You are never too good for the fundamentals

Whatever your experience is with exercise you are never above or better than the fundamentals. 

I don’t mean your level of Pilates. However, that being said i always like to take myself back to the fundamentals to focus on any niggles and pains that might have crept back in.

Whenever you have had an injury whether it be specific like an ACL tear, or you have something like lower back pain, you might find especially during the winter months these creep back in. Doing the fundamentals helps to keep you aware of any underlying issues you may have. I know my pelvis thanks me for it. 

For those of you who already exercise, whether it be weight lifting, yoga, running etc, starting with the fundamentals is key to continuous improvement and the ability to do other classes without being unsure of what is even going on in them. Knowing the fundamentals will help you to keep up in the classes. 

So what are the fundamentals? 

Fundamentals is a series of movements that are specific to areas of ‘weakness’ and instability in the body. These are the most common areas we find people need to strengthen. These movements are also the foundation of all other movements found in classes like Dynamic, Intermediate and Abs Arms Ass. 

These are some of the movements you will find in fundamentals. 

In an ideal world you would start your journey with fundamentals at the start of the month. This gives you a good understanding of what to expect as the weeks progress. Each week with have a similar focus we just change the challenge and intensity of the movement. As the week progresses so does the class. But don’t worry these classes are designed to be easily modified if you are finding anything in particular too hard or causing you pain.

How long should you do fundamentals for?

How long is a piece of string. That old saying. But it’s true. This is where listening to your own body is so important. Is there anything specific you struggle with? Do you know when to stop and take it back a step instead of thinking you need to do the hardest option? Are you able to do everything in fundamentals with ease and precision?

If you can’t answer any of these with a good answer then give yourself more time. That could be another 4 weeks that could be a couple more classes. 

I never tell anyone to not do a class unless I know they shouldn’t be doing it. For example i normally put people off Abs Arms Ass for a good 4 to 6 months before attending it. Honesty is the best policy. Start with 1 Dynamic class along with your fundamentals classes first and work up from there. 

Remember whatever way you do it consistency is the key 🔑. No consistency = no progress so don’t expect to be able to move up the levels without sticking it out and coming to regular classes.

How many classes should you do in a week?

The beauty of Pilates is that we could do a class a day and most likely feel ok, however this is not something we would advise. It’s about again listening to your body and making sure you give yourself plenty of rest to recover and go again.

This is a great way to start your Pilates journey and your introduction into the world of the fundamentals.

Aim for 3 fundamentals classes per week. One near the start, one around the middle and the last on at the end of the week. As i previously said the class slightly changes during the week and gradually gets harder. It also gives you a chance to experience all of the different movements.