Classic advanced Pilates workouts contain all of the beginner and intermediate exercises in addition to the advanced. An experienced Pilates practitioner will know how to move with intention and control through all the movements, making effective use of even the transitions between exercises. Although Pilates is considered a strength-training exercise, a 2005 ACE study of 15 participates suggested the advanced workout raises the heart rate enough to qualify as an aerobic exercise.
Advanced Reformer Workout
Exercises like Rowing and Chest Expansion from the advanced Pilates workout are challenging because they use less not more resistance so the carriage is harder to control. In Rowing and Chest Expansion you sit or kneel on the Reformer carriage and hold the straps in your hands. To keep your torso balanced and still as the carriage slides you must engage your lower abdominals and buttocks. In the Overhead, Balance Control and Snake/Twist you need significant abdominal strength to raise your hips over your head and shoulders while maintaining your balance on the moving carriage. The advanced exercises would be difficult to learn without individual instruction.
Advanced Cadillac Workout
The Advanced Cadillac workout adds a new piece of equipment onto the apparatus: the swing. It hangs from the overhead frame, and you can use it for the Hanging Plank. This exercise calls for upper body strength for a modified chin up, and the ability to isolate your lower abdominals as you pull your hanging legs into your torso without engaging your quadricep muscles. For the Swan and Rolling Out & In, you need to know how to strongly pull your lower abdominals toward your spine to support your back and avoid injury. Many of the advanced Cadillac exercises would not be possible without prior Pilates training, even if you were an accomplished athlete from a different sport.
Advanced Mat Workout
The advanced mat workout brings the Small Arc into use. This half-cylinder shape is large enough to support most of your spine if you arch your back across it. In this position, when you lower and lift your legs in Scissors, the Bicycle, the Shoulder Bridge and the Double-Leg Drop your lower abdominals must work at their point of extension, as opposed to their point of contraction when your back is curled forward. This series also includes the Pilates Pushup, one of the few standing exercises for the mat series. In this exercise, you balance on your toes with feet turned out and slowly curl your back forward until your hands touch the floor. Then walk your arms forward until you are in the traditional pushup position. Complete one pushup and return to standing in reverse order. This exercise calls for fine balance.
References
- "The Pilates Body"; Brooke Siler; 2000
- "Pilates' Return to Life Through Contrology"; Joseph H. Pilates and William Miller, 1954
- ACE Fitness: Can Pilates Do It All?, November 2005
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