Tips for Winsor Pilates

At a time when Pilates workouts were mostly relegated to exercise on a Pilates reformer machine, Pilates instructor Mari Winsor launched a series of exercise videos designed for home use. Known as the Winsor Pilates method, the routine emphasizes dynamic sequencing to maximize your workout and slim your body. After hosting her first infomercial in 2003, Winsor has released videos, books, been featured in national magazines and trained celebrities like Drew Barrymore and Sharon Stone, according to her Winsor Fit website.

Engage Your "Powerhouse"

Winsor refers to your core muscles -- the abdomen -- as your powerhouse. When you engage these muscles, you are working to your maximum benefit, Winsor said in an interview with "Pilates Insight." One method to engage your powerhouse is to ensure you are breathing properly. Breathe in before you perform an exercise to engage your powerhouse and tighten your muscles. Breathe out as you perform the main motions of the exercise, such as lowering the legs or torso.

Start Small

If you are a beginner to the Winsor Pilates program, watch the video one to two times through before performing the exercises to best understand how the system works. When you do begin, always use the modifications demonstrated in the video and instead focus on your breath and learning how to engage your powerhouse. Taking a slower approach to your Pilates practice will help you learn how to best engage the muscles. Focusing on the powerhouse will help you to build the strength that will allow you to gain flexibility, according to "Pilates Style" magazine.

Visualize Quicksand

Exercising on a Pilates reformer, a large machine that features resistance bands and a moving platform, provides the needed resistance to challenge your muscles. With Winsor Pilates, you can create this tension through using exercise bands and visualization techniques. "You need to work like you're submerged in quicksand," Winsor said in an interview with "Pilates Style" magazine. "Concentrate. It's hard to be mindful about form, balance and engaging the correct muscles if you're working too quickly." This does not mean you should tense your muscles, instead, you should move more slowly, picturing resistance against your movements.

Find a Good Mat

If you are exercising on a floor that is hard or unsupportive, a good mat is required to perform Winsor Pilates exercises, according to Chris Wight, a fitness expert writing on Fabulously40.com. Exercises like the rollover, where you lift your legs over your torso and touch your feet to the ground in an inverted position, place added strain on the back and shoulders. A thick, plastic mat that can be easily wiped clean and is large enough to support your entire body is best. Mats can be purchased at most discount superstores or fitness stores.