Pilate Equipment- For Complete Body Toning
What is Pilates Equipment?
Pilates equipment is any number of different machines that are used to enhance, support or improve the effectiveness of your Pilates workout. Most Pilate’s equipment is designed to augment the benefits that you can attain through merely performing the Pilates exercises on your own. Much of the equipment used during a regular Pilate’s workout is highly sophisticated and much of it was either designed by or inspired by machines designed by Joseph Pilates.
Types of basic Pilates Equipment
- Reformer.
The reformer is probably the most popular Pilates Equipment. It is basically a sliding carriage that has foot bars, jump boards, leg and arm pulleys. These features allow the exerciser to work on different parts of the body with the same machine.
There are two types of reformers, spring reformers and gravity reformers.
A spring Pilates equipment reformer, makes use of springs for resistance, it is usually used while lying on the back and pulling with your arms or pushing with your legs.
The Gravity reformer has the same concept of push and pull, but instead of springs, it makes use of the person’s own weight. The person is diagonal in position in order for the gravity to pull down on him/her, creating the resistance needed for the exercise.
- Cadillac
The second type of Pilate’s equipment is the Cadillac or the trapeze table. This Pilates equipment looks like a cage, without the bars though, just the frames, and attached along the bars are springs, straps, and extra bars that are used for several types of exercises.
- Wunda Chair
One other Pilate’s equipment is the Wunda chair, which looks like a bench only slightly higher; it has two bars on each side with spring attached to it. One exercise that can be done is to push on the bars while standing or sitting on the bench, or standing or sitting on the floor.
- Mats
Pilates has a series of mat exercises that improve certain parts of the body, therefore, the Pilates Mat, is definitely a must have Pilates equipment. Mat exercises are usually taught as to groups. These exercises focus mostly on the trunk and hip, to strengthen then, and on the spine and hips again for flexibility. The mat, is probably the least expensive of Pilates equipment, and it is also the most limited, the amt is basically for back protection and doesn’t offer any form of resistance for the user, but still mat exercises are very good ones, especially for those on a budget.
These are only few of the most common exercise equipment that you may see in a Pilates studio, there are however, other equipment that you might be able to use at home, like barrels, Pilates balls, and Pilates rings, these are however, not part of the original Pilates equipment that Joseph Pilates designed initially, but rather a derivation and application of the different Pilates techniques from other types of exercises.
Tips on maintaining your Pilates exercise equipment
- First of all – keep your maintenance manual!
- Another common sense tip is to oil your equipment sporadically to keep all of the moving parts sliding and gliding smoothly. It will also prevent any gears or pulleys from jamming or breaking.
- Wiping down your Pilates equipment after every workout may seem like a waste of time, but it is an important step in caring for it. By wiping down your Pilates equipment after every use you will prevent the build of sweat and grime on the leather or vinyl that will eventual damage the material and require it to be replaced.
- The other tip to keeping your Pilates equipment in good shape is to occasionally tighten all the nuts and bolts that hold it together.
Taking good care of your Pilates equipment will prolong the life of your machines and props and will help you to enjoy your purchases for years to come.
Summary:
Pilates, is nothing without its equipment, from the simple mat to the complicated trapeze, Pilates Equipment is very integral to the program itself. Pilate equipment is what produces the resistance that your muscles overcome, and these resistances are what make your core strong.
