Abs, Pilates & Nutrition – A Classic Combo
| Posted by admin | Fitness Tags: abs, core, mat excersise, nutrition, pilates, powerhouseAbs, Pilates & Nutrition
Working your abs through Pilates in combination with great nutrition is a classic combo. Through the use of Joseph Pilates’ mat exercises you should be able to strengthen your ab muscles significantly. In order to achieve the optimal benefit from the 19 Pilates mat exercises (I only know of 19 that Joseph Pilates developed) you will have to exercise proper control, form and breathing. By properly utilizing these Pilates mat exercises your abs will strengthen, there is just no two ways about it.
Done properly these Pilates movements will never hurt you but will give you greater control over your body by developing your “powerhouse”, abs, core or whatever term you want to use. Joseph Pilates was a German born in 1880 who suffered with various childhood ailments. He dedicated his life to becoming physically fit.
Pilates’ method was originally called “Contrology” and became popular within the dance community and his method steamrolled from there. Today Pilates is practiced all over the world and over the years many different variations of his method have been created.
The Pilates method is great for the abs because the movements are controlled primarily from your “powerhouse” or core. By utilizing the Pilates exercises properly you will exercise each of the eight hundred voluntary muscle motors that each of us has been given.
The 6 basic principles of the Pilates method are as follows:
1. Concentration
2. Control
3. Centering
4. Flowing Movement
5. Precision
6. Breathing
Although the use of Pilates will aid you in toning up your abs, it is still necessary to utilize proper nutirition. You have have me say this before but, you can have the strongest ab muscles but if they are covered up with a layer of belly fat nobody will know they are there. I once heard somebody say that fitness is 90% nutrition and 10% exercise.
I don’t know if the ratios are correct but think about it for a minute. How much time during a normal week do we spend doing actual fitness training compared to how many times we eat? If we can control what we eat the fitness will become easier and quicker.
If you can lower your overall body fat ratio down to 8-10% you will be able to see those sexy abs you developed using Pilates. Keep in mind that you should be eating organic naturally grown and raised non-processed foods as much as possible.
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Tags: abs, core, mat excersise, nutrition, pilates, powerhouse
