Pilates for Fitness

3 Tips to Keep Your Fitness Mojo Strong Through Summer

July 10, 2014 by JoAnna

Every season comes with excuses why we all can’t get to the gym or keep to our fitness goals: holidays are meant to be celebrated, friends or family are visiting, or the inevitable “I’m too busy.”

We could all use a little fitness motivation at this point of the summer, particularly when scheduling time to get to the gym seems extra hard after a long night of BBQ and beers. Trust us, make the time! It’s worth it! It’s always easier said than done, so here are several tips to keep your fitness mojo going strong all summer long.

1. Make Your Goals Bite-Sized Over the Summer

Instead of lamenting you didn’t make your bikini body dream goal before the heat hit this summer, remind yourself that fitness goals don’t stick if they’re one-and-done items. Keep your fitness goals manageable this summer by breaking them into bite-sized (read: easily obtainable) items, such as aiming to walk 5 minutes more in your cardio each week.

Firehaus Pilates Studio in Denver | Summer Fitness Motivation Tips

2. Keep Your Brain Engaged

Oftentimes when we don’t want to hit the gym, it’s not that we’re tired or too busy – instead, we’re bored of the same old routine! To keep your summer fitness motivation strong, switch it up. Swap out a yoga class for a Pilates class; make your cardio interesting again by trying out high-intensity interval training (HIIT); or add in short breaks of staring at the sky to give your mind and body a break.

3. Stop Being “Too Busy”

Who said that workouts had to be 60 minutes or more at a time? Learning to work out in just 10-15 minutes a day will help you break the inaccurate mentality that workouts have to be long, strenuous, and blocked off constantly in your schedule. Yes, it’s ideal to put your workouts on your calendar on a regular basis (simply to form the habit of working out); however, when you feel like being active and it’s not on your calendar, embrace it!

Looking for more fitness motivation? Stay tuned to our blog or come straight into our Pilates studio in Denver!

4 Common Pilates Form Mistakes to Avoid

June 17, 2014 by JoAnna

Firehaus Pilates Denver Studio As proper form is essential in all sports and physical fitness, it’s even more crucial within Pilates. Having incorrect form will not only train your body incorrectly (leaving you sore and bent out of shape), but can also increase the chance of injury. Having solid form in your Pilates practice allows for a low risk full body workout that will leave your body in perfect balance. Keep an eye out for these four common mistakes in your Pilates practice and build your strength and resolve in Pilates once again:

1. Hanging Your Head

Pilates is all about being conscious of your every movement and every muscle, but interestingly, many people forget about one of the simplest movements in Pilates: keeping your head in line with your body. To prevent putting stress on your neck and shoulder muscles, remember to keep your head aligned with your body, especially during ‘simple’ exercises like a plank or push-up. Instead of looking to your toes in plank and for a pushup look to a spot on the ground right in front of you.

2. Tight Shoulders & Back

You know that tight, hunched over feeling you may get after a long day at work and at the computer? This also occurs when you keep your shoulders tight and shrugged up during your Pilates practice. Always remember to keep your shoulders back and relaxed during Pilates, which will help you avoid back injuries while keeping your muscles relaxed and ready.

The important thing is to keep your spine flat against the ground especially when you are doing exercises on your back. A great way to test your form is to lay on the ground and make a diamond with your hands. Place your thumbs by your belly button and it should be even with your pelvic bone.

3. Forgetting to Keep Your Abs In

By consciously engaging your abdomen in the exercise routine, you’ll see much quicker results whether your Pilates practice is for fitness, weight loss, or injury rehab. Staying conscious of keeping your abdominal muscles contracted during each Pilates exercise will help to improve the full body workout Pilates is known for.

4. Quantity over Quality

The goal of Pilates is not to “out exercise” your mat neighbor, rack up your number of reps per exercise, or rush through to the finish of the Pilates class. Pilates is about self control and stability, so you’re mentally present and aware of all your muscles during each exercise. To avoid injuries in Pilates such as muscle tears or sprains, it’s important to not just go through the motions, but to understand that each motion in Pilates is strengthening an intricate web of connective tissue and muscle within your body to help you grow stronger, become more flexible, and feel more energized throughout the day.

6 Ways Pilates Will Improve Your Golf Game

April 22, 2014 by JoAnna

A good golf swing isn’t easy to master. It requires proper mechanics and a solid swing plane. Beyond practicing golfing techniques over and over, a golf swing requires strength, flexibility, and a strong core, all of which can be attained with Pilates. If you’ve been playing golf for some time, but lately you just seem stuck in a rut, Firehaus Pilates can help!

Take your game from just “par” to green blazer worthy with the following six reasons Pilates will improve your golf game:

1. Pilates helps relieve back pain

Back pain is a fairly common complaint, particularly among golfers. If you lack strong core muscles and are using more of your back muscles when swinging, you could hurt yourself quite badly when twisting. It’s important to twist with your abs on a swing, because a quick movement with your back can easily pull a muscle, especially around your spine. Alleviate back pain and prevent back injuries with Pilates, as it strengthens your ab muscles and improves your swing.

2. Pilates improves rib cage mobility

When you take that long drive across on the first green it’s important you extend your chest on the follow through. Many golfers are limited by the short range of motion especially along the sides of their rib cage. This directly impacts your back-swing, which is going to drastically limit the distance of your drive. Improve your flexibility and rib cage mobility with Pilates exercises.

3. Pilates enhances shoulder stability

Strengthening your shoulder muscles will aid in your swinging stability, which is going to help keep your shots on the green, help you generate more power, and also help you get that solid line drive so many golfers struggle with. Golf is a precision sport and shaky shoulders are a killer when you’re trying to hit a golf ball.

4. Pilates also helps stabilize your trunk during power shots

Truck stability will help you generate power on each shot, but it also lets you focus more on your swing. Regular Pilates exercises can help you get a confident and controlled swing. This is especially important while putting, as a strong trunk will allow you to line-up on a perfect 100-yard put.

5. Maximize your core strength with Pilates

Core strength is essential in any golf swing; it helps your balance as well as gives you the power and control you desire. If you’ve experienced back problems, this is a great way to help relieve some of that stress you may be experiencing. If you struggle with a poor swing rotation this is a great way to not only improve your swing, but also to help prevent injuries.

6. Body awareness

With all of your attention on the ball it’s sometimes easy to forget about the rest. Be aware of your surroundings and make your golfing stance as easy as stepping up to the tee.

At Firehaus Pilates in Denver we offer not only Pilates for Fitness, but also Pilates for Rehab, Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates, and even Pilates for Seniors!

NEW Pilates Cardio Bootcamp – Weekly Classes

February 18, 2014 by JoAnna

Pilates Cardio Bootcamp

Wednesdays at 6:30 pm starting January 22nd with Clare

This is a great way to torch calories and see impressive results in a short period of time! This is an equipment-based class that includes traditional Pilates exercises and popular fitness moves. This barefoot boot camp adds an extra dimension of balance and core control without the risk of injury as well as reduced back and joint pain. You will see improved posture, alignment, body awareness as well as toned strong muscles. Previous Pilates experience is required.

Check out our Pilates Schedule here, or call us at 303-945-6951 to learn more about the Pilates Fitness classes we have available at our Pilates Studio in Denver, CO.

How Pilates Helps Even Pro Athletes and Olympic Hopefuls

February 12, 2014 by JoAnna

While yoga has received a lot of mainstream attention in the past few years by pro athletes and celebrities alike (hello Adam Levine), Pilates is now seeing a surge of interest, too.

Just as yoga has become a household name, Pilates is working its way up there, including a useful boost from Sochi 2014! Athletes in the Winter OIympics in Sochi, Russia, this year are reported to be incorporating Pilates into their training regime, including Olympic skier Julia Mancuso and Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin.

As Pilates incorporates core strengthening exercises and improves flexibility, it also helps train pro athletes on proper breathing techniques. In the pre-season (which for Olympic athletes is the four years prior to their Olympic events), Pilates specifically can help prevent injuries in pro athletes, and in the post-season, Pilates can rehab the body and keep the pro athlete on point for their next big competitive events.

One of the biggest benefits of Pilates for pro athletes is the high level of endurance Pilates trains your muscles for. It focuses on the controlled improvement of muscles instead of bulking up the muscles, allowing pro athletes such as snowboarders and skiers the ability to stay light and fast, yet strong.

Another key benefit of Pilates for Olympic athletes is the emphasis on cross training for injury prevention purposes. The intensity of what the pro athletic body must go through time and again for an individual athlete’s specific sport is so incredibly high that it’s crucial pro athletes cross-train to maintain a literal balance in their body.

But with all this talk of extreme endurance, pro athletes in sports, and Pilates for Olympic athletes, we want to emphasize that you don’t have to be a pro or Olympic athlete to do Pilates! Pilates is for everyone. At Firehaus Pilates in Denver we offer not only Pilates for Fitness, but also Pilates for Rehab, Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates, and even Pilates for Seniors!

Pilates for Runners – Balancing the Body, Reducing Pain – by Rachel Algra

September 10, 2013 by JoAnna

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to teach Pilates in Westminster, CO, to marathon runners for Team Challenge, an organization supporting the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. Such a wonderful cause and a highly dedicated team! There are so many challenges runners face, from back pain to foot pain and everything in between. Below is the basic workout I introduced to the group (along with some pictures of the event), designed to help balance out the muscles in the body, improve function and race times, decrease pain and reduce the risk of injury. Follow this program 2-3 times a week and you’ll start to see improvement almost immedietly!

Pilates Mat for Runners

1. Standing roll down

Standing with feet hip width apart and imagine you are leaning up against a wall and then slowly roll forward, peeling off the wall.
Roll down as far as you can, feeling a nice stretch to the hamstrings. Relax the shoulders!
Draw the belly button in and then exhale as you slowly roll back up, stacking 1 vertebra at a time back up until you are standing tall.
Repeat 5 times

2. Standing march series

Standing tall, lift one leg to tabletop (90° at the hip and knee) then lower it just to tap the toes
Repeat 5 times then switch legs
Lift the 1^st leg back into tabletop and then slowly open the knee to the side (external rotation) then close the knee back to tabletop. Keep the hips straight ahead! Only open the knee as far as you can without rotating the hips.
Repeat 5 times then switch legs

3. Squats

Feet hip width, bend knees coming down as far as you can into a squat (without raising heels)
Try to keep the body upright
Hold the squat for 30 seconds, working up to 5 minutess

4. Seated ankle alphabet

Slowly draw the alphabet with your foot, making the range of motion as big as possible

5. Pelvic floor/Transverse Abdominus (TA) awareness

First, find the TA muscle by lying on your back, knees bent. Find your hip bones in the front of your pelvis with your fingers, and then move the fingers just slightly inside the bony landmark. There should be a dip or soft spot here.
Gently draw your belly button towards the spine. You should feel a tightening sensation under your fingers. This is your TA!
Hold for 10 seconds, then repeat 5-10 times, resting for 10 seconds in between reps

6. Bridging

On your back, knees bent, feet hip width apart.
Slowly start to tilt the pelvis, gently pressing your low back into the mat. Continue to curl up until you are resting on your shoulder blades (just below the shoulder blade for anyone with neck injuries). Repeat 5-10 times
- Advanced variations –
  - Hold your bridge, then march the legs slowly back and forth – keeping the pelvis level! Repeat 8-10 times
  - Hold bridge then slowly lift and straighten 1 leg at a time – again, hips stay level and still – Repeat 8-10 times
  - Leg lifts – hold bridge then lift and straighten 1 leg. Hold the bridge then lower and raise the straight leg -8 times – keeping hips level and maintaining your bridge.

7. Assisted roll up

Lying on your back, pull knees into your chest and keep your hands holding behind thighs
Lift head, starting to roll up, then press legs out pushing into your hands with your thighs. Straightening legs more if needed as you continue to roll up to a tall seated position.
Rolling back down by holding the back of the thighs again – round back starting to roll back. Keep feet on the floor as long as you can. As you roll down, your feet should slide in towards you until they can’t stay on the floor anymore.
Repeat 5-8 times

8. Quadruped

On your hands and knees – knees directly below the hips, hands directly below the shoulders.
Slide the shoulders down away from the ears, gently press through the hands, as if to push your chest away from the floor
Slide opposite arm and leg out long, lifting them off the floor – hold for 2-3 seconds then slide them back down to your starting position and switch sides. Repeat 5-8 times
Second variation – slide opposite arm and leg out again, hold then send the arm and leg straight out to the side (ex. If you are lifting your right arm and left leg, your right arm should reach out to the right side and the left leg should reach out from the left hip). Repeat 5-8 times
Same side – sliding same side arm and leg out (weight will shift) – lifting them off the floor. Repeat 5-8 times

9. Psoas release kneeling

Kneeling with right foot/bent knee out in front as if to go into a lunge position. Make sure the back leg is aligned with the mat.
Gently tuck the tailbone and pull in the bellybutton. Lean forward until you feel a slight thigh stretch.
Raise left arm toward the ceiling then side bend towards the right. If you don’t feel adequate stretch, rotate left looking up towards the ceiling.
Switch sides

10. Pinky ball release series

Shoulder release – Lying on back, placing pinky ball under the shoulder, along the inside edge of the shoulder blade – move the ball up and down the shoulder as needed
SI release – Still lying on your back, knees bent. Place ball under the hip approximately 2” out from the spine and 3” down from the waistline – cross ankle (the ankle of which hip the ball is under) over the opposite thigh. Work the ball all around the hip and glute as needed.
IT release – Lying on your side with the ball under your leg. Work the ball up and down the side of the leg from the hip down to just above the knee.
Calves – Seated on your mat, leg straight, ball under the calf. Roll the ball around, sway the leg side to side. As tolerated.
Feet – Standing, place the ball under your foot and roll it around. Work through the entire foot and heel.

Want to learn more Pilates Mat exercises – check out Denver Pilates studio Firehaus Pilates for more information.

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Pilates for Fitness

3 Tips to Keep Your Fitness Mojo Strong Through Summer