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Grace Under Pressure
Ten years ago, 5,000 people did the exercise routine called Pilates. The number now is 5 million in America alone. But what is it, exactly?
By Yahlin Chang
A few months ago, as my jogging companion and I huffed and heaved our way through Central Park, I gasped out, "There... must... be... an easier way." "There is," she responded. "Pilates." She knew how to pronounce it (pi-lah-teez), she knew who did it (Julia Roberts, Sharon Stone, Madonna), and she knew it had completely changed Melanie Griffith's life. But neither she nor any of my other friends, all of whom were suddenly talking about it, could actually describe what it was. I gathered that it was some sort of stretching regimen that could magically make you longer and stronger, without the sore joints and the dripping sweat. Then I found Mari Winsor's new book, "The Pilates Powerhouse," in which the personal-trainer-to-the-stars claims that Pilates not only takes inches off your stomach, thighs and buttocks, but also reduces stress, gives you confidence and makes you "operate on a higher level of consciousness." Having completely missed out on yoga, step, qi gong and tae bo, I resolved not to let this bandwagon pass me by.
Pilates is a series of low-impact flexibility and muscle exercises developed by the German fitness guru Joseph Pilates. For decades it's been a secret of the physical elite, practiced by dancers and athletes trying to minimizeinjuries; choreographers Martha Graham and George Balanchine sent their students to Pilates for training. Now, as aging boomers and refugees from the high-impact workouts of the '80s discover it, Pilates has made its way from dance studios and physical therapists' offices to high-end health clubs across the country. A small book and video industry has also sprung up for those who want to try it at home. A decade ago 5,000 people did Pilates; today, by some estimates, Pilates has touched the lives of 5 million Americans.
It touched mine at the Reebok Sports Club/NY. Upon enrolling, I was assigned a personal trainer, Sharon Korty, who is tall and smiley and costs $75 an hour. I figured I'd do the bulk of my training in the free classes the gym offers, but Sharon told me to stay away — novices need individual attention. "If you're in a big group," she said, "how will you learn the choreography and understand the fine details? How will you get into the true essence of Pilates?"
That essence is a mix of yoga and Jane Fonda with a dash of tai chi thrown in. Most of the exercises start from a supine position and involve lifting some combination of limbs, head and back. The more complicated ones require the use of springs and pulleys, rigged up on special equipment reminiscent of medieval torture contraptions. The scarily named Reformer (pictured) offers advanced levels of resistance, but can also make certain exercises easier, since you're not fighting gravity by yourself. The Cadillac — two springs hooked up to parallel poles — helps hold you in place as you work your thighs, buttocks and lower back. The exercises are generally much harder than they look, but while my muscles occasionally shake getting into position, they never, to my surprise, actually hurt.
The Pilates method requires that you control all your movements from "the powerhouse" (also known as the "six-pack"): the muscles in the center of your body that connect your abdomen to your lower back and buttocks. Sharon is sweet and unfailingly chipper, which is why I was caught off guard when she turned out to be the sternest of taskmasters — urging me to quicken the pace on each exercise, not letting me cheat even the tiniest bit. She could tell when I was using my back muscles instead of my abdomen to lift my back, and she sounded not just disappointed but genuinely sad when I clunked my legs down rather than using my stomach muscles to lower them gracefully. In our first session I didn't understand what she meant half the time, barking out orders like "Pull your navel to your spine!" It took me a few sessions to realize that that was exactly what she meant; and by then, to my surprise, I had actually figured out how to do it.
The claim Pilates makes is this: by focusing on your powerhouse, the exercises recenter and realign your body, improving your posture, draining tension away from your neck and shoulders, increasing circulation and flexibility and balance. Because you do only five to 10 repetitions of each exercise, and the movements are small and controlled, Pilates strengthens and lengthens your muscles without bulking them up — hence the attraction for dancers and actresses. In fact, I did walk out of each session feeling a little calmer and a little taller, and I wondered if dancers always felt this light on their feet. While I hadn't completely transformed my body after two months, I was certainly more aware of it; outside of class, I'd remind myself not to slouch, and I'd scold myself for sudden and jerky movements, just as Sharon would scold me.
I never realized how clunky and awkward I really was until I watched Sharon do the exercises with a fluidity and elegance I could never hope to match. Fishing for approval at the end of each session, I'd ask her if I was any good. She'd smile and tell me I was "getting better." For her, Pilates isn't just an exercise, it's an art. You can always, she said, be more precise, more graceful, more beautiful. And, as with all the arts, hierarchy and lineage are of the utmost importance. Sharon studies advanced Pilates with "master teachers" — people who studied with Pilates himself. In fact, the director of the Pilates Studio in Manhattan has won trademark lawsuits that prevent other people from using the Pilates name to market their (presumably less pure) versions of the exercises.
I've stopped doing Pilates, mainly because it's too expensive, and all the personal attention started to feel self-indulgent. My muscles do look and feel more toned, but I never reached the heights of spiritual enlightenment Winsor had promised. Even though the typical Pilates body is long and sleek, the typical Pilates student happens to be a dancer, and at this point, I doubt I'll ever look like one. And while advanced Pilates workouts are as heart-poundingly aerobic as anyone could want, I missed my high-impact, high-exhaustion, run-till-you-drop endorphin rush through Central Park. But I know that as soon as I tear up my joints pounding the pavement, Pilates will be there for me. I miss Sharon, but I also feel like she's still with me — a voice in my head reminding me, as I walk down the street or sit at my desk, to focus on my powerhouse and to always, always pull my navel to my spine.
Pilates Power
These exercises look a lot easier than they are. Use your abdominal muscles to control all your movements with patience as well as grace.
THE HUNDRED (BEGINNER)
How: Pull your knees into your chest, bring your legs up, then lower them. Pump your arms up and down 100 times, inhaling and exhaling through your nose every five counts.
Why: To warm up the body, get your blood pumping and your breathcirculating
THE TEASER (INTERMEDIATE)
How: Pull your knees into your chest, then extend your legs out at a 45-degree angle. Roll up into a V with your arms pointing at your toes. Bring your arms back to your ears and roll back down to the mat. Why: To exercise balance, control and breathing
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