Sisters-in-Service

Traditional versus Contemporary Pilates - Not all Pilates is the Same!!

• Cat Corchado • Episode 169

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What if the path to fitness and mindfulness could also be a journey of personal acceptance and inclusivity? Join me as I unravel my evolution from a skeptic to an enthusiastic advocate of Pilates, strictly because of one instructor.  Through this episode, I’ll take you through the intriguing distinctions between traditional Pilates, and contemporary Pilates, which often embraces modern tools like foam rollers and other equipment.  As a seasoned instructor, I stress the importance of the rigorous certification process for traditional instructors and share essential tips to help you find the ideal Pilates studio and instructor that caters to your specific needs.

Creating an environment that embraces imperfection and inclusivity is just as crucial as the exercises themselves. With a "no perfection policy," this episode encourages everyone to embrace their flaws and foster a supportive community, enriched by the comfort and authenticity of pets like dogs and cats. I remind you of the importance of carving out a personal space for your workouts and self-care, reassuring you that it’s never too late to try new challenges and achieve what once seemed impossible. Let’s embark on this unique wellness journey together, always prioritizing safety and mutual care.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Sisters in Service podcast. Most of you know me as a strong advocate for women veterans in being recognized not only as veterans but also as women who are changing the world through our passion of serving even after service. This podcast is my passion by telling all the stories of military brats, military spouses, active duty and veterans, not to forget the veteran service organizations that help us along our transition journey. I want to thank you in advance for listening. I hope that you will join me. Every week, a new podcast and episode comes out every Tuesday, so I hope that you will join and I hope that you enjoy. This podcast is brought to you by Small Space Pilates. Are you ready to get fit and fabulous from the comfort of your own home? Look no further than Small Space Pilates. With live online Pilates and strength training classes, a video library and a-allowed policy, you can achieve your fitness goals without ever leaving your house. Click on the link for your complimentary week and start your journey to feeling fabulous today. Hi everyone, welcome to another episode of why Not? Wellness. I'm your host, kat Corchado, and today I'm going to shed a little bit of light on the difference between contemporary Pilates and traditional Pilates. I get asked this question all the time and I tell people not all Pilates is the same. So you're probably wondering what the difference is, and I kind of did too. So, if you don't know, pilates is a mind-body exercise that was introduced in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates, focusing on strength, flexibility and mindful movement. You have the core principles of Pilates, which is concentration, control, center, flow, precision and breathing. So when I first started Pilates and I'll tell you my little story, because a lot of people don't understand what they're trying to get out of Pilates so I was in Boston and we had a beautiful mind-body studio downstairs. So I was in Boston and we had a beautiful mind-body studio downstairs and I was training one of my clients and she said you know, you should really try Pilates. So I said, sure, I got two free sessions when I joined the club. So I thought, okay, fine, let me try Pilates. So I go to Pilates and I walked in and walked out and I thought what the hell just happened. I had no idea. I was asking questions, I got no answers. Went back a second time, different instructor, same thing, walked out and I thought what? Pilates is stupid. That's what I said. I literally said that I go, this is dumb, pilates is stupid, I don't want to do this. So flash forward the following week and my client says hey, how did Pilates go? And I told her I said Pilates is stupid, I don't want to do it. And she said to me you did not go to Maureen, did you? And I said no. So I went to Maureen. Now I'm a little upset because I have to pay for a session, but it was the best decision I ever made, why? Maureen explained everything. She answered all my questions and she kicked my butt at the same time and I said I want to do this. So I've been an instructor for 15 years.

Speaker 1:

So traditional Pilates, which Romanes Pilates is that's who I am certified through is based on traditional Pilates, but it's also about looking at someone's body and taking all of those traditional exercises and fitting it so that it fits you where you are right now. So when you walk into the studio, I'm watching how you're walking, how you're standing. You know all of those little patterns that we do all the time and I'm not going to give you any exercise that I think you're not ready for Now. Contemporary Pilates I've heard some things, y'all. I'm just going to say I have not taken a contemporary Pilates class. However, I have talked to people who have taken a contemporary Pilates class, and so they like to say that traditional is old and contemporary is new. Look, pilates is Pilates is Pilates. You either teach it the way you teach it or you don't. However, in contemporary, they like to add little things, little toys, such as a foam roller. One of my clients told me she did an entire mat workout on a foam roller and my question was why? Why the foam roller? So when you're talking about Pilates, I can tell you a lot about traditional, so I'm going to give you some tips on, if you're trying to start finding a studio, questions to ask how to find that fit for you. I'm also going to tell you a little bit about how I treat clients when they come into the studio, and I'm not for traditional and against contemporary. I think there are a lot of exercises contemporary that I think traditional could use.

Speaker 1:

However, when I went through traditional Pilates, it was a year long process and when I was done, I was actually certified on every piece of equipment in the studio. We also had to do hours where we're observing observation hours. I think the minimum was 2,500. Trust me when I tell you it was much more. I had to travel to different studios and watch other instructors teaching clients and, on top of the fact that I had to pay for traditional Pilates classes myself, I so, every week I was paying for Pilates session. Every week I was teaching women and men who are already instructors. I had to teach them how to do Pilates, even though they already knew how to do Pilates. So, in a word, it was intense, on top of the fact that I had to do a practical test and I also had to do a written test. Now when I say written test, I don't mean true, false multiple choice, all of those. When we do a test in traditional Pilates, they give you a fake body on paper and you have to provide a workout for them in the Pilates genre, according to whatever issues they might have. So they might be very athletic, but they have weak ankles, they have a broken wrist that they just rehabbed. So you see where I'm going with this. I don't know ifary does that. I'm sure they do some kind of testing. I'm almost positive that they do a practical exam.

Speaker 1:

So if you come into the studio and I meet you for the first time we're going to sit down and have a little chat. First, I want to know about your injuries, both recent and not so recent, any operations you may have had recent or not so recent. Why are you here? Why are you in the Pilates studio? What is it you need? And so I get a lot of. I have low back issues. I get a lot of my PT. You know recommended Pilates. You know recommended Pilates. I get a lot of sports enthusiasts, professional sports, professional dancers See where I'm going with this and I treat them all the same.

Speaker 1:

We all start with a conversation, and so then we start with the workout and I'm asking you questions how does it feel? How does this feel? What's going on? And so I'm trying to answer all of your questions. Why can't I do this? This seems so simple, because that's what it is. Pilates sounds simple here, but it's taken here and transferring it to your body. That is what's difficult.

Speaker 1:

Now, in terms of whether or not you want to do contemporary or traditional, that's your choice. What I would like for you to try to do is find two or three studios that are close by and do your homework, look them up online. What kind of classes do they have? What kind of equipment do they have? If it looks like a good fit for you, go and talk to someone in the studio. Ask them questions. If you find someone you like, find out if they're available. Are you available during the time that I'm available? What kind of classes do you have? Do you have math classes? Do you have reformer classes? Do you do both?

Speaker 1:

I will stop right there and say Romanis, pilates does not do reformer classes and it's because of the safety issue. I'm just going to leave it right there. So you can ask any traditional Pilates instructor. They will tell you the same thing. And if they do Pilates classes, as far as reformer, we need to talk. So my job when you walk in is to keep you safe. That's what my job is.

Speaker 1:

So when you come back for another session and I'll say how did you feel? And you go, well, I wasn't sore, I just felt good. You know what that tells me. That's a green light so we can proceed further. Doesn't mean make it harder. It means we can still do what we were doing before, but make it a little more intentional. So when you're looking for a studio, you go and talk to someone and if you're a healthy body, it probably doesn't really matter who your instructor is.

Speaker 1:

However, if you have come back from PT from an injury maybe you're rehabbing an injury your physical therapist recommended Pilates then you need someone who is one-on-one. Number one. Number two you need someone who has experience in dealing with whatever injury you may have. So in traditional Pilates we say work the things that don't hurt. So if your knee hurts or your knee isn't where you want it to be, we're gonna be very careful with whatever exercise that we're gonna be doing at that time.

Speaker 1:

So you find your studio. You've asked all your questions and keep asking questions. Okay, that's what I'm going to say. Keep at. I encourage ask me questions, please, so I can answer all the questions you might have. So it's your first day of your session. Maybe it's a private. Please wear clothes that you feel good in. Do not go out there and buy a new workout outfit. I mean you can. We all want to look cute while we're working out. Right, but be comfortable. Understand that my job is to help you feel better walking out of the studio than when you walked in. That's my number one goal. That's what's going to keep you coming back.

Speaker 1:

So the day of your session. You do it and then afterwards, after you get home, say how do I feel about this? Did you like the instructor? Do you need an older instructor? Do you need someone with more experience? Do you need the studio to be closer? Do you want a male instructor versus a female? These are all questions. Do you like your instructor? I mean, that's first and foremost. Do you even like your instructor? That's huge. They might be all the other things, but if you don't like them, it's not going to work.

Speaker 1:

So traditional and contemporary are incredibly how can I say it? They are great together. However, there are some differences in both, and so you want to be able to say yes, I know, this is what I'm looking for, this is what I want to do, et cetera. So I also want you to understand that both contemporary and traditional Pilates are open to all fitness levels. Okay, I'm just going to put it out there. So when you are going, you want to be able to see people having a good time.

Speaker 1:

If you go to a class and they're yucking it up and they're having a great time, but they're also working, that might be a place that you want to go. However, that might not be your thing. You want someone who's very strict, very top chop, let's be here, let's do this, et cetera. So choosing the right style of Pilates for you reflects on your personal health and fitness goals. If you value discipline and a structured approach that sticks closely to what you think Pilates is, then maybe traditional is your thing.

Speaker 1:

I will ask you to ask whoever it is you're talking to to say, hey, can I watch a class? If they say no, leave, just say okay, because that's not the place for you. I always allow people to watch and I always ask a client first. They want to watch a private? I'll always make sure the client's okay with that. If it's a class, always make sure that everyone in the class knows that this person is just seeing if this is a good fit for them. So just try both is my recommendation.

Speaker 1:

Try contemporary, try traditional and then see which one you like the best. A lot of times it's not so much the style, as it is the instructor, the availability of time and do you like your instructor? I think that's what it comes down to. I think that's what it comes down to. So there are things in both that are very beneficial. You will never hear me say that contemporary is bad. I don't know that it's bad. I don't know. If it is bad, it out whatever it is you're going to do.

Speaker 1:

We will plan out a trip in a car going from New York to California, but we won't plan out a Pilates studio where we want to go. What are their credentials? I'm more than happy to give you my credentials if you want to know, and I will tell you this. Always ask the price of the classes and the privates, but don't base your decision strictly on the price. So when people say to me, oh, that's really expensive, I tell them you are paying for my 15 years of experience. Now, if you want someone who has a year or two years, that's fine. You're not gonna hear me go. Oh, don't go down there. Don't go there. I'm gonna be like okay, and you know what happens. They end up coming back. I'm just putting it out there.

Speaker 1:

So I hope this gave you some information, some a little bit of information about Pilates, and you can always reach out to me at Kat, at smallspacepilatescom, if you have any questions about contemporary versus traditional. I know a lot about traditional, not so much about contemporary. I just know that they use a lot of different gadgets. That's what I'm going to call them different things. Okay, the other thing I want to do is or? The other thing I want to say is if you're really struggling with finding your way in fitness, let's have a conversation. I also want to invite you to a free week of small space Pilates. Do we do Pilates? Sure, we do, but we also do weight training, we also do stretching. And you get a free week if you sign up and it just costs you your email and you can decide. We have a good time.

Speaker 1:

Number one. Number two there's a no perfection policy put in place. I put it there because I'm not perfect, so I don't expect anybody else to be perfect. And number three if you have dogs, puppies, cats you just saw my dog wandering in and out bring them, let them come. You know that's part of who we are. That's part of you know. The the no perfection policy it's finding your space. You're part of the house that's yours, that you can do your workout in. So until next time, stay safe, take care of each other, until next time, and it's never, ever too late to start your impossible. Talk to you soon. Bye, thank you.