Does Pilates Help With Posture?

The philosophy of Pilates is getting to know your body, how it sits and moves in space and learning how to move it efficiently and effectively. In today’s world we spend a great deal of time sitting, whether it be to watch TV, driving or at work and the posture that is developed from this can cause neck pain, back pain and headaches. We would define this as ‘bad posture’ because it causes pain. But what then is good posture? Good posture is holding the body in positions that do not cause pain and can increase your mobility and ability to function with daily activities. It takes the pressure of compressed organs, improves your circulation and because of all of this can lift your mood and increase your confidence.

Let’s take a quick look at the body, specifically the skeletal system and the muscular system. Picture a skeleton in all its bony glory.

What is keeping the bones in their place? The muscles.

In order for the muscles to keep the bones in place what do they need to connect to? The skeleton.

You can see how these two systems interrelate with each other to maintain a “good” posture. If the muscles are weak or tight, they are going to pull on the skeleton potentially causing it to shift out of alignment creating a “bad” posture. When we are looking at maintaining good posture, keeping the muscles strong and in the position they are meant to be in is pivotal. An effective way to keep the muscles both strong and subtle is of course, Pilates.

How does Pilates improve your posture?

Pilates is a system of exercise that focuses on developing strength through the core and out to the peripheral muscles groups. Muscles need to work together as levers and pulleys so when one is contracting the other is lengthening. A properly lengthened muscle is one that can move through its’ full range of motion un-impeded which means it has to be strong and lean at the same time.

Pilates works on both these elements by:

Building Core Strength:

When the deep core muscles are strong they can be relied upon rather than using superficial muscles or muscles from other areas which have other jobs to do. For example having a strong core (abdominal, back and pelvic floor) will hold your body in a position which will allow the muscles in your shoulders and neck to relax.

Improving Flexibility and Alignment:

Building strength can mean shortening muscles, which can also add pressure on the skeletal system. Allowing the body to build strength and flexibility together you keep the musculature how it is meant to be and the body becomes more agile. You will find many exercise in Pilates have both a working phase and a stretching phase, forcing you to focus on the control through each.

Body Awareness:

While gym workouts focus on muscle exhaustion, Pilates gets you to focus on how the body is moving through a move. Your instructor will bring your focus to a particular part of the body and talk you through the efficient way to move it putting an emphasis on the form rather than the repetitions. In the Pilates world less repetitions of an exercise done maintaining the proper form are countless times better than doing more repetitions with poor form. Have you ever heard your Pilates Instructor tell you not to squish your butterfly? This is them bringing awareness to how your lower back is sitting and if you are holding a neutral posture.

The Entire Body is Worked:

Each Pilates session will have a move for each body part. Remember, posture isn’t just about how the shoulders sit, it’s also the head, spine, hips, knees and feet. Whether you are doing re-hab for an injury, wanting to improve performance or just maintain a great quality of life each session will include the whole body. This way you don’t end up with large biceps and teeny tiny calves (no judgement if that’s your style though).

A qualified instructor can help you build your core strength while maintaining your flexibility. They will guide you through learning about body awareness and can tweak your practice for injuries or new goals.

“Pilates is the complete coordination of bindy, mind and spirit” ~ Joseph Pilates