Pilates

Exercise Forum

Has anyone made the leap from Yoga and Tai Chi to Pilates? If so, do you prefer the machine or mat exercises?

If anyone is interested, I would love to hear your experiences with Pilates and body sculpting and how you would compare Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates, and which overall, do you find gives your body a complete workout?

I've done Pilates.

They made me feel as though I were going to split into about 5 pieces.

Quite frightening.

I have to have some adrenaline involved in a work out.
I suppose the fear induced by the feeling of being about to be split into 5 pieces qualifies.

As far as body sculpting, I've always stuck to a combination of weights and a cardiovascular activity.
I will reiterate that I need a cardiovascular activity that includes adrenaline....like mountain biking or even aerobics qualify (please don't ask for details, thanks).

Per your specific questions: I prefer Pilates to Yoga or Tai Chi for "body sculpting."
Mat exercises are better by far, IMO.

Pilates is better for a complete workout. I don't understand HOW it works, but I do know, like I said, it makes me feel like my body will be strewn into 5 pieces.

Thanks, SWTT.

I love pilates. I am thinking that I may go for my certification within the next few months. I find that it is great for flexibility and all areas of body sculpting. Aerobics, although a great cardio workout, excludes so much of what a person can gain from pilates. Pilates is basically a combination of Yoga, Tai chi and light aerobics.

Like you said, it is always important to give yourself a good cardio workout, which can, in a moderate way, be provided through pilates, but doing aerobic activity on top of a pilates program, I find much better than switching between aerobic and circuit training.

I love adrenaline rushes, too, but those rushes launch me into a fast paced mode that I find extremely difficult to get myself out of, so I try to limit them.


SWTT said:

Pilates is the best public form of exercise that can shrink a belly. Especially that belly issue right below the navel.

I like free weight training over circuit training by far. I am old school that way for body sculpting.

The best overall "exercise" I have ever endured was Aikido. It made me as tough as a brick, flexible as gumby, and confident especially in confrontation and conflict so that I didn't have to shoot off my mouth...good for self control.

However, there were some down sides like broken toes and the constant need for chiropractic care. (Especially when sensei paired me with the equivalent of 3rd degree {dan} men) But other than that....it was great.

The abs are not really a problem for me, it's that belly below the navel and there are only a few exercises that handle it well....


I'll PM you the dojo.
Aikido is a completely different form of martial arts.
It allows someone my size to take down large men.
That is why sensei enjoyed watching me take those large 3rd dan Black belt men down.
It's sword and jo (a long stick) based as well for movements based on weapons.

It's possible for one person to take down more than a dozen opponents at one time.
But while you do it, it looks like dance. It's incredible.

Plus I learned a bit of Japanese in the process.

Watashi wa ....SWTT