Pilates Principle No. 1: CONTROL & PRECISION

Joseph Pilates’ unique exercise philosophy integrates mind and body by bringing awareness to the quality of movement during exercise and everyday life.

Pilates Principle No. 1: CONTROL & PRECISION

Control and precision are direct products of the strong mind body connection developed by proper breathing and concentration practiced in Pilates. In our Pilates environment, less emphasis is placed on the intensity or “reps” that you are doing, and more about using correct form to achieve safe, effective outcomes. When focusing on control, the body is forced to recruit helper muscles (“synergists”). When many muscles work synergistically, the whole body develops greater balance and coordination. This allows you to move with more efficient biomechanics, which transfers into our everyday activities. When we lift up boxes, make our beds, type on the computer, we never only recruit one muscle and require control of multiple muscles. Control is practiced during every Pilates exercise and during the transition of one exercise into the next. When you put the brakes on in a controlled manner, you are training the muscles to work as they lengthen ("eccentric" muscle contraction), building long and flexible muscles.

In Summary

Many injuries occur because of an incorrect or agitated movement performed during an everyday activity, such as making the bed, jolting your neck with a head turn, shifting furniture, typing away on your laptop at work. Practicing the principles of control in Pilates and learning how to move more efficiently will help you perform these everyday activities effectively with less strain on the body.