The Pilates equipment line includes the Reformer, the Trapeze, the Chair and the Barrel as well as smaller apparatus such as the Magic Circle, and combo machines like the Reformer/Trapeze. Equipment workouts add a new dimension to Pilates exercise. Although Pilates mat exercises provide efficient and effective strength and flexibility workouts, equipment sessions add challenge, and, in some cases, increase the exercises' range of motion. Pilates machines, because of their atypical design, also make the workout more interesting.
History
Joseph Pilates developed his signature exercise technique in Germany in the early 1900s. His method helped him surpass his many physical limitations and become a skilled athlete. He moved to England in 1912 and became a circus performer, but when World War I broke out in 1914, the British sent him to an internment camp, where he offered his assistance to prisoners who had taken ill during incarceration. The camp physicians told him that the prisoners needed to remain in bed, so Pilates removed the bed springs, rigged them to the bedposts and created his first makeshift exercise machine, which later lead to the development of the Pilates Trapeze table. Simple objects continued to inspire him. A beer keg, for example, inspired the Barrel, and the steel ring around the keg inspired the Fitness Circle.
Types
The Pilates Reformer consists of a gliding platform, cables or straps and a foot bar. The Trapeze table is a platform enclosed in a metal cage, which has cables attached to it. Some companies make a space-saving Reformer/Trapeze combo. These machines have a Trapeze cage over the Reformer platform. Instructors can stabilize the platform when their client is working on the overhead Trapeze apparatus. The Pilates Chair resembles a box with pedals on one side. There are two types of Pilates Barrels. The Arc Barrel is a simple arc, which provides strength and flexibility exercise. Sound Barrels have ladders attached to them by a sliding base, which is adjusted according the the client's torso length. The client places his feet on one of the ladder rungs, sits or lies on the barrel in the supine, prone position and performs strength and flexibility exercises. The Magic Circle is a ring-shaped piece of equipment composed of a flexible metal material. It is used to add resistance to the mat exercises.
Function
Most functional exercises simultaneously work more than one muscle group while developing strength and dynamic flexibility, which is flexibility in motion. All Pilates machines fit this description. The Reformer, for example, allows you to use the cables to perform upper-body exercise while performing half sit-ups, called roll-backs, for the abdominal muscles. Lying face up with your spine draped over the Barrel enhances spinal flexibility, whereas lying sideways over the Barrel strengthens the external obliques.
Benefits
Joseph Pilates spoke of the "powerhouse," which most instructors now call the core muscles. Pilates designed his machines to promote movement fluidity, enhance postural alignment and engage the core muscles. Although associated with exercise challenge, some of the Pilates machines make it easier to perform exercises. The Reformer, for example, provides a lifted platform, which benefits anyone who has knee or blood pressure issues that prevent him from getting up and down from the floor.
Warning
As Pilates gains popularity, many home exercise machine manufacturers have created cheaper versions of the equipment. These machines often lack the durability and safety of machines designed by traditional manufacturers such as Balanced Body, Stott or Gratz.
