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The neck's best thing: the importance of head support in Pilates.

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A common question I get asked is, do I need to use the headrest or head cushion? This is usually from people who wish to correct a rounded posture or forward head, working on the assumption that lowering the headrest on the reformer will help straighten the upper back. After all, if the head is lower, surely the spine will lengthen too? Unfortunately, that’s not what happens. For people with a naturally rounded upper back (which includes most of us to some degree), lowering the head doesn’t magically straighten the spine. Gravity and willpower alone won’t do the trick! Instead, the upper back stays as it is, but the head tilts back, forcing the neck into an extended position. This can feel uncomfortable and may lead to strain in the neck. A headrest or head cushion doesn’t push the head forward or encourage forward head posture; it simply supports it in a more neutral position. If the upper back has more curvature, keeping the headrest too low can force the neck into extension, creatin...
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Pilates: Moves in Mysterious Ways

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Pilates is the perfect workout for those who love variety.  A single session can pack in 30 to 40 different exercises—far more than the 5 to 10 exercises you might expect in a traditional gym workout. This blog post explores the reasoning behind this, and the trade offs between more and fewer exercises per session. So why is Pilates different?  In the gym, the goal is often hypertrophy—muscle growth. A strength-focused workout typically involves a small number of exercises performed in multiple sets, each with a high number of repetitions. The idea is to fatigue the muscles, encouraging them to rebuild stronger. Generally, hypertrophy training falls within the 6-12 rep range, whereas strength-focused training often uses fewer reps (e.g., 3-6) with heavier loads. Pilates, on the other hand, isn’t primarily about building bigger muscles. Instead, it’s about creating a balanced body—one that moves well, stays strong in all ranges of motion, and is resilient to the demands of dail...
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  Is bending to lift bad for your back? There’s long been debate over whether bending and lifting cause disc herniations. Some believe these movements are risky, while others say our spines are built to handle them. So, who’s right? The Case for Caution Research shows  repeated  bending and lifting can contribute to disc herniations. When you bend forward, the pressure in your spinal discs shifts backward. Add lifting, and the load increases further. Over time, this can cause the soft centre of a disc to press through its tougher outer layers, leading to a herniation. This has led to advice like “keep your back neutral” or “lift with your legs” to reduce strain. The Other Side of the Story Critics argue that avoiding bending and lifting isn’t a perfect solution. Straight-backed lifting increases muscle fatigue and shifts force elsewhere, creating other risks. Plus, some spinal flexion is inevitable, even with ideal technique, and they complain that laboratory based experi...
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The Best Pilates Studio in Cambridge Ease Pilates has been awarded the Best Pilates Studio in Cambridge for 2024 by Quality Business Awards! Thank you to our fantastic team for delivering the best Pilates classes and customer service, and to our wonderful clients who make it a joy to work for Ease Pilates!
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More than muscles: Unravelling the Wonders of Pilates!

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Pilates isn't your average workout— it's an intricate skill that develops complete control of both body and mind, where each exercise is a gift with many layers to be unwrapped: Precise alignment - from the start position and through the whole movement path. A particular rhythm and a particular tempo. Optimal breathing pattern. Stretch - optimal range of movement without overstretching. Strength - to work against gravity and/or spring tension. Control - of balance and momentum. The mind - to work with precision and focus. Endurance - to move continually from one exercise to the next. Satisfaction - your reward for persevering with a challenging task. With all of these components in place you will find that, to quote Joseph Pilates himself: "Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness. Our interpretation of physical fitness is the attainment and maintenance of a uniformly developed body with a sound mind fully capable of naturally, easily, and satis...
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New Year - new goals!

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Welcome to 2024! Since the new year, I've been hearing a lot about 2024 plans, both from new starters and established regulars who want to up their game. It's normal in January to start thinking about goals and resolutions. According to   Forbes , around 40% of New Year's Resolutions are about exercising more, so, as you can imagine, I hear a lot of them. However, the same article reported that 21% of people give up their resolution in under a month, with a further 34% lasting only three months. I don't actively market to the New Year's Resolution crowd because I believe that long-term behaviour change is the key to improving your quality of life, and that repeated failure may have a negative effect on self-esteem. However, the New Year is as good a time as any to make positive changes to your lifestyle, so if you've made resolutions, here are my tips for developing new habits that will change your life for the better! You are good enough.  Nearly all of my begi...
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Decisions, decisions...mat or reformer?

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I often get asked which is best - mat or reformer? The truth is that both are excellent ways to exercise and both will help you to achieve a stronger, more flexible body.  The reformer is a fantastic teaching tool that gives support and feedback to improve your technique, so that you can achieve things you never thought possible. The resistance training element means that it also offers more opportunity for strengthening the arms and legs. The 100 exercise performed on the mat and on the reformer The mat is where you can put what you have learned on the reformer into practice. Because you don't have the support of the springs, some exercises will work your core harder (so much harder, in fact, that we usually have to modify the work to make it accessible!). It's also an affordable option that will teach you the skills to establish an independent practice that you can take anywhere with you.  The ideal recipe for Pilates success is to take one mat and one reformer class every w...
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