Anywhere Pilates

I had the most amazing Pilates workout the other day. My lower abdominal ( ladies, you know EXACTLY the trouble spot I refer to…right underneath your bellybutton and above your pelvic bone) were sore in a way that I hadn’t felt since before I had my baby. I was telling my husband about the craziness of  a chair workout; telling him about the one legged pull up with my foot in releve….. when I paused, realizing that he hadn’t a clue as to what I was talking about.

When I think about it, I guess a “chair workout” does sound kinda strange. So, what exactly is a chair workout? Not a dance routine from off Broadway, I can assure you of that much. In fact, it’s a “chair” only by tradition.  Far from being a new part of a studio, the Wunda chair has been around just as long as the reformer. So, like the reformer, it is a resistance exercise machine. It was designed by Joseph Pilates in the 1930’s. Check out this video: Joeseph Pilates on Wunda Chair, 1936

From the history as I understand it, he designed it so that his clients who had summer homes in the Berkshires and the Hampton’s  would have a machine to continue their workouts on; when they were done, they could simply tip in over, place a pillow on it and, viola, have an inconspicuous piece of  exercise equipment in their living room. It is basically a box with one side that can be pressed down with feet and hands; like a pedal.  Traditionally there are two springs that attach to the pedal and can be adjusted to create more or less resistance. While at first the chair can seem limiting, it is astounding how many different movements one can do on the chair. Almost anything that you can do on the mat can be adjusted to do on the chair in some way; either sitting, standing, lying, or at the front or side of the chair. From the ab series of five to the jacknife, Pilates creatively crafted a well rounded chair workout.

When I work on the Wunda Chair, I work muscles and parts of my body that I don’t get on the mat or the reformer. I’ll spare you the details but I will say this: If you are taking Pilates in a studio and haven’t had the opportunity to work out on the chair, ask your instructor about it. It is a great way to get a workout and a true testament to the ingenuity of Joseph Pilate’s  Method.  He was a busy man; inventing many machines to aid the workouts of himself and his clients.

“I invented all these machines. Began back in Germany, was there until 1925 [or was that 1923?], used to exercise rheumatic patients. I thought, why use My strength? So I made a machine to do it for me. Look, you see it resists your movements in just the right way so those inner muscles really have to work against it. That way you can concentrate on movement. You must always do it slowly and smoothly. Then your whole body is in it.” - Joseph Pilates*

I find the chair my most challenging piece of equipment. I would say a have a love/hate relationship with it. I encourage you to find the same.

Chairfully yours,

Christine

* quote found on http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/pilates/h_biography.htm

For more information on the Pilates Method, read his book, “Return to Contrology”