BarreConcept

June has been a busy and exciting month.  Continuing to enjoy teaching my fabulous clients who are always open to trying new things, and are loving the results of all the hard work they put in.

One client in particular has lost 7lbs in just over a month and several inches, very exciting for me, I share her excitement, this also reaffirms why I do what I do and am always looking for new ways to help them.

At the beginning of June I ventured off to Ottawa to participate in a Barreconcept Certification Course which was held over 4 days (32 Hours), one of the most in depth courses available, and one I highly recommended.  Emma Newham (Pilates Union) is an amazing teacher, full of insight,inspiration, knowledge,boundless energy and enthusiasm.  This was the first certification course held in Canada, it was so popular word has got around and there will be another one in October.

The group of ladies attending were totally amazing.  We all worked extremely hard.  On the first day Emma put us through a very, very, thorough Barre workout which had us all dripping, thighs shaking and most certainly aware of our butts, which actually seemed higher.  

The course was informative, we were encouraged to think "outside the box" which added another range of different exercises to the ones that were already in the manual.

I am in the process of putting together and taping my practical video after which I am hoping to become a Certified Barreconcept Instructor.   Looking forward to teaching this, so much fun and you can certainly feel everything working.

Participating in a Full Certification and accredited course was a great decision for me, I did look at other courses out there and Emma's was the most in depth course.  I realize there are other courses out there that are much shorter in duration, but to be honest I don't see how anyone could possibly learn the whole repertoire in a one or two day course.   Excellent move on my part and looking forward to being part of the Barreconcept family.

Summer Workouts

I can't believe we are already half way through May, yikes.    Time to get out all those summer clothes, shorts, skorts.

At this time of year it's nice to take workouts outside into the fresh air, below are just a couple (I have quite a few, nice to have a good selection) of the workouts that I like to do .

Walking is always great, grab the dog.  Dogs need on average up to an hour's walk a day, so once you walk the dog everything else that follows is a bonus.   You can walk the dog using Poles, that way you get an added bonus of an upper body and core workout.  Great start to the day.   Of course, walking and poling are carried out using the Pilates principles which will ensure you get the most out of your walk/pole.

I really do have to mention Hula Hooping (check out www.hoopnotica.com).  Totally brilliant, 100 calories every ten minutes, it is a full body high cardio non-impact fat-burning workout that strengthens your core, and calms your mind.   From personal experience I find that it's a lot of fun, you completely loose track of time and feel wonderful afterwards, actually not like exercising at all.  Depending on my mood, I hoop to upbeat music, or, if I need to be more centred, no music just the rhythm of the hoop.  I tend to go from waist to thighs, but if you go to the  Hoopnotica's website they have lots of DVD's you can purchase so you can learn all the tricks, and there are lots.    Hooping can be done outside too, get the whole family involved, guys can do this as well, there are quite a few Male Hoopnotica Instructors out there.

Throw in a Pilates workout sometime during the day to compliment the above, and you are going to look and feel marvellous.

These are just a few ideas to get you moving, just find something that is fun to do and that you find enjoyable.

Hollowing Vs. Bracing By Chris Bourne Pilates Instructor & Biomechanics Coach

Hollowing Vs. Bracing

In the Pilates world we are being taught the hollowing but I would like to introduce to you the bracing technique as I feel this is a more effective way of engaging your core.  I’m not trying to take anything away from Joseph Pilates, as I think he was amazing in designing a fantastic system. But science has developed and we should not ignore this.

So what is the purpose of the core? The main purpose of the core muscles is to stabilise the joints they surround. The main joint they are surrounding as we all know is the spine. They have to stabilise the spine in fixed and moving positions.

Hollowing is creating a concave shape using your core muscles. The Transversus Abdominus (TVA) muscle wraps around the spine, like a corset as it passes between rectus abdominus and the spine.  If the core is hollowing, this puts the rectus abdominus in a mechanically inefficient position and so the TVA effectively has nothing to pull against.  The rectus abdominus is considered to be a flexor of the spine, however its main purpose is to act as part of the hydraulic amplifier mechanism where the TVA and the thoraco lumbar fascia create tension to stabilise the spine. 

I have been teaching Pilates for 9 years, modern and traditional, but I have been teaching bracing for 6 years after thinking about the core and knowing that it’s what I do when I’m participating in my own Pilates sessions, so I started teaching it to my clients. But at that time I didn’t have the understanding behind it, I just knew it worked.

I then was introduced to Biomechanics Coaching, with a company called Intelligent Training Systems, who look at your internal biomechanics and how it works. Bracing is one of the things they highlighted to me and it gives me the underpinning knowledge of why we should brace the core, which is what I would like to share with you!

Bracing has been research by Stuart McGill who is a very well know investigator in the field of exercise science.  He refers to this muscle stiffening and terms it as “abdominal bracing”. (Arch Phys Med Rehabil.2007Jan;88(1):54-62.)

Bracing is to stiffen the abdominal wall with a mild isometric co-contraction of the muscles of the core. With the co-contraction of the muscles there should be no movement in the spine or pelvis and the abdominal wall is neither pulled in nor pushed out. The muscles that are involved in bracing are transverse abdominals, internal and external obliques, rectus abdominals, quadratus lumborum, erector spinae and multifidi, all the core muscles we want to work in Pilates, but are we if we hollow?  McGill has shown that if you hollow, while you do work TVA and multifidus, you tend to switch the others off.

The best way for me to explain how to brace is, imaging someone is about to hit you in the stomach and you will brace your core to take the impact.  There are different percentages of bracing depending on the exercise performed and the individual’s core strength and this is referred to as high and low threshold training.  For me and my clients, we are getting great core strength, keeping the spine stable, lengthening the spine and improving flexibility all in a core stable way.  But don’t just take my word for it, try it yourself right know, hollow your core and feel the tension with your hands then brace like I described and see the difference, especially in your multifidus contraction.  This will help you make your own mind up on which you think is the best way to work your core.

Article used for research” Stuart McGill Abdominal Bracing Exercises and Back Pain”.

Barre Workouts

Over the last 7 months I have added Barre Workouts to my own sessions.   Wow!   No wonder Ballet Dancers have such great  legs and bottoms.   They use all the Pilates principles along with yoga, isometrics, cardio, kickboxing, balance and posture,  trust me, you will feel your thighs burning while doing this workout, and notice after a few sessions how much higher, rounder, and firmer your butt is.  

The two Barre workouts I am using right now are  Emma Newham's Barre Concept, Emma is now the first person to offer Teacher Certification in Barre Concept in the UK, Australia, Canada, and Ireland.   The workout itself is very thorough and you will use every single muscle in your body.  Also, if you are not familiar with Ballet, you will learn quite a few Ballet terminologies as well.   I did Ballet for 3 years when I was 7, but that's a long time ago and I am having to remember the positions.  Emma demonstrates these at the beginning of the DVD.

The Booty Barre by Tracey Mallet is equally as challenging, again using every single muscle in your body, the music is very upbeat and lots of fun.  To be honest I can see myself using these workouts for a very long time, because like Pilates every workout is different.

Both DVD's are getting rave reviews in Fitness Magazines, Newspapers and Television.  Give them a go, you have nothing to loose, but will gain  toned arms, legs, core and butt which is a great thing.   Oh!  and yes you will feel like a dancer

Loving Pilates

Just been thinking about the many ways Pilates enhances my life, how I incorporate it into my activities around the house, and doing other workouts.   Once you have been practising Pilates for a while it becomes part of you and the way to live your every day life,  it is not used solely in workouts, body awareness becomes second nature.      Sitting at the computer, doing dishes, gardening, bending, walking, cooking, ironing (yep, I still iron) etc.

So!  What are you waiting for, give it a try, see why so many people love the way their body feels after participating in a Pilates Class, or  a one on one.  See why so many athletes are now incorporating Pilates into their routines to make them stronger, flexible, less prone to injury, and be more successful in achieving their fitness goals.  You Will Love It.