Reformer pilates may be en vogue, but never underestimate the importance of returning to the foundations of classical pilates if you're looking to get the most out of your practice
Fast track your practice
You may remember the first time you learned to swim. It wasn’t easy at first, but after a few intense sessions in the deep, you became competent, if not pretty good. Maybe it was tennis, golf, or basketball…the same goes for them, and the same goes for Pilates. If you take part in an intensive challenge to learn or boost your Classical practice, you are taught the benefits of a system, developing your abilities, understanding what level you’re at so that you can choose the right class for you to improve.
That’s how you see real change.
It’s like learning a language. You get the foundations and build on that. With an intensive approach, you’re not spending years doing the same thing over and over again and never progressing to the next level. You get results sooner, which makes it so much more enjoyable.
Don’t get stuck in a rut
Over time, we can get so used to doing a sequence that we lose focus. One of the best ways to break this cycle is to take on a challenge that’s intensive and done in a set time period. This cements the basics and reminds us where our strengths and weaknesses are so we can evolve.
This is where simple mat Pilates can come in; you may have practised Pilates on a Reformer or Tower for a long time, and if so, how does it feel when you go back to the mat? Many newcomers to mat Pilates are often terrified of the equipment. Then, once they get going on the equipment, poor humble mat class becomes forgotten.
See also: The Rise And Rise Of Classical Pilates