in the future I will also include some of my www.YourHealthHabitCoach.com nutirtion and exercise videos on this website, these videos will focus more on Nutrition, Food, Diet and general Fitness, Toning & Health related topics and not only on Pilates & Core Strength.
In this Pilates Video you are going to learn three Pilates & Core Strength Exercise, that tone and strengthen your whole midsection or midriff. . Keep your core muscles, your TVA (Transverse Abdominis) slightly engaged throughout.
(1) Pilates Roll-Up >> Focuses on straight abdominal muscles, your rectus abdominis)
This variation is for those who’s mid and lower back is ok, avoid if you have any lower or mid back issues. Aim to control the movement, slowly easy vertebrae by vertebrae onto the mat and roll the back in the same way off the mat. Stretch the whole body out in between. Avoid any jerky or rushed moves, especially as you roll up. . (2) Pilates Side-Bend >> Focuses on toning and strengthening your waist, your sides or love-handles
This exercise is not for somebody with neck or shoulder issues. Place your elbow below your shoulder, choose your leg and knee variation. Breath out as you lift your hip, breath in to lower your hip. Control the movement, slow it down a good bit to intensity the exercise. You will ultimately benefit more from the exercise if you do it slower, plus you increase your body awareness as well. .
(3) Pilates Swimming or Super-Man/Woman >> Focuses on mid & lower back strength, includes a small bit of a stretch for the whole back as well.
This exercise is generally very good for strengthening your lower back and simultaneously stretches your whole back, neck and spine out, if done correctly. Pay attention to keeping your chin tucked in, your neck long, stretch through one pair of limbs away as you breath out, breath in when switching over. . To-Do-List: (1)Do a brief warm-up of 5-8min including some rotational moves for your neck, back, shoulders and your lower back or do some cardio exercises for 5-8min e.g. brisk walking. (2) Do each exercise up to 10 times, assuming your back, neck, shoulders etc. agree with the movement and there is no pain. Do three sets of each exercise. (3) Be aware how easy or challenging it is to roll-up or to lift the hip up (compare right and left for the Pilates Side-Bend – class participants often experience differences, as one side might be stronger than the other). (4) I suggest to keep an exercise and activity diary, which will allow you recognize progress. Make a note of
(4.1) when you exercise time/date/duration,
(4.2) how many reps / sets you do,
(4.3) how the exercises are getting easier over time. Come up with a rating system.
I use a scale from 1 to 10 ( 1 = very very easy; 10 = extremely hard, nearly impossible). .
Let me know how you get on and if you have any questions.
Martin
In this short Pilates video I’m demonstrating a sample Pilates routine that could be done:
as a Morning Pilates Routine after getting up to boost you energy levels, wake up and loosen up after a good night’s rest.
as a Warm-Up Routine before a work out or a run etc..
in between when working at a desk / in a office for several hours to break up the day (you might just do the Neck, Back and Upper-Body Stretches and Loosening moves).
I plan to create one video per week from now onward, where I demonstrate different Kettlebell, Pilates, Body-Weight Exercises, Resistance Training and other exercises. Nutrition and diet advice videos, with various tip, recommendations, food reviews etc. are also planned.
> A *new* set of Men Only Pilates classes start during the week of Monday 7th March 2016. << Mens Pilates classes for men, taught by a man. .
I generally mix up the Mens Pilates and Core StrengthClasses ( in the various South Dublin based venues ) in different ways to keep the classes interesting and motivating. This will give you ideas what you can do at home or as part of your own exercise and fitness routines.
Some class participants do three or four variations of exercises at the end of their own workouts, runs, resistance or weight training, or after a game of golf or tennis, or they incorporate it into their club training at the end of a ruby, GAA, or soccer training session. .
This includes the use of various fitness and exercise props e.g.
(1) Foam Rollers
(2) Pilates Rings
(3) Resistance Bands
(4) Smalls Balls
(5) occasionally Swiss Balls or sometimes called Gym Balls
Pilates Exercises can be combined in Duos, Trios, or just done as an ongoing sequence. There are various ways of teaching and incorporating these Pilates and Core Strength moves into your general daily or weekly workout routine and other exercise programs.
Knowing is not enough; we mus apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Pilates Sample Program for Men:
Exercises were picked in a way to maintain balance in the body, avoid overuse of one particular muscle group and therefore injuries. I see it over and over again that people work only on their abdominal, stomach muscles and neglect back strengthening and mobilizing exercises, which will ultimately lead to back trouble and possibly injuries. .
(1) Warm-up: Various neck, shoulder, upper back, and spine mobilization, loosening and stretching exercises (these are generally good as most of us sit for hours in front of various screens and build up tension in the neck and shoulder area), sometimes a few simple body-weight moves e.g. squats, Pilates Push-ups, etc.. . (2) Main Section: These Core and Pilates exercises are generally done in sets of 10-12 moves.
(2.1) Shoulder Bridges – to give the back and spine another good stretch before more core and abdominal exercises. This exercise is also good for glute activation. (2.2) Single Legs Stretches – focus mainly on abdominal / core strength, rectus abdominis. (2.3) Pilates Swimming or Superman – works on lower back strength and lengthens the back and spine at the same time, if done correctly, without putting pressure on the lumbar spine. (2.4) Straight Arm Plank – mainly core / abdominal strength, plus a bit of upper body strength. (2.5) Back extension – a mid and/or lower back strengthening exercise, depending on which version you do. (2.6) Side Bends or Elbow Side Planks – another move to maintain balance in the body, it focuses mainly on the waist, the mid-riff also called obliques. I generally recommend that you keep moving during this Pilates movement, to get more out of it. (2.7) Roll-Up – an exercise that works on your straight abdominal muscles, a bit spine mobility/mobilization and adds in a very good hamstring/back of the leg stretch, all meaning is a great combination exercise (flexibility and mobility). (2.8) Check opening or Crocodile: a pure mobility and loosening exercise for your spine, mid and lower back. This exercise can stretch the neck muscles as well depending on how the exercise is done. . (3) Cool Down and Stretching:
We focus here on loosening and stretching the muscles we used during the Pilates and Core Strength exercises, of the main section. This will include a lot of back, neck, hip flexor and hamstring, etc. stretches.
>> The *New* set of Mens Pilates and Core Conditioning Classes start: << [1] Tuesday 8th March 2016 6-7pm Sandyford Community Centre, Lambs Cross, Dublin 18, D18
[2] Tuesday 8th March 2016 8.15-9.15pm Taney Parish Centre, Dundrum, Dublin 14, D14, close to the LUAS Bridge.
[3] Wednesday 9th March 2016 6.30-7.30pm IrishFit Shop, Running.ie Shop, Sandyford Industrial Estate, 5min walk from the Stillorgan LUAS stop, a view minutes drive from Stillorgan Village. . Please contact Martin before paying online, to check class suitability and availability. Class fees are €100 for 8 consecutive weeks (classes last for 1 hour), €14 Drop-in, Trial, or Pay-As-You-Go.
Skip the first few paragraphs and start reading below the video if you are not interested in New Years Resolutions and go straight to the Mens Pilates Class information.
It is that time of the year again …. some folks set “New Years Resolutions” or NYRs as I call them.
I’m not a fan of NYRs. Most of us are just about able to stick to them for the first three or four weeks of the year. Then it’s back to the old routines, habits and procrastination. Is that you?
What about picking a theme for the year in different areas of your life, e.g. “Freshness” in terms so of what you eat (bin processed foods) or “Positive Outlook” in terms of mental self-talk or “Healthy Habits” in terms of being active and exercising.
Once you identified three or four themes, jot them down,writethem into your diary, onto yellow Post-Its and place them into your wallet, at the dashboard of your car, on your phone, maybe set alarms to remind you of the themes regularly, ideally daily and ask yourself “What simple action can I take today to align my day with that theme and have fun 🙂 ?”.
Here a sample for above themes “Freshness” + “Positive Outlook” + “Healthy Habits”:
Get two pieces of fresh fruit for your in-between snacks in the office or when studying,take the stairs when bringing that important report to your manager or cycle/walk to the library when dropping off that novel or text book, encourage others to join in and “Always look at the bright side of life …. ” or think of James Brown’s song “I Feel Good”.
Make it easy for yourself to succeed and have fun doing so ! Get those post-its and your diary out and start writing … come on lets do it now !
Martin
Now to the Mens Pilates Classes in South Dublin, Dublin 16 – Dundrum and Dublin 18 Sandyford, Lambscross.
I’m teaching these classes for around six years now. Most guys join initially because of some lower back issues, some as they want to improve their core strength as they play golf, others look to get a bit more flexible and to loosen their back after a regular running sessions and so it goes on.
I mix (1)traditional Pilates with (2) general core strength exercises, similar to what you might have done as part of your GAA, Football, Rugby, Golf or other training, think 5-6 variations of planks and add (3) a good bit mobility and (4) flexibility work in, as most guys are simply to stiff. I round it up with (5) various body weight exercises e.g. squat or press-up variations to boost general strength.
The age profile of past class participants in the “Men Only Pilates Classes” varied from mid 20s to early to mid 70s, whereas the age of the majority of class participants probably ranges from early to mid 30s to early to mid 60s. All ages are welcome.
I generally look at what participants can do and what the exercises allow them to do if they keep them up.
Every class participants takes it at his own pace, as everybody has different exercise backgrounds or possibly back issues or minor niggling bits. I show always two or three different variations of the same exercise, so you can pick which every version is right for you.
Drop-Ins classes or Trial classes are possible. Please contact me a few days in advance to check availability, if you plan to try a class.
The fee for 8 consecutive weeks is €100 one class per week, Drop-Ins are €14.
These classes take place:
1. Tuesday 6-7pm – Dublin 18 – Sandyford Community Centre, Lambs Cross _
2. Tuesday 8.15-9.15pm – Dublin 14 – Dundrum, Taney Parish Centre
Contact me with any other questions you might have or to book your course.
Martin
Join our new *November 2015* Mens Pilates & Core Strength Classes in South Dublin.
Men Only Pilates Classes take place: . 1. 6pm-7pm – Sandyford Community Centre, Lambs Cross, Leopardstown, only a few minutes drive from Dundrum, Rathfarnham, Churchtown. 2. 8.15pm-9.15pm – Taney Parish Centre, Dundrum (close to the old Dundrum village and just 3-4 min walk from the Dundrum LUAS.
I’m teaching fitness, Kettlebell, Pilates other exercise classes in the greater South Dublin are a since 2002. I started competitive long-distance running in 1990, did a good bit of triathlon and various other forms of exercise. These days I keep myself fit, supple and lean with a mix or Kettlebell, Pilates and Body-Weight-Exercises.
In the Mens Pilates Classes I mix various traditional Pilates exercises, gym like core strength and abs-exercises and add a good bit of mobility and flexibility movements and stretches in.
Most guys should ideally do a good bit more stretching, as a lack of mobility and flexibility is often leading to back or other issues and causes then more serious injuries if not addressed.
Join us to (1)prevent injuries (2)boost mobility (3)increase flexibility (4)improve sports performance (5) get a stronger core.
A brief update re current classes. I’m in the process of revamping this website and offering other Pilates instructors the opportunity to promote their Dublin based Pilates classes here as well.
My current classes include:
Tuesday 6-7pm Men Only Pilates / Core Conditioning – Sandyford Community Centre, Dublin 18
Tuesday 8.15-8.15pm Men Only Pilates / Core Conditioning – Taney Parish Centre, Dundrum, Dublin 16
Wednesday 10am-11am Over 60s Pilates & Fitness – St. Mary’s Parish Centre, off Willbrook Road, close to The Yellow House pub, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16
Thursday 10am-11am Pilates Beginners to Mixed Level – Three Rock Rovers Hockey Club, Rathfarnham, beside Marlay Park, Dublin 16. _
Non-Pilates Classes: 5.1. Tuesday 9.30am-10.30am – Morning Toning & Weight Loss Class, Foxrock Parish Centre, Dublin 18
5.2. Tuesday 7.30am-8.15am – HIIT Toning & Conditioning Class, Central Park, Sandyford, Dublin 18
5.3. Thursday 7.30am-8.15am – HIIT Toning & Conditioning Class, Central Park, Sandyford, Dublin 18
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