Gotta Gimmick?

A friend recently told me about a postcard she received in the mail for a Pilates for Ballroom Dancers class. Her question to me was the typical "What is the difference between the Pilates for ballroom dancers, Pilates for the golfers and just the good old classic Pilates." I really couldn't tell her. Was this just another marketing gimmick to get people interested in Pilates? Is the classical methods of Joseph Pilates just not good enough in it's own right anymore? I was under the impression that this method of body conditioning was about strengthening all the muscle groups to create an equal balance in the entire body?

OK, I really could be a hypocrite though. Yeah.....Matwork for Dancers on Sundays? Barre/Matwork classes? What would Joe think? Here's how I justify my gimmick. In my specialized classes we kick it out hard core. OK guys...I hear the giggles.....we are hard core in all classes but to varying degrees. In the Matwork for Dancers class we get all those classic mat exercises in power style and then we add even more back and extension work which the dancer needs. Please don't bring a sensitive back to this class. These are exercises the average person can't handle in large doses. Barre work is the some deal. Power matwork followed by some power barre work. Please don't bring a degenerative knee problem to barre class. That would not be wise. Hence my gimmick. Condition it all via Joe style and then maybe give it a little extra something for good measure.

Do you think Pilates really needs a gimmick in order to be fresh and attract new clients? Feel free to comment back. I'd love to hear some different views on this. In fact I'll go start a nice forum about at www.pilatesforthepeople.ning.com. There is also classic footage of Joe doing Pilates there!

Pilates Exercise of the Week - Hip Lift

Videos for Home

With the Pilates Industry growing rapidly it can be difficult to know what quality videos are worth purchasing to use at home. As I stated in my Where to Begin? article, I am partial to The Method videos by Jennifer Kries just because it is similar to my teaching style and method. My favorite videos are Target Specifics and Precision Toning which are very true to the Pilates method. I also enjoy the Lotte Berk videos as well. Although they are not Pilates videos, they do compliment the method and can be a good mix to home workouts. The exercises are very complimentary to the work done in the Matwork/Barre classes.

Other popular videos out there are Stott Pilates, Winsor Pilates and Gaiam Pilates featuring Ana Caban which are all excellent in there own way. If you need a recommendation on a video always ask your trainer for advice. Usually we have certain videos that go hand in hand with what we teach at the studio.

What Pilates videos are you partial too? Let us know. Remember that you can also use Pilates for the People for more networking and advice. It's free and easy.