Pilates is one of the most popular types of exercise for people who want to improve their flexibility, endurance, core strength, and pelvic floor health. It’s particularly popular with women of all ages because it’s a low-impact but intense and complex form of exercise that sculpts the body and trains flexibility like no other workout. The pilates community is also very welcoming, with plenty of excellent studios offering regular classes for people of all skill levels. Polates Perth, located in Osborne Park, near North Perth, is one of these studios, offering a unique approach to pilates that anybody can learn to pick up. Even if you’re a complete novice, you’ll find a pilates class that works for you.
Is Pilates Hard For Beginners?
Pilates requires a lot of hard work and dedication, but it’s a great option for people who don’t have much experience with flexibility workouts. Beginners can customise their pilates workouts to their current levels of strength and endurance, then progressively move on to more challenging routines.
The most important thing to master early on is posture. If you struggle to get into the positions and hold them, you’ll never perfect the technique needed to tackle harder workouts. Muscles that aren’t used to being stretched out will resist at first, but it’s important to persevere, even if it feels like you’re not making any progress. Doing pilates consistently is the quickest way to get your body used to the movements.
It’s recommended for beginners to start with simple routines, hold each position, and stretch for a short amount of time to avoid injury. When the stretches feel less painful and more natural, beginners can then focus more on perfecting their form and holding positions for a longer amount of time.
Beginners often do best in pilates classes alongside other newcomers because a trained instructor will be able to create workouts specifically for that demographic and keep things fun and interesting. Having weekly classes blocked into your schedule motivates you to stick to it and observe your progress on a regular basis. We can guarantee you’ll notice changes to your flexibility and endurance after a few weeks.
The Most Accessible Types of Pilates
There are countless types of pilates, but some are too complex for beginners. We recommend starting off with something more accessible. If you’re considering beginners pilates near me, keep the below options in mind.
Mat Pilates
This type focuses mainly on the core, although it also stretches and exercises the arms and legs. Staying close to the floor allows you to use gravity as resistance when training your muscles to hold tricky positions. Though it’s low impact, mat pilates in Perth targets the core, glutes, shoulders, hips, and lower back.
Contemporary Pilates
Contemporary pilates is a good choice for beginners because it’s accessible but provides a modern twist on classical pilates exercises. This type typically crosses pilates with other types of fitness, like yoga or aerobics, to diversify the workouts and challenge the body in different ways.
Ball Pilates
Pilates balls are great because they’re affordable and make it easier for people with minimal flexibility to get into the positions. The ball helps stabilise your back and hips during a workout and relieve muscle tension. This also encourages better balance and stronger core muscles. It’s also especially helpful for people experiencing back pain.
The Best Pilates Combinations
Once you’ve mastered pilates as an independent exercise, there are plenty of great ways to combine it with other types of exercise. It all depends on what your fitness goals are and which parts of your body you’d like to target.
Polates (Pilates and Pole Fitness)
Polates is a lesser-known variation of pilates that we do here at Polates, but it’s one of the best for targeting your core and strengthening your pelvic floor. The pole is integrated into the classic pilates workout to provide greater alignment and support. It also helps to stabilise stretches both on the ground and in the air, working every muscle, but especially those in the core and arms.
Pilates and Cardio
Combining pilates with cardio is great for a calorie-burning workout that incorporates traditional pilates movements but also gets you up and off the floor. The pilates positions work on sculpting your body while the cardio exercises burn fat and increase your heart rate.
Pilates and Strength Training
Strength training typically targets the muscles in the arms with weights and resistance bands, so it combines perfectly with pilates. Doing these two very different forms of exercise in one routine builds endurance at a faster pace and keeps your muscles warm, flexible and powerful.
Barre Pilates (Pilates and Ballet)
Ballet and pilates may seem intimidating to a beginner, but they both offer simple, low-impact workouts that get the body used to new movements and stretches. Barre pilates is done mostly standing up, which strengthens core and leg muscles. The ballet positions improve posture and balance, and the pilates encourage strength and tolerance.
Why Choose Polates Perth
If you want to book a class for pilates in Perth and are interested in trying something new and exciting, Polates Perth is the place for you! There are plenty of classes to suit all levels of expertise, all led by professional instructors who can help you create a fitness plan and figure out what works for you.
Located in Osborne Park, North of Perth, Polates Perth provides a fun and welcoming environment for all newcomers. Whether you’re starting small or ready to dive straight into the world of pole fitness, you’ll fit right in. Asking yourself if there’s pilates classes near me? Yes, there is! We offer pilates classes close to the following areas:
- Innaloo
- Leederville
- Scarborough
- Mount Hawthorn
- North Perth
So, book a trial class at Polates Perth and start your unique pilates journey today!