Instead of sitting through classes trying to fight drowsiness, there’s an engaging exercise program offered at the University that is leaving students refreshed, alert and conditioned.
Pilates, being offered for the first time this term, is so popular that the two sections filled almost as soon as they were offered, Physical Activities and Recreation Services Director Peg Rees said.
Legendary physical trainer Joseph H. Pilates developed Pilates in the early 1920s to help people improve flexibility and body strength without building bulk, said Elise Moore, the extensively trained adjunct instructor who teaches the class.
As a German nurse during World War I, Pilates originally designed the exercise for patients immobilized in hospital beds but later introduced it as a type of body conditioning in the late 1920s in New York City.
Moore was trained in the Stott method of Pilates in Toronto. Participants in her class learn a series of controlled movements that engage body and mind, performed both with and without specifically designed exercise apparatus.
“I haven’t got to the point where I can use my abs and glutes all the way,” freshman Sarah Rhoden said.
Rhoden said she took the class because she wanted to get “toned up.” She added that Moore is helpful in her instruction.
“She knows how it feels when you are doing it wrong,” Rhoden said. “And she knows what you should be doing differently.”
Moore said Pilates is designed to be taught one-on-one, as opposed to being learned in large groups. She currently has about 25 students in each section she teaches twice a week.
“Squeeze those inner thighs — rolling and articulating, all the way up,” Moore said, as she directed the class.
Moore said the classes are predominantly composed of females, but she encouraged men to try it out.
“They need abdominal strength just as much,” she said.
Moore said Pilates conditioning is similar to yoga because it’s a mind-body exercise, which she said “seems to attract a female personality.”
“It’s a workout where you don’t have to pound your body into the ground by running 20 miles,” Moore said.
The contemporary Stott Pilates method, developed by former professional dancer Moira Stott-Merrithew with input from sports medicine professionals, is an anatomically-based approach to the original method of the exercise.
Moore said it works the deep intrinsic muscles first, followed by the outer major muscle groups, through work on mats on the floor. This method differs from the original approach because it incorporates modern thinking about spinal rehabilitation and performance enhancement, according to www.stottpilates.com.
Some of the Stott Pilates’ exercises Moore teaches include the swan dive (extension of back and legs), breaststroke and roll back (rolling down of spine from seated position).
“They are really good for stretching,” senior Kirsten Gunderson said during class.
Gunderson said she took the class because it helps condition her for swimming. She added that Moore has been patient in explaining the exercises clearly before the class attempts to perform them.
Moore said because of the popularity of the classes she teaches, she anticipates it will be offered again in the fall.