Too much of a good thing

by: AndreaDow
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Word Count: 419

I cannot tell you the number of injuries I see waiting to happen in the gym. Poor form, dangerous equipment use and too many repetitions are just a few problems that easily provoke injury. No wonder America is plagued with low back, shoulder and knee problems. One of the many reasons I like pilates is that the exercises work the body from the inside or deep muscle layers out. At the gym, most people are working the larger superficial muscles on the body (more on this later in the article). Having a strong shell does not mean as much if your center is weak (another cause of injury). By training with pilates, your gym workouts will become safer, stronger and more efficient.

Also, change your weight routine every 6-8 weeks. Some may need to change their routine sooner if they are performing the workout 3 times per week. The reason is our bodies adapt to the exercises and we need consistent challenge to increase strength and see results.

Guys generally need more cardiovascular work while women usually need more weight training (the resistance of pilates equipment at an intermediate level is great strength training). Ideally, both men and women should have a combination of strength, flexibility, cardiovascular and core training as part of their workouts.

Change your workout routine and keep moving because movement heals!

Make sure to read about the Lisa May story on the Power Pilates homepage for an amazing story of healing through movement

More of the same will make you insane!
Do you see the same people at the gym at the same time, every week on the same piece of cardio equipment or doing the same weight lifting routine? OK, we are all creatures of habit, but change is good. Variety is the spice of life and the key to a healthy body! Make sure your body is involved in different forms of cardiovascular exercises throughout the week. As an example, try the elliptical on Monday & Saturday, treadmill on Wednesday, walk outside Tuesday, pilates on Thursday, play tennis on Friday. Notice I have listed cardiovascular exercise on 6 days of the week. The surgeon general recommends we engage in 60 minutes of moderate exercise daily. Yes, daily! If you are working out vigorously, one day of rest is great for muscle repair and optimum performance. Overtraining is another leading cause of injury.

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