Accept No Substitutes: Local Studio

Prides Itself On Teaching Authentic Pilates

By John Voket

When it comes to Pilates, Carolyn Lugo is a purist.

And in her quest to be as true to the exercise system originated more than 80 years ago, she recently became the 15th instructor in Connecticut, and the only one based in Newtown, to be certified in the standards and methods first taught by Joseph Pilates himself.

Pilates is a method of exercise developed by German-born Joseph and Clara Pilates. In 1926 the couple brought their exercise system, originally called “Contrology,” to New York City. The Pilates method is a physical movement program designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body.

Authentic Pilates exercise focuses on postural symmetry, breath control, abdominal strength, spine, pelvis and shoulder stabilization, muscular flexibility, joint mobility and strengthening through the complete range of motion of all joints. Instead of isolating muscle groups, the whole body is trained, integrating the upper and lower extremities with the trunk.

While a PMA certified Pilates instructor may be new to Newtown, more than 12 million people in the United States and countless millions worldwide currently practice the pure form of Pilates, as taught by its certified professionals.

“A mat class is not what Pilates is all about,” Ms Lugo said during a recent training break where she put two of her students, who are also personal trainers, through their paces. “It’s about being true to the original method. You know most people who try the kind of Pilates offered locally in gyms and fitness clubs don’t even know there’s special equipment involved.”

That equipment populates Ms Lugo’s studio space, which she sublets from Designer Bodies at 8 Peck’s Lane

Since it was introduced in America, Ms Lugo said that Pilates has proven itself invaluable not only as a fitness endeavor, but also as an important adjunct to professional sports training and physical rehabilitation of all kinds.

“Pilates addresses specific site injury while rehabilitating the entire body to support the healing process,” she said. “That makes it powerfully effective in shortening rehabilitation time after surgery.”

Ms Lugo explained its basic principles.

“Pilates works your body as a unit, starting with the center of the body, and lengthening upward and outward. Your entire body is conditioned, even the ankles and feet,” she said.

Since no muscle group is overtrained or undertrained, her students and clients exit the workout with their entire musculature evenly balanced and conditioned.

“During weight lifting and other conventional workouts, you strengthen as you shorten you muscles, essentially bringing the ends of each muscle closer together. But during Pilates exercise, you work your muscles through a fuller range of motion, strengthening as you lengthen, so the ends of the muscles are farther apart, not contracted,” Ms Lugo continued.

This combination of stretching and strengthening helps create a lean, toned body without excess bulk.

“All Pilates exercises incorporate are the movement principles of whole body movement, breathing, balanced muscle development, concentration, control, centering, precision, and rhythm,” she added.

Benefits Of Pilates?

Ms Lugo knows Pilates can yield many healthy benefits, including increasing spinal mobility, muscle flexibility, muscular strength and endurance, lung capacity, and circulation; improving posture and balance and body awareness; decreasing low back pain and the reduction in the need for lumbar surgeries; improving bone density, pelvic control, and one’s ability to correctly engage all the abdominal muscles.

“Pilates is known as a ‘mind-body’ exercise program because the physical movements are combined with mental concentration and breathwork,” Ms Lugo said. “The result is a fitness program that not only helps you create your best physical body but also helps you feel mentally and emotionally balanced.

 “The smooth, steady movements quiet your mind and nervous system, and as you lengthen and strengthen you muscles, circulation improves and tension is released,” she continued. “Simply learning how to breathe correctly can reduce stress. Pilates workouts leave you feeling calm, balanced and rejuvenated.”

Students of the authentic Pilates method are men and women of all ages and abilities.

“Pilates is a low-impact form of exercise, so it puts no stress on joints and no wear and tear on ligaments and cartilage around the joints, especially the knees and shoulders,” Ms Lugo pointed out. “This makes Pilates ideal for people who, because of joint pain or muscle weakness, shy away from exercise.”

Unlike other forms of exercise, Pilates can be done every day without overstressing muscles and joints.

Challenging, Not Boring

While Pilates can be performed by people who are just beginning an exercise program, it becomes increasingly difficult for experienced exercisers, Ms Lugo said.

“In fact, because the intensity level and repertoire of exercises continues to expand with consistent practice, the Pilates method is always challenging and doesn’t become boring,” she added.

While many people are familiar with what has become known as “mat Pilates,” Ms Lugo cautions that this is a misleading term.

“Pilates exercise utilizes many different pieces of equipment — the Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Barrels, and others — which both challenge and support the body as it learns to move more efficiently,” she said. “The Pilates method is just that, a method, and to gain all of the benefits Pilates has to offer, all the equipment is needed.”

Ms Lugo earned her teaching certificate from The Pilates Center of Boulder, Colo. The Pilates Center Teacher Training Program is the most respected, comprehensive, and intensive program of its kind in the world, and Ms Lugo is just one of two teachers in the greater Danbury region to have graduated from the center.

Ellen Eick, one of Ms Lugo’s Newtown clients, said she never considered Pilates before, so she was not certain what to expect.

“We began working together in May 2008, and Carolyn was able to work well with me at a very basic level,” Ms Eick recalled. “Even within the first couple of weeks, I began to notice that when doing simple everyday activities I noticed I was using muscles that had previously just given out.” And, she did not feel “crippled for the next several days trying to recover.”

“I’m certain I would have given up had that been the case,” she said.

Another client, Susan Paulin of Bridgewater, said at age 60, she is living proof Pilates can work for just about anyone.

“I have to tell you that when I have finished a session with Carolyn I feel so tall — taller than my usual five-foot-two,” Ms Paulin said. “I also can feel my abdominals tighten like a girdle around my midsection, which is the best feeling of all.”

To learn more, contact Hard Core Pilates at 733-2380.