Take a look through our blog to find out more about Birmingham Pilates Studios!
The Corona Virus doesn't mean that you Pilates practice has to end! We're now using Skype or Zoom to stream your lessons directly into your home. Read more to find out all about it!...
Pilates Assessment Lessons: All your questions answered!...
This exercise can helps you find the optimal starting position for exercises that we do on our sides. It teaches stability from the shoulders and gluteal muscles....
This exercise can helps you find the optimal starting position for exercises on all fours. It allows you to focus on breathing and moving simultaneously....
Explore the range of motion of the lower spine and pelvis to find your neutral position. This is your best starting position for many exercises....
Poor posture means we aren't aligned. Being aligned means we suffer less pain and injury of the lower back. It's a dynamic concept: the "neutral position"....
This exercise can help you practice other Foundations and to connect to your abdominal muscles. It gets you stronger before more challenging exercises!...
Learning to connect to your abdominal muscles is a vital Foundation of Pilates. It' will help you get the most out of all your other Pilates practice right up to the most difficult exercises....
This exercise can help you to connect to your abdominal muscles. It's a safe exercise to get stronger before starting more challenging exercises!...
Learn how to identify and activate the muscles in your lower back. A very simple exercise that almost anyone can do. It could help your back ache!...
Learn two different breathing techniques and how they help you get the best out of your Pilates practice. Find a very easy workout to get you started....
Shoulder and spinal mobility and strength! Pulling Straps on the Reformer gets your shoulder blades moving and your upper back stronger....
Perfect for people who spend a lot of time sitting! Spinal extension (bending backwards) is the perfect way to help correct a slumped posture.....
Joseph Pilates on creating change: “Change happens through movement, and movement heals” -- Return to Life (1945)...
Develop shoulder and arm strength whilst stretching your lower back. Pilates: stretch, strength and control. What's not to love?...
Above all else, exercise should be fun! They should have a positive effect on the mind and the body, Ths rolling exercise provides all that in spades!...
Hip imbalances are often compounded by activities with highly repetitive motions such as running. These exercises help to address these problems....
Good performance requires strength and coordination of the shoulder blades, glutes, hamstrings and calf muscles; the quadriceps, abdominals and hip flexors....
Helps to create a stretch of the inner thighs – perfect for runners, cyclists and anyone that needs to have open hips: footballers, martial artists or people with hip replacements. Pilates really does have something for everyone!...
A very narrow base of support combined with a moving leg makes the muscles of the front, side and back all work in a coordinated fashion to stabilise the body. Use the body as a stable platform whilst the leg moves freely!...
Helps to create a stretch of the inner thighs – perfect for runners, cyclists and anyone that needs to have open hips: footballers, martial artists or people with hip replacements. Pilates really does have something for everyone!...
The Teaser: full body integration: abdominals, shoulders, spine, hip flexors and it's a great barometer for how our practice is coming along!...
Footwork on the Reformer helps us to learn to control hip, ankle and knee joints as well as stretching, strengthening and addressing asymmetries....
This exercise combines what we learned in Rolling Like a Ball and Spine Stretch Forward, but It's difficulty is increased ... ...
Perfect for all runners and cyclists! It strengthens your spine and balances out your hamstrings with your quads. Pilates has everything for everyone!...
The full Corkscrew exercise is a very challenging exercise that works absolutely everything. These are exercises that prepare us for that challenge!...
Practice rotation. Can you think of a sport without any degree of rotation? Can you think of any activity without rotation?...
The Roll Down promotes abdominal strengthening, spinal mobility (especially lower spine), and coordination of breath with movement. ...
Learn to practice that “sticky” part of Roll Ups and Roll Downs - where we can’t support ourselves and we tend to use momentum ......
The ability to perform a plank is a fundamental in Pilates. These exercises get you started. Shoulders, wrists, spine and abdominals all get worked!...
Many people know the simple Bridging / Pelvic Curl exercise. Here is a variation: keep your pelvis level as you lift and lower your legs....
An excellent exercise for people who spend a lot of time sitting! It helps with shoulder strengthening, and stretching out hip flexors!...
The Side Series has tremendous benefits! It strengthens & mobilizes shoulders, teaches pelvic stabilisation and stretches hip flexors and hamstrings....
Srengthen and stretch your upper, mid and lower back as well as the back of your legs. Pilates meets you where you're at, it takes you to where need to get to!...
Single Leg Stretch, Double Leg Stretch and the Single Straight Leg Stretch, if you can do them all - then why not do them as a sequence? The Three of Fire!...
Abdominal strength, spinal/pelvic stability & shoulder moblsation. Pilates has got you covered, whatever your body needs! ... what's not to love? ...
Can you manage ten basic abdominal curls whilst keeping your abdominal muscles pulled in? Then you’re ready for this challenge!...
Improve the mobility of your shoulder blades. Help coordinate spine, shoulder, arm and head movements. Reach into to those top kitchen cupboards again!...
As well as strengthening and stretching the lower legs and feet, it helps us to learn to stabilize our pelvis and spine - what's not to love?...
This is a great exercise for people suffering from backache as it helps to become more aware of, strengthen and stabilise the spine and pelvis....
Calling all desk workers! Open out your shoulders! Learn how to get started with the Pilates Rockets in this video blog post....
Calling all deskworkers! Reverse slumped shoulders and sunken chest! Learn how to get started with the Pilates Mini Swan in this video blog post. ...
Are you slumping forward? Fix your posture, strengthen your back and shoulders... learn how to get started with the Mini Swan in this video blog post....
Learn how to get started with the Pilates Side series here in this video blog post. Abdominal strength is much more than just crunches!...
Learn how to get started with the Rolling Like a Ball Pilates exercise in this video blog post. Especially useful if your spine is tight or overly flexible!...
Learn how to prepare for your single Leg Circles if you have tight hamstrings in this video blog post. Especially useful for runners and cyslists....
Learn how to get started with Pre-Pilates Abdominal Curls and Rotation in this video post....
Learn how to get started with The One Hundred in this video post. It's the first exercise in the Traditional Pilates Order....
I think that the debate (a Yoga teacher even described it as a schism) about Pilates vs Yoga is tired, worn out and misleading! Find out how you can have your cake and eat it!...
#pilates4life2020 started as a "New Years' Resolution" initiative. The idea is to help people change lives through daily Pilates practice. Find out more!...
A Pilates workout on video that you can do in less than ten minutes!...
Fundraising and race report - how did I manage to run so well with so little training?...
What's in our Online Pilates Foundation course, who it's for and what it's for. ...
The Standing Leg Pumps are perfect for runners and cyclists! It focuses on pelvic stability this is a great way to minimise injuries....
... and Pilates together! Pilates is the best recovery workout there is! Bar none....
Lateral flexion and rotation are important in everyday life and in athletic activities. Sadly, they are all but forgotten in many fitness programmes. ...
Consistent daily action over time gives consistent results. It's the key ingredient in doing better work, getting in shape and achieving success....
Consistency And Persistence Are Two Vital Ingredients To Success. They are ingredients in doing better work, getting in shape and achieving success....
This advanced level exercise is a part of the Traditional Matwork repertoire. It challenges the abdominals, hip flexors and shoulders....
If you want to improve your life then you need to change how you think and this is what drives change. But there's another way of thinking about this....
This is where we're headed for: stron, supple spines and solid shoulders to support our weight....
Keep your Pilates practice on track! It's Brain Training for Pilates! This is one of the best things about Pilates - you have to use your mind!...
You've heard this advice before, I'm sure. But try simply getting up slightly earlier to perform a pre-planned positive behavioral activity....
Why is the Neutral Spine Important? The Spine connects the Shoulder Girdle and the Pelvic Girdle – like a keel of a boat connects the bulkheads… (please correct me if my terminology is wrong) … and these bulkheads support the hull of the ship against the......
Deep Core Activation Deep Core Activation is the foundation of all Pilates exercises. It is the key to all effective, elegant and balanced movement. Deep Core Activation is realised by: Multifidi Transversus abdominis Diaphragm Pelvic Floor Without the stabilization provided by the deep core......
Breathing in Pilates Breathing is the basis of our existence. It’s the first thing we do in life and from that moment, it creates the rhythm of life. Breathing techniques can be used to reduce stress, lower or raise blood pressure, improve aerobic capacity and......
How to make Pilates cheaper In the post “Why is Pilates so Expensive?” I looked at reasons why Pilates is much more expensive than other forms of exercise methods. But it is possible to make your Pilates practice more economical that it appears at......
Why is Pilates so Expensive? The Short version You get what you pay for. Pilates is expensive because: Not all Pilates is created equal Comprehensive Training (rather than just mat) and Certification is long and it’s detailed (500 hours min) ; Buying the equipment and......
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Rowing 1 aka (“Into the Sternum” or “Rowing Back – Round Back”) Like Footwork in last week’s video post, into the Sternum is not one exercise, but a whole series of (in the Classical Pilates repertoire at least) exercises: Rowing 1: Into the Sternum Rowing 2: 90°......
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Pilates Footwork It’s very tempting, and not surprising, to think of Footwork in Pilates as a basic leg strengthening exercise. Well, on the face of things, it is: on the Reformer the Footwork resembles a squat done lying down. However, the range of possibilities that are......
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Osteoporosis and Pilates Osteoporosis and it’s precursor, osteopenia are common in both men and, more often, women during and after middle age. Causing weakened bones due to lower bone mass it has many causes including both diet and inactivity. Increasing levels of activity can arrest......
Pilates & Your Pregnancy Being active is an important part of a healthy lifestyle and this is equally true during pregnancy and after delivery. Arguably, it is more important to exercise during pregnancy than at other times. However, the physical changes that accompany pregnancy will......
The Summary: you should do Pilates often Joseph Pilates is quoted as saying: “In 10 sessions you’ll feel the difference, in 20 sessions you’ll see the difference, and in 30 sessions you’ll have a whole new body”. What you don’t often read is: “or your......
New Year Resolutions: a recipe for success In the first part (click here) of this post, we looked at how, despite our best intentions, most New Year Resolutions are destined to fail: romantic ideas about change, busy lives, lack of planning and procrastination all conspire......
New Year Resolutions: destined to fail? After living so long away from Europe I had forgotten how much of a cultural icon Christmas and New Year is. Although the Festive Season means different things to different people, there is one thing that is common to......
The Problems of Ageing Pilates is a perfect exercise method for the older person. Ageing can be made difficult by several musculoskeletal changes which affect our posture and the activities we can carry out. However, a properly designed course in Pilates can mitigate and even......
Why do we get backache? To give a quick, one word answer the most important cause of non-specific lower backache (or back pain) is sitting. Of course, there are other causes: a slipped (prolapsed) disc sciatica ankylosing spondylitis (swelling of the joints in the spine)......