Through a series of positions, poses and movements an instructor will guide you through a balanced, full body workout. It’s a socially inclusive practice, since some of the classes will be anywhere from 10-15 people. This number, while it may seem like more than private, is a relatively small base of clients.

This size of a class is easily manageable to a qualified trainer. A qualified mat Pilates instructor is essential to a beneficial mat Pilates workout, since they will be sure that you are using the proper posture, alignment, and engaging your core.

Mat Pilates is considered to be a “cross-conditioning” system, which focus solely on your own body as resistance. It tones and shapes the hips, back, chest, shoulder, calves, arms, and abdominals. Precise strengthening will be focused on the abdomen, since it houses the core muscles, and is the main ingredient to effective and healthy movement throughout the body. The trainer will instruct you to stand, sit, and lie down. From all of these static body positions there will be extremity work done which will all stem from the engagement of the core.

Mat Pilates is known for streamlining the physique, and lengthening the muscles. It is a great addition to any cardio, strength training or athletic regime and is gentle on the body. People who generally use the traditional gym method of “working out” fear bulking up, and Mat Pilates offers an alternative method of exercise which implements a “leaning out” of a person’s muscle build, while still adding strength and focus.

The mat Pilates trainer will typically talk each student through the movements, and recommend visualizations that will emphasize deep and intuitive breathing patterns. With this “coach” helping you through a mat Pilates class you will be better equipped to benefit from the practice. While Pilates DVD’s and exercise programs on television can benefit the body, it’s ideal that you have someone overseeing you.

Without a highly qualified mat Pilates instructor helping you to get the most out of your workout, you may be missing vital postural positioning, which can lead to improper spinal alignment tin the future or even injury. The encouragement that you will receive from the qualified trainer will also push you to do more, feel more, and focus better at the task at hand.

For those tat like a more private approach to working out, there is the option of a one-on-one class. Especially for beginners who have never taken a mat Pilates class, it is essential to understand the techniques behind the practice.

Pilates, while it is an excellent source f strengthening, it also involves a lot of different layers, or mental connection, body connection, and breathing. These layers take some getting sued to, since our minds are not trained to slow down and be quiet, since some of us associate exercise with high intensity and loud music.

A personal one-on-one session or two would allow for a new student to build a foundation of understanding of the Pilates method in a mat based environment.

There are two types of Pilates mats. One is a roll up mat and the other is a folding Pilates mat. There are benefits to each, depending on what your needs are and what you are looking for.

For the roll up mat you have the convenient benefit of its malleability. It has a high propensity for portability making it easily taken and stored. It doesn’t take up much space and yet still can be longer and wider than some folding mats, although not seemingly so. It is usually made of a solid foam or rubber and for Pilates the more dense the better.

The top of the line roll up mats can be identified by their firmness. Closed Cell Foam mats are usually on the top of a Pilates practitioner’s list because they offer more in stability than the plain foam ones can. Foam mats are usually much more soft, and don’t have the hold withal that more expensive or quality mats will have. Be wary of vinyl-covered mats, since that is usually a sign of an imitation mat and will be most likely too soft for your Pilates mat work needs.

When it comes to roll ups, they are not only easy to store but also easy to carry, especially with the holders and straps that usually accompany the purchase. The price of a roll up mat will depend on the quality and brand, but usually range from $30-50 dollars. You can find the mats for much less than that, but be aware that any mat under the $20 price tag is probably a cross over mat and more equipped to handle a Yoga session than a Pilates.

The folding mats tend to be higher quality than the roll up mats; however that comes with a disclaimer that it will cost you for the quality. The cheaper folding mats are not worth the price, and you might be better off getting a roll up mat. The higher quality folding mats do have a hefty tag, and can be as costly as $300.00. If you do mat Pilates three times or more a week it might be worth it to consider. The folding mats with the higher price tags will usually have a foot strap attached to it, and will be quite heavy and thick in consistency.

However wit the more expensive folding mats you will find that you lose the portability factor, as it isn’t as easy to store or move around. If you are buying mats just for personal use it may not be the most important purchase you make, but if you are considering opening a home studio the high quality folding mast are definitely the right choice.

Yoga and Pilates swirl around each other in the same circles of conversation all the time. These two forms of mind-body connective practices are commonly linked incorrectly, mainly because their similarities and differences are misunderstood. Perhaps the biggest misunderstanding is that Pilates and Yoga are the same thing, or that they are just replications of one another. Pilates and Yoga stem from two completely different histories, not to mention their ideology is vastly dissimilar. It doesn’t stop there. Even down to the equipment used in Pilates, such as the mat, which is the most similar piece of apparatus, there are still differences to be aware of.

When purchasing a Pilates mat, be sure that it is necessary. Most Pilates studios offer high quality mats to their students, whereas in yoga classes most students bring their own. If you prefer to tote or not tote your own it is entirely up to you, but if you are planning on practicing Pilates in your own home then a mat is must!

Pilates and Yoga mats are the same in size, texture and colors. Both of which can range vastly, making it almost like shopping for your personal piece of art than for a mat. When it comes to differences between the two, Pilates mats are slightly thicker that Yoga mats. In Yoga it is important that certain poses can be felt through the feet on the floor. This is for balance, and since some of the poses in Yoga require that you’re footing be firmly planted, to do them appropriately. This is not the case with Pilates. There needs to be more padding for Pilates students, because they do more floor work, against the bone structure of the body. Rolling for instance and working form the knees will be most uncomfortable without the necessary cushion.

Another difference is that Yoga mats tend to have a “sticky” almost fly paper consistency to them, in order to prevent slipping when the pose becomes more difficult or needs to be change rapidly. Yoga mats don’t present this hazard so that is not an option needed for Pilates students.

A good Pilates mat should not be thin enough to be considered a “cross-over” mat that just means that it is a yoga mat posing as a Pilates mat. There needs to be at least a half an inch of thickness to the mat for it to be considered a Pilates mat. Make sure that mat you choose isn’t too cushy. It needs to have firmness to it that will give the body the right amount of buoyancy and not allow for the sinking of the body’s weight into the hard floor.

Make sure that your “roll up” Pilates mat is long enough and wide enough for your frame and for your body’s needs. Your flexibility, hip range, shoulder range, and height need to be considered in the purchasing process. It is standard to have these length measurements for a roll up mat: 72”-86”. Widths can range from 21”-39”. Most people like to have roll up mats as opposed to fold up ones, which can be found in studios, but that is also a matter of preference.

Pilates is as versatile as the equipment it has in its repertoire. Pilates can be done on a mat, which in and of itself offers a wide variety of exercises. In addition to the mat, Pilates has additional pieces of equipment that add an almost inexhaustible catalog of exercises to the mat format.

There are five basic pieces of equipment, The Pilates Reformer, the Pilates Chair, the Pilates Cadillac, the Pilates Barrel, and the Pilates Resistance Bands.

The Pilates Reformer is perhaps the most well known. Devised of pulleys, straps and an intricate spring system The Reformer makes “gliding” possible. The legs, arms, wrists and hands are used to push and pull the body across the rails of the machine. The springs are adjustable, which determines how much resistance you are working against.

Some may find The Reformer’s exercises, which tally up to a hundreds, easy at first. But more frequent use of the machine allows for a rapid increase in difficulty. No matter how much resistance is applied to the machine, which you add by color-coded springs, the body is held in captive tension. Through slow and controlled movements the primary and secondary muscles are subtly conditioned throughout the entire body.

Aside from The Reformer being a staple in classes, it is also known for its rehabilitation qualities. Pilates based rehab uses The Reformer as one of the central pieces of equipment. It is recognized by all types of professions as an alternative and effective way to nurture and heal injuries. Chiropractors, physical therapists, professional level coaches, personal trainers, and osteopathic practioners recommend and comment on The Reformers abilities.

Since a quality Reformer has a price tag that can range from $2000-4000 dollars, Pilates studios, health clubs, spas, personal gyms, and corporate gyms have made “group reformer” and “private” classes available.

The Pilates Chair offers 75 different exercises that are unique to its anything but chair-like existence. Hardly considered a seated workout, the Pilates Chair (The Wunda, Stability Chair, low chair) has a newly streamlined appearance making it seem less intimidating and more versatile. Looking like something that would be used at a contemporary restaurant, its box-like shape and padded seat has one side that can be pushed down against the resistance-loaded spring system inside.

Most Pilates Chairs are made of wood like the original model by Joseph Pilates. The original design only provided one modification for the resistance pedal. However, newer models provide two separate pedals for independent isolation exercises, peripheral extremities, and limb rotations. This piece of equipment engages the upper middle and lower back, buttocks, shoulders, transverse abdominals, lower and upper pelvis regions, and improves neuromuscular integration.

While the bulk of the work is done in a seated position, there are additional static exercises that can be done standing, or lying down- such as push-ups and lunges. Stability and flexibility is the focus of this piece of equipment, making the list of potential exercises wide and vast. The chair is also known for its propensity to “rebalance” injured muscles, and has proven to be effective against a series of strains and muscular imbalances. The price of this chair can range from $700-1500, depending on the caliber and efficiency of the model.

The Pilates Cadillac can and should be so appropriately named. While it doesn’t have a detailed paint job or a radio installed it has pretty much everything else. The “rack” can work out every single muscle group in your body with precision. Upon first glance the Cadillac has elements of intimidation, but it has been called “the bridge between exercise and physical therapy”, and that’s what it is. Like the Pilates Chair and Reformer it has evolved since its early inception as a spring-rigged hospital bed for Joseph Pilates’ bed-ridden patients. Even though some renovations have been made to the model it still holds true to Joe’s creed of exercise innovation making it even that much more effective.

Standing at 6 feet tall, the Cadillac has a padded tabletop and four posts. From these posts you will find straps, springs, levers, and a variety of bars. Traditional models have a push-through bar, while you can find more elaborate models that include a roll-down bar, trapeze, ankle cuffs, and fuzzy-padded hanging loops. With so many options for isolation it is a great tool for compartmentalizing injuries and for correcting poor patterns of movement and posture that can develop over time.

There are more than 80 exercises that can be performed on the Cadillac. Aside from the gentle algorithm of the more traditional spring-loaded resistance functions the Cadillac can provide physical challenges up to that of an acrobatic nature.

A more economical approach to Pilates can be found in the lightweight Pilates Barrel. This is a great addition to any mat workout as well as any “circuit” based Pilates session. It is commonly used to “open up” the chest, hips, thighs, and neck. For those that carry tension or stress easily, this arch’s rehabilitative qualities can assist in an even deeper stretch than through mat stretching alone.

Pilates Resistance Bands are also an additional facet of any Pilates workout. Made of a thin latex material these bands promote sculpting of the muscles as well as mind-body balance, and increased flexibility. The bands can be used by themselves or in a circuit. They offer a subtle and gentle resistance, which keeps in line with natural body movements. These are used to target the upper as well as the lower body.

Depending upon how much experience you have with exercise machines it may take a little while to become accustomed to the system of each Pilates machine. You can choose to start your introduction to these machines and accessories in a personal session or with a group. Since form is the most crucial component in Pilates, supervision is essential for beginners. As you become more skilled in the art of Pilates exploration can begin into the endless possibilities each machine offers.