You’ve seen the hype about Pilates workouts all over online, and now you’re finally ready to give Pilates a try yourself. Good for you!
Before you jump straight in, our team here at Fitness By Design put together this short guide to Pilates workouts to let you know what to expect during your first session, whether you choose to attend a class in person or follow along with a video tutorial. These tips can help ease any nervousness you might have about Pilates workouts and give you the confidence you need to complete your first exercise with a positive mindset.
- Pilates workouts start slow. Pilates and yoga share some commonalities, such as certain poses or stretches, but Pilates will gradually ramp up in intensity as the workout progresses. As you move through the first several moves, you might not feel anything, but your muscles may start to feel fatigued by the end of class.
- Don’t be ashamed to try modified versions. The beauty of Pilates is that it’s an accessible, low-impact exercise that everyone can benefit from. If a certain move is too difficult for you, there is absolutely no shame in modifying the exercise to suit your comfort level. As you continue to build your endurance, you can work your way up to more challenging moves.
- Try a Pilates mat class first. The first time you try Pilates, you should use a mat instead of immediately going for the reformer. Once you have some of the moves down in your muscle memory, then you can further challenge yourself by trying the exercises with the equipment.