
beauty of the facility. Light yellow curtains filtered a sunny glow into
the spacious, clean room that was further warmed by hardwood floors.
Small, symmetrically placed floral prints gave the eyes a nice resting
place between each of the four towers (whose view no doubt comes in
handy while struggling with a move), and all of the equipment was
uniformly upholstered in a calm forest green. |
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STAFF PHOTO BY
MATHEW APGAR
Lynne Lee performing an exercise on
The Tower at Premier Pilates & Yoga
in Warren. |
Two
Reformers lay side by side, a large barrel and Wunda chair sat
invitingly near a window, and in the back -- and this is where I started
to drool -- stood the giant contraption known as the Cadillac -- a large
piece of equipment full of goodies such as a trapeze bar, fuzzy ankle
straps, a densely cushioned table about six feet long, with a canopy of
chains, straps, bars and metal poles, all designed to perfect the human
body. A frustrated gymnast such as myself couldn't ask for anything
more. It suddenly dawned on me that I -- and most women--have truly been
missing out on an entire unexplored realm of fitness, which had until
recent years largely been reserved for dancers rehabilitating from
injuries. |
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Indeed, Pilates continues to this day
to be an excellent source of rehabilitation, as Danielle Abramson, 32,
and Lynn Lee, 28, both students at Premier Pilates under Harris,
explained. "Following the
birth of my child, my posture was appalling. The tower classes and
private lessons have made a huge difference. I feel like it has really
lengthened me and pulled everything up," said Abramson of New
Providence.
Lee, a pharmacist from Bridgewater,
added, "I have always had such problems with sciatica, and since
starting the Pilates private lessons and then moving on to the tower, my
back hasn't been hurting nearly as much, and my flexibility and strength
have improved all around."
Eager to try my hand (or should I
say abs, legs, and arms) at this waist-whittling discipline, I climbed
aboard the Cadillac and rapidly moved from one posture, position and set
of bars and pulleys to another as Harris steered me into each new move
without missing a beat. Most of the exercises were quite intense, and
required only a few repetitions. |
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"Shoulders down, belly button to spine, chin to chest, roll down one
vertebrae at a time ... Good, that's it," she encouraged while I
attempted my first-ever set of rollbacks using the rollback bar on the
Cadillac. "The rollback is
good for articulating the spine."
That and making my abdomen quiver
like the proverbial bowl full of jelly. |
Kathy Metzler
performing The Rollback on
The Cadillac at Premier Pilates & Yoga in Warren. |
| My
trained ears were pleased to hear the numerous visual cues Harris
sprinkled throughout the workout. Phrases like, "On your arches -- like
a bird on a perch," "zip the thighs together" and "imagine you are
wearing an 18th century corset," kept me acutely aware of my body's form
and posture as I performed the exercises. However, I was surprised at
the amount of time spent in forward flexion of the spine -- a no-no
according to my certifications with the American College of Sports
Medicine, the industry's gold standard -- and was happy to hear that she
modifies the exercises for those with back concerns or injuries.
Escaping to fitness
After an hour and a half of numerous
advanced and moderate exercises on all of the equipment (including
hanging upside down over the large barrel -- face up for spine
extension), I found myself refreshingly stimulated, both mentally and
physically. My trembling thighs, exhausted abs and drained brain were
proof that training in a fully equipped Pilates studio is a unique
challenge that strengthens the muscles and mind in ways unavailable
elsewhere. |
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STAFF PHOTO BY
ANDREW APGAR
Angela Billings stretches on The Reformer at Premier Pilates & Yoga in
Warren. |
Birth of
abdominals Still, other
women take Pilates to recover after the birth of a baby. Sherry Donovan,
33, began Pilates after delivering her first child via C-section.
"I found that my stomach had changed
dramatically after having a baby, and I wanted to get back into shape."
She began private classes and Tower classes, and continued her Pilates
regime even through her second pregnancy. |
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"Afterward, I noticed
that because I had already been doing Pilates before the birth of my
second child, I was able to lose the abdominal fat and strengthen my
muscles so much more quickly," she added.
Jamie Pukl Werbel, 32,
found herself searching for stronger abdominal muscles. She explained,
"I delivered my son via C-section, and even three months later I still
had absolutely no strength in my stomach. All my friends said to try
Pilates, so I decided to join Premier Pilates. After two months I was
thrilled to discover that I could finally sit up from a lying down
position," she recalled with a laugh. "I've now been doing Pilates for
10 months, and my abs are stronger than they were before I got
pregnant." |
| So, with these
heartfelt testimonies, thought-provoking interviews, and my own personal
one-on-one Pilates experience, has my concern over "the core" changed?
Well, while largely focused on abdominal strength, I acknowledge that
Pilates does provide some opportunities for increasing one's lower back
strength and flexibility. This is accomplished with moves like hip
extensions and the backward stretch over the barrel. However, due to its
tremendous emphasis on forward flexion and a rounded C-curved spine, I
would suggest that a woman who wants to strengthen her lower-back
muscles and increase the range of motion in the spine's extension ensure
that her Pilates instructor -- whether in a fully equipped studio or a
mat-based class -- provide additional lower-back exercises and range of
motion exercises. |
STAFF PHOTO BY ANDREW APGAR
Premier Pilates & Yoga owner Deborah Harris . instructs Angela
Billings on a
breathing exercise on the Cadilac |
So, armed with 1) my delightfully strenuous
exposure to some of the more than 500 specific exercises created by Joseph
Pilates; 2) the fact that most certifications require a 600-plus hour
apprenticeship and 3) hearing the testimonies from women who have rehabilitated
and reshaped their bodies, I am happy to report that I have a newfound
enthusiasm for the Pilates technique (you didn't think otherwise, did you?), and
I wholeheartedly encourage my readers and clients to give themselves the best
experience possible -- take a whirl around a fully equipped studio under the
superior leadership of a Pilates instructor.
About the Author:
Angela Billings received her master's
degree with an emphasis in health and sports psychology from the University of
Memphis. She has received certifications from AFAA (Group Exercise Instructor),
ACSM (Health & Fitness Instructor and Advanced Personal Trainer) and has taught
everything from spinning to competitive women's gymnastics in New Jersey. She
has provided health and fitness seminars to Fortune 100 companies and operates
an in-home personal training business in New Jersey and New York. She now
resides in Manhattan where she studies opera and is working on an anti-aging
book for women age 50 and older.
from the Courier News website
www.c-n.com
(
Premier Pilates & Yoga - (908) 754 5901
. 53 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, NJ 07059
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