Pilates Detectives

[Guest guest]

It seems as if my critical analysis of Pilates training claims in many

quarters is reaching deep into some Pilates groups. I have just come across

this Pilates group in the UK which quoted a large extract from one of my

articles on this subject. Unfortunately they did not provide the usual

academic reference to the original web site upon which my material appeared.

Anyway, at least the news is getting around, but it is a pity that some more

of my detailed comments were omitted.

First of all, this UK Pilates site states this:

Pilates.co.uk is the world's most comprehensive Pilates Search Engine.

*** This is the page which used my material:

http://www.pilates.co.uk/body_rc_myths.html

Pilates Detectives

In order to keep our Pilates industry respected within the exercise community

we have re-addressed some of the Pilates myths of exercising and strength

training that are now doing the rounds. Here are a few that are taken

directly from advertising blurb in the media. Myth: Weight training tends to

shorten the muscles, but Pilates lengthens them. All that lifting bunches up

the muscles and makes one tight and stiff.

Answered by Dr Mel C Siff, Denver, USA

All muscles contract and shorten when they are activated. All muscles

lengthen when they relax. If muscles appear to lengthen and flatten with

training, then this would imply that one is losing muscle bulk, which is not

a highly desirable state for anyone. This Pilates belief is total nonsense

and betrays a sorry knowledge of muscle physiology. It would also seem to

suggest that the more Pilates work you do, the longer your muscles become.

That, of course, would mean that your muscles would develop slack and you

eventually would not be able to move your joints!

In every single case where Pilates is compared with other forms of

conditioning, it is measured against typical body building training and never

against scientific strength training, that has been used for many years in

Russia and Europe to produce the world's greatest athletes in many shapes and

sizes, all depending on the specific needs of their sports.

It is apparent that far too many Pilates disciples seem to think that all

resistance training is some narrow type of body building training which many

years ago gave birth to that myth that all weight trained athletes are bulky,

slow, inflexible and prone to injury. This sort of extrapolation from one

small aspect of strength training to prove the merits of Pilates work betrays

a serious lack of understanding and a very biased view of modern strength

training.

In fact, if Pilates teachers were to learn more about what advanced strength

training is about, they could raise Pilates methods to far greater

heights.........

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For those who may be interested, here is some of the standard advertising

material which this site offers to Pilates teachers:

http://www.pilates.co.uk/body_rc_freetext1.html

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Dr Mel C Siff

Denver, USA

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Supertraining/