Winsor Pilates

[StoryOfaGirl]

Hi, I'm a 16 year-old who just was sucked into an informercial for "Winsor Pilates" and so yeah, I bought it (now I have to wait 3 weeks for it to deliver!) I was wondering if anyone has actually tried it? Ryan said it's another fad that doesn't work, but I was wondering if anyone has actually tried it and experienced results? If you have please reply ;D thanks!

[jenny]

ooooooooooooooo! i love pilates so much! im in the intermediate-advanced class for them now - and yes! i have found they work wonders! i am more flexible, more graceful, i feel like a "hot gumby" at the end of class!

 

i know the machines/exercises can initially feel unnatural but it's totally worth the oddness - you're a bit young to worry about this but eventually it's fanastic for helping one with more erotic exercises, as is yoga.

 

i'm a hopeless trendoid when it comes to fitness fads, <belly dancing, bounce, african beat, etc> but pilates stuck because the results were so satisfying! best of luck to you, luv, enjoy -

[StoryOfaGirl]

did you notice any changes in your thighs/calfs? those are my problem areas and the reason i bought it

[Ryan]

Pilates makes a tremendous amount of claims that are completely unscientific. It is lacking significantly in addressing all of the areas of general fitness. However, they carefully market it with language that appeals to women, i.e. "I want long, lean muscles not short, bulky ones."

 

I have a long critique based on the "science" straight off their web site that will be coming shortly.

[Ryan]

This is all from the Pilates web site, http://www.pilates.com

 

Under About Pilates - Fitness

 

Develops a strong core

Building on the principles of Joseph Pilates, Balanced Body Pilates develops a strong core, or center of the body. The core consists of the deep abdominal muscles along with the muscles closest to the spine. Pilates exercises develop core control, integrating the trunk, pelvis and shoulder girdle.

 

I am not aware of any DEEP abdominal muscles, at least not skeletal ones, and none of them are difficult to locate and train. The deep is only added to sound more important. Now, in our society many people do have weak "core" muscles, particularly in the lower back, which lead to many medical problems. The lower back is not tricky to deal with either, just so long as it gets even treatment. This neglects the larger muscle groups of the body (hips, thighs, upper back, chest) as being "core," even though training these areas will effectively incorporate everything head to toe. I'm also curious as to how the "shoulder girdle" came it right at the end. That's not the center of the body and no mention has come prior to this.

 

Builds long muscles and flexible joints

Conventional workouts tend to build short, bulky muscles - the type most prone to injury. Pilates elongates and strengthens, developing muscle elasticity and joint mobility. A body with balanced strength and flexibility is less likely to be injured."

 

Build SHORT muscles? Does this mean my PROPER weight training is only developing the short muscles of my body, or it is making my muscles SHORTER? Since muscles are attached to bones, my bones would have to get shorter too. Before I started weight training I was over 6 feet tall. I'm now 5 foot 3.

 

The same goes for "elongating" muscles. If this were possible, everyone doing Pilates would be getting taller. If you didn't, these longer muscles would be overlapping and you'd look like a haphazard stack of lunchmeat.

 

It is also not possible to increase the ELASTICITY of muscle tissue, since this is a property of material. FLEXIBILITY can be increased, but it is imperative that muscle strength through the entire range of motion be maintained and hopefully increased. An excessively flexible joint will be loose and weak, making it more susceptible to injury.

 

Ah yes....injury. I would like to know how my short, bulky muscles are going to make me prone to injury. Force causes injury. I am improving the ability of my musculoskeletal system to generate and resist force. The language here caters to the unfounded fear most women have that they will become hulking beasts if they weight train. Being long and flexible SEEMS more feminine.

 

Creates an evenly conditioned body

In conventional workouts, weak muscles tend to get weaker and strong muscles tend to get stronger. The result is muscular imbalance - a primary cause of injury and chronic back pain. Pilates conditions the whole body - even the ankles and feet. No muscle group is overtrained or undertrained. Your entire musculature is evenly balanced and conditioned, helping you enjoy daily activities and sports with greater ease and less chance of injury.

 

If by conventional workouts we mean step aerobics and the electrostimulus devices sold on late night TV, sure. This is certainly not the case for anyone participating in proper weight training. In fact, the strength that even an untrained woman has in her hips and thighs is usually quite significant. No amount of bodyweight contortions is going to adequately involve these muscle groups.

 

Trains efficient patterns of motion

Pilates exercises train several muscle groups at once in smooth, continuous movements. By developing proper technique, you can actually re-train your body to move in safer, more efficient patterns of motion - invaluable for injury recovery, sports performance, good posture and optimal health.

 

What patterns of motion? I imagine everyone here has developed the ability to walk. Nobody is using wildly gyrating movements to propel oneself by foot. The whole world was going around walking on their hands and slamming into walls until Pilates re-trained us to move safely and efficiently. Unless your sport is competitive Pilates, these movements aren't going to make a bit of difference. Most sports involve a great degree of quick movements that are neither smooth nor continuous. Posture, by definition, is determined in a static situation, so this makes no difference there.

 

Improves the mind-body connection

Balanced Body Pilates gets your mind in tune with your body. By emphasizing proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic alignment, and complete concentration on smooth, flowing movement, you become acutely aware of how your body feels, where it is in space, and how to control its movement. The quality of movement is valued over quantity of repetitions. Proper breathing is essential. Correct breathing helps you execute movements with maximum power and efficiency. Last but not least, learning to breathe properly can reduce stress.

 

Where it is in SPACE? Please, by a round of applause, how many people here have looked down and been surprised to find 2 legs? I know sometimes I go to brush my teeth and I end up hitting myself in the chest with the brush. This is just plain silly. If you can't accurately locate your body, you have bigger problems than fitness.

 

I'm surprised that the term "maximum power" would be used here. Clearly Pilates movements are not about power, assuming you can even apply such a term to human motion (which you can't).

[Ryan]

Now we move on to some of the marketing and products available. The first HAS to be the GyroTonic. I direct your eyes to this link:

 

http://www.pilates.com/cgi-bin/webicart/webicart.cgi?page=pages/gyrotonic.html

 

Somebody PLEASE tell me what the hell this is? The first time I saw it, I thought of the torture machine from The Princess Bride that was water-powered and removed years from your life. This is Hammer Strength equipment if we lived in the Victorian Era. It's maple-faced PLYWOOD, yet it still retails for $5500. Notice the fancy Gyrokinesis Stool to the left. Clearly that footrest is worth every of the $60 it costs.

Let's look at some of the things this device offers:

 

...enhance aerobic and cardiovascular stimulation...

 

Assuming this is possible, are these really two different categories? No, they're just phrases that most women will look for in a system to follow.

 

The Gyrotonic equipment offers complete freedom of movement.

 

The model has leather straps on her ankles and is cranking some sort of wine press wheels with her arms. Not exactly my idea of freedom.

 

It is fully adjustable to meet the needs of every body type and level of strength.

 

The biggest weight (sold separately, by the way) I see on this machine is probably a 5 pounder. I'd like to see this thing resist splintering with a few 45s on it. I'm not a big fan of paying five grand for kindling.

 

The even and constant resistance in the handle unit and pulley tower (through the triple reduction in the pulleys) completely eliminates the jarring in the beginning and end of a movement found in conventional exercise equipment, where most injuries occur.

 

Triple reduction? Whew....that 2.5 pounds is too rough for me straight out! I'm not sure what exercise equipment is being referred to here, but I've never used any that sputtered. The jarring is due to the people, not the gear.

 

Unique to Gyrotonic, the circularity, spiraling and undulating movements increase the functional capacity of the spine and create a spherical and three dimensional awareness, resulting in total equilibrium.

 

Spiraling and undulating? Is that legal? This sounds like a Bangkok massage, not exercise. Go to a cheap motel and put 25 cents in the bed's Magic Fingers if you want undulating.

And then....the most absurd thing I've ever READ in fitness...spherical and three dimensional awareness. If you want spherical awareness, go down to your local sporting goods store and spend $15 on a soccer ball. Kick that around for some spherical awareness. If your problem is three dimensional awareness, then you need to be shot because you aren't ready for life on this planet. We can take your body, press and roll it into paper and use it to make comic books. Finally, a world of two dimensions just for you.

 

 

I would now like to point out the following product:

 

http://www.pilates.com/cgi-bin/webicart/webicart.cgi?page=pages/allegro.html

 

This is known as the Allegro Reformer. Look closely at what actually makes up this device: two very small pulleys (which I would not trust my strength to), two cables, hand straps, a sliding tray and the base of the unit that serves as a track. The construction is very similar to a simple home rowing machine. An almost identical product has been hocked on infomercials with Chuck Norris and Christie Brinkley. This thing consists of about $15 worth of parts.

 

Retail price? $2195.

$2490 if you want the model that has 4 small stands hooked to it.

 

 

Our next product is:

 

http://www.pilates.com/cgi-bin/webicart/webicart.cgi?page=pages/reftrapcombo.html

 

This is known as the Reformer/Trapeze Combo. I do not understand the naming. It appears to be a medical device used for people in traction or a full body cast. Think of the times you've seen people in a hospital bed with an elevated leg and you have a good idea what this is.

 

They claim this is an ideal machine for home use. Retail price? $5395. At that price, this WILL become your home. You'll be the fittest transient in the city.

[Ryan]

Follow me under the About Pilates-Rehabilitation section. I skipped much of this, as it drones on quite a bit. Skip down to the Skeletal Muscle section.

 

Skeletal muscle can be influenced greatly by Pilates-evolved exercises. In contrast to traditional modes of muscle conditioning that seek maximal voluntary contractions, Pilates-evolved muscle conditioning focuses on recruitment of the most effective motor units.

 

Pray tell, what are the most EFFECTIVE motor units? Are we talking sheer force output or fatigue resistance? Traditional modes of muscle conditioning recruit ALL motor units. This would include any considered to be "most effective."

 

This form of recruitment allows for an emphasis to be placed on energy efficiency and quality of performance.

 

There is only one form of recruitment, and that is based on relative force requirement. The energy required is going to be directly related to the task at hand and is not going to be more efficient for one type of movement versus another. Quality of performance is ENTIRELY distinct from anything happening at a muscular level. All a muscle knows is how much of it needs to contract.

 

The variation of strength and mechanics of the joints and levers through an arc of motion can be explained by the muscle-length-tension curve and movement velocity. For example, the greatest assistance can be applied at the beginning and end of the arc, where the strength is least, and the least assistance can be applied through the middle of the arc, where the strength is greatest.

 

While there is a very certain variance in strength along a given motion, it is far from what is indicated here. Strength curves can vary significantly from person to person and movement to movement for a given person. For example, in a bench press movement the stronger ranges are closer to the top (arms extended) when the associated musculature is fully flexed. In a chinup, the stronger ranges are at the beginning (dead hang) when the associated musculature is fully extended. This is largely due to the varying position of muscles, tendons, and bones during the range of a given motion.

 

Changing the velocity can also vary the muscle physiologic responses, allowing custom tailoring of the movement sequence to mirror the desired functional task of the patient.

 

It had better mirror it EXACTLY, because it is well-known that motor learning only carries over from activity that is VERY similar or exact. I fail to see how changing the velocity will properly mimic the desired result. Then again, I fail to see the point of any of this.

[CaterpillarGirl]

Somebody PLEASE tell me what the hell this is? The first time I saw it, I thought of the torture machine from The Princess Bride that was water-powered and removed years from your life. This is Hammer Strength equipment if we lived in the Victorian Era. It's maple-faced PLYWOOD, yet it still retails for $5500. Notice the fancy Gyrokinesis Stool to the left. Clearly that footrest is worth every of the $60 it costs.

 

LMAO! Oh, Ryan, it certainly does look like that Princess Bride machine. Oh my God! Do people actually spend that much on exercise equipment. My parents used to just take us to Santa Barbara, throw us in the ocean and let us swim for six hours when they thought we needed the exercise.

[StoryOfaGirl]

I can see exactly where you're coming from But then again, EVERY advertisement is a exageration. They will do anything to make their product sell and receive their rightful outcome. I'm just praying that I haven't wasted my bithday money!

 

I've heard so much about Pilates and everything has seemed to be of good experiences.

 

Ah well, we all make bad mistakes, and purchases!!