Three Classical Pilates Myths

Kelly from Bombshell Pilates here. We’re going to cover 3 common misconceptions about the classical Pilates method.

MYTH: Classical Pilates is too rigid and probably wouldn’t work for my body. Or I’ll get bored.

TRUTH: Pilates is a vast system of movement with over 500 exercises across many different pieces of apparatus. Joseph Pilates and his protegees worked with everyone from athletes who needed to improve their form, to singers who needed to work on breath control and lung capacity, to cancer survivors with double mastectomies. He built his system around his individual clients, and we continue to teach and guide in that way at Bombshell Pilates. The system is so vast and customizeable that you could do it your whole life and not know everything.

MYTH: Pilates is just for dancers and athletes. I’m too tight / weak / big / injured / [insert adjective here] to start PIlates training.

TRUTH: Did I mention how vast this system is? One of the beautiful things about doing Pilates and working with teachers who truly understand the method is that we meet you where you are and can customize the method to YOU. We NEVER judge or jump to any conclusions, but we will start you at the right point and challenge you with attainable goals. Once you master one skill and get a bit stronger, then we move onto the next thing.

MYTH: I’m already super athletic/strong/flexible. I don’t need Pilates.

TRUTH: Did you know that more and more professional athletes are adding Pilates to their training routines AND giving it credit for improved athletic performance? LeBron James, Tiger Woods, David Beckham, and Kelly Slater, and Kiera D’Amato all come to mind. AND did you know that some of the first clients that Joseph Pilates trained were professional boxers? He even trained an opponent for Jack Dempsey! (The opponent didn’t win that one, but he also didn’t. So that’s something.) Pilates focuses on uniform muscle development, which helps counteract muscle asymmetries that inevitably develop in most sports. This leads to fewer injuries and more learned efficiency in how you use your body! Adding Pilates to your training will improve your athletic performance.

Do you have any questions about Pilates and what it can do for you? We love to chat about it almost as much as we love doing it! Hit us up: frontdesk@bombshellpilates.com