Is Boutique Fitness For You?
You already go to the gym (walk/ ride your bike /play golf, etc.).
Why do you need Pilates?
In any boutique fitness studio setting, there are two different groups of potential clients. The first group is comprised of people who either have previous Pilates experience, or they have undergone some change or realization in their bodies, causing them to know that they need to invest in intelligent movement if they want to continue to move well. They are convinced before they walk in the door that Pilates is for them and, short of a bad experience, they become long-term clients.
The second group isn’t so sure. Maybe they heard from a friend or a relative, or read on-line, that Pilates is something that would benefit them, but they don’t know exactly how. They generally already belong to a gym, or are involved in consistent physical activity of some kind. They walk in the door skeptical, schedule already full, and are not super-eager to add another activity to their regimen. More than anything else, this group of potential clients needs to understand the difference between the activity that they are currently involved in and what the boutique fitness studio offers.
It is important to recognize that boutique fitness isn’t for everyone. It is absolutely true that going to a Pilates and/or GYROTONIC® studio will cost more than going to a big-box gym. The cost of quality equipment plus the cost of quality (on-going) training adds up to make these movement modalities more expensive than some people want to pay. In general, when it comes to movement experiences, you get what you pay for. Here are four reasons why boutique fitness is worth it.
1. In the Pilates studio, you will have the instructor’s eyes on you for the entire session. Pilates and GYROTONIC® trainers focus on private, one-on-one sessions, or small group classes. No instructor, no matter how good, can give intelligent, individualized instruction to a room of 20 (or more) people. The instructor will be watching you to help prevent injury, make sure you are challenged, and determine what exercises would be best for you and your body on that day, based upon the feedback that you will be constantly giving the instructor throughout the session.
2. In the Pilates studio, the instructor cares about how you move, and s/he has the ability to watch you, cue you, correct you, and support you. Lifting your leg is not simply lifting your leg when you are in a boutique fitness studio. Your instructor wants to see that you are lifting your leg using the proper form, technique, and intention, so that you will not hurt your back. Or so that you engage your abdominals correctly. Or so that you can successfully disassociate the movement of your leg from the movement of your pelvis. Or so that you can move your lower body without feeling tension in your upper body.
Being encouraged to focus on your movement quality, as opposed to focusing on completing a movement objective, is where the magic of boutique fitness lies. As opposed to, say, focusing on hitting a golf ball as far as possible, no matter the method, Pilates class focuses on the body mechanics necessary to accomplish the objective of a long drive.
The Pilates principles of Breath, Precision, Control, Concentration, Flow, and Centering, guide all movement, and if the principles are not being employed, the movement isn’t Pilates.
3. A Pilates client does not go to Pilates class to be better at Pilates. A Pilates client goes to Pilates class to be a stronger, more efficient mover EVERYWHERE, from walking the dog, to competitive swimming, and climbing up the stairs of historic landmarks when traveling. Lifting weights makes you stronger so that you can lift more weight. Running makes you a better, faster runner. Playing tennis with frequency means that you will be a more skilled tennis player. Doing Pilates makes you better at all of these activities. This is why so many elite athletes practice their sport along with Pilates and/or the GYROTONIC® Method. The benefits of a consistent Pilates practice are too numerous to list, and are highly individualized. What do you do outside of the Pilates studio? Pilates will help with that!
4. Pilates and the GYROTONIC® Method actually work different muscles than you are working at the gym. Typical gym exercises and specific sport training focus on the superficial muscles in the body. These are the muscles that are closer to the skin, the ones you can see when you flex in the mirror. They are larger and span greater distances in the body than the deep muscles. Superficial muscles exert great force and leverage, and are responsible for large range of motion. They are not designed to sustain long-term contraction. Examples of superficial muscles would be the rectus abdominis (that six-pack muscle in your front), and latissimus dorsi in the back, as well as the biceps of the arms and the quadriceps of the legs.
The deep muscles of the body, while almost never the focus in the gym or while training for sport specificity, are very frequently the focus in movement modalities such as Pilates and the GYROTONIC® Method. Deep muscles are smaller, act with precision, exert little leverage or force, but are working constantly to maintain proper body alignment for optimal movement. Examples of deep muscles would be the transverse abdominis (deepest abdominal muscles), the multifidus (line your spine in the back), and your pelvic floor muscles (yes, men have these, too!).
It is important to keep the deep muscles of the body firing and working effectively, so that the superficial muscles are not called upon to takeover the job of the deep muscles. This is increasingly a problem in our society of people spending so much time sitting or slouching over computers. The deep muscles turn off and the superficial muscles try to step in. Because they are not built for the job of maintaining posture, the superficial muscles spasm and send messages of diffuse pain throughout the body. People then default to a more stationary lifestyle full of more sitting and slouching, and the problems begin to accumulate.*
In most boutique fitness studio sessions, the body is strengthened from the inside out. Both deep and superficial muscles are worked. Attention to posture and alignment is always primary and usually the superficial muscles are then used to challenge the ability of the deep muscles to maintain that proper posture. You will not build big, bulky muscles doing Pilates, but you can have bulky muscles and do Pilates.
Boutique fitness offerings are not a waste of time for any body. The benefits of intelligent, mindful movement abound for every body type, every fitness level, and every sport. Want to be a better mover in every aspect of your life? Pilates and/or the GYROTONIC® Method are for you!
See you at the studio,
Emma
*From Anatomy of Movement, Exercises, by Blandine Calais-Germain