Joseph Pilates teaching on the Reformer

Teacher Training

Almost a decade ago, I had a Pilates teacher training program for a couple years.  There were a dozen or more students that went through one of the most rigorous year long Pilates programs there were.  The students not only had to know, understand and be able to teach the complete classical repertoire (except maybe the Flying Squirrel on the Cadillac) but they had also to perform the level 5 reformer workout with some degree of proficiency.  All of them.  And they did it.

While I have lost touch with some of them, I think most of them are still teaching today.  Many of gone on to other modalities and other trainings.  Some of them have minimized or even stopped mentioning where they got their training (sadly enough).  I was proud of their ability to learn this massive amount of information and to synthesize it into their own Pilates understanding.  I think they received a wonderful Pilates education.

Now thousands of training hours later, (50 hours/week x 50 weeks x 10 years - you do the math), I am ready to resurrect this program.  I have to put all the information, curriculum, sample tests, etc. together to be licensed by the state.  But I have a clearer vision of what I want to teach.  I want to teach students how to teach like I teach: to see what I see, understand the body the way I understand the body, have the same set of guiding principles that I have when teaching.  Maybe that sounds arrogant.  But I believe so strongly in how and what I teach that I think it is the way every teacher should teach whether they teach Pilates, or general fitness or yoga or Crossfit.

What do I have that I think is unique?  I think I can see movement and quickly understand how it should be done for functional movement.  For example, I've taken an occasional ballet barre class and was immediately creating a checklist of correct alignment, range of motion, speed of movement and even whether the exercise was worthwhile or not (usually it was).  I've been so surprised on how rarely a teacher would say the things that, in my mind, are completely obvious and should be said in order to get the most of the exercise and to make sure it is done correctly.

My new teacher training program will still teach the classic repertoire on all of the equipment and expect some degree of proficiency.  But it will also embrace any amount of new 'choreography' that has a rational and an understanding of effectiveness and bio-mechanics.  That is how our studio has exercise using blankets: the shoulder blade drags (moving planks), hamstring curls, etc or bands or breadboards or other traditional equipment.  It is not the exercise but how it is taught and executed.

I am looking forward to the challenge of trying to teach others to see the way I see because sometimes, I am not even sure how it is that I am seeing what I am seeing as a client performs an exercise.  But they almost always say I am correct.  It will also be exciting to be challenged by these new teachers as they bring their own set of eyes to teaching Pilates and movement.

It should be an exciting year.

What Love feels like

Do you want to know what gay love feels like?  To be in love with someone of the same sex?  This is what it feels like.

It feels like reaching for someone's hand in the movie theatre and finding that hand reaching for yours.

It feels like looking at him across the room and see him smile and you smile too and the crowd disappears.

It feels like trying to figure out where he put the damn spatula this time and laughing about it a couple hours later.

It feels like wishing you didn't have to leave the warm comfortable bed where he is still sleeping.

It feels like feeling special when you're together - in a crowd, at the ballet, or at home watching TV.

It feels like laughing when you thought you were crabby.

It feels like trying to be your better self because you want to be your better self for him.

It feels like you've just met but you can't remember how long you've been together.

It feels like a confusion of legs and arms in bed - a pile of puppies all happily tangled up in each other.

It feels like wanting to sort out your own shit so you don't project it on to him.

Is that different from straight love?  I don't know - you tell me.  Does love have a particular face or shape or color?  I don't know. . .

I only know what it feels like to me and to me gay love feels like what it looks like your love must feel like - the smile, the hand, the lips, the eyes.

Teaser #1

We're starting a new series here on the blog - Teasers around the world.  Just like the Travelocity gnome that we see doing different poses in different places around the world, here is the first of Pilates Teasers in unusual places around the world.  Send me your special Teaser

Father's Day and Farm Toys

In the city, little kids play with trucks and cars.  Little farm boys, though, play 'farm' and have a wide collection of machinery to turn that into reality: Barns, sheds, tractors of various sizes and brands and endless farm implements.   Today, one of my clients, Melissa (who is from Iowa) was talking about her son having a scary 'combine' dream and it reminded me of all of my own 'playing farm' days.

I didn't play farm nearly as much as my little brother and his best friend Tom did but my brother Paul and I were the first users of the big barn my Dad made for us.  I think we only had one tractor and I don't really remember any other implements except for a perhaps a couple trucks.  But we made do because, after all, we had a barn.  A barn that my Dad made for us.

I think Fathers of my Dad's generation were more constrained by society and conventions than these days.  Affection came as a pat on the back rather than a hug, a 'you're a good boy' rather than an 'I love you' and doing something for your children was more typical than doing something with your children. Furthermore, I think my Dad was (and maybe is) somewhat mystified by this son so different than he expected and different than most other sons.  What do you do with a boy who wants to read more than play sports (not that we were a big sports family), sing to the horses more than play with others or dance to 'Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head' on the backyard swing set rather than play kickball.  Yet, all in all, I think he did just fine with me, ultimately.  And - he built us the barn (along with a swing set and the largest neighborhood slide among other things).

I had completely forgotten about the Barn until today.  It was the standard 'hip roof' barn that you imagine when you think of a barn.  It was painted a red and had shakes on the roof that really made it look like a roof.  It had a haymow (the second floor of a barn, basically) but it was open along the long side of the barn so you could get stuff in.  Like Haybales. That he made.  And it was big - about 2 1/2 feet long and 1 1/2 feet tall (I think).

I'm pretty sure that he made the hay bales for us or at the very least, helped us to make them.  They were made out of particle board and pretty close to the right proportions.  The genius though was that they had a nail nailed into the top of them.  What for?  So that you could use a magnet hooked to a string that ran through the window in the haymow to hoist the bales up where they could be stacked 'for the winter'.  It was cool.  Watching the magnet lift those bales up was like creating magic.  At least for me it was.  Maybe it was less magical for my older and wiser brother but for me it really was magical.

That barn remained part of our family for all of our growing up years.  I know my little brother used that barn for many, many years and for all I know, one of the grandchildren may still be using it.  Solid, well-designed, simple - just like a real barn.   I don't even know when we got the barn; it was just there ready for when we were.

And so on this Father's Day, I think about the things that Fathers are and the things they are (or were) not.  And I am old enough to realize that every son in every generation has had those dreams for what they wished their father was.  But I was lucky enough to have a father: a father who didn't abuse us, a father who provided well for us, a father who did say 'you're a good boy' rather than nothing, a father who taught us how to do all kinds of things like building and welding and fixing and creating and thinking and figuring out how to do something when you don't have a clue.   A Father who builds his sons a barn.

Day 11. 5- 50s. Halfway there.

Day 11.  I hope you have been doing your 50s.  I must admit that it is hard to make myself do them in addition to my regular workouts.  And then I tell myself that it doesn't have to be super hard and I don't have to go for speed.  And it is only 10-15 minutes.  So keep at it.

Surprisingly my abs have been sore which is nice since it takes a lot for my abs to get sore.  For the 50s, remember I recommend:

• 50 of some Abdominal exercises
• 50 1- Upper Body exercise
• 50 1- Lower Body exercise - usually squats of some kind
• 50 'Dealers Choice' which usually means upper body for me
• 50 'Dealers Choice' which will either be another Abdominal exercise or one more Upper body exercise.

I am happy to report that overall, something as simple as 15 minutes of focused hard exercise done daily can really make a difference.  I think I might try to make this a lifestyle change for me.

Don't give up!  Do your 50s!

Day 6! - 5-50s. The June Challenge

It is now day 6 of our challenge.  It is definitely easier doing them earlier in the day that at the end of the day.  Doing my 50s last night after my 7:30 class was challenging.  But I am finding that 50 is a great number.  The first 20 fly by and then in a few more reps you're halfway done.  For me, at 30 reps, while it is getting really hard, I know I can make it because it is only 10 more reps and then I am in my final 10 reps.

To be sure, those last sets are groups of 3 or 4.  For my pushups last night, it was a set of 20, then up to 26, then 33, then 37, then 40, 43, 46, 48 and finally 50.  It is over before you know it even if it feels like it lasts forever.

You can choose any exercises you want.  My posts here are simply to give you some options and ideas for your exercises.

For day 6, I was thinking Blanket Extravaganza (assuming you have hardwoods at home).  If you have carpet, you can actually use paper plates for your feet.  They slide surprisingly well on the carpet.

• 50 Full Rollups or some ab exercise
• 50 Sumo squats (with or without weight)
• 50 Shoulder blade drags with knees on the blanket and shoulders dragging the body forward and back
• 50 Hamstring curls - on your back in a bridge.  Make sure you use your arms and shoulders anchoring into the floor to keep yourself stable
• 50 Blanket knee stretches.  Flip over again; hands on the floor and toes on the blanket.  Slide toes forward and back with knees off the ground.  

Day 4 - 5-50s

It's a plank kind of day:

50 Shoulder blade pushups
25 Side planks each side with either leg lift or up and down butt.
50 sumo squats with KB or some kind of weight if possible
50 Jumping pull ups or squat pulls.  (you can hook a strap or towel over the edge of a door and do them that way)
50 Oblique 1/2 teasers.  each time you come up is 1.

It's easier if you can get it out of the way earlier in the day.  It takes so little time and then you're done and you can feel virtuous the whole day through.

5-50s - Day 2

Workout for the second day is a repeat:  Air squats, pushups, bench triceps dips, 1/2 teasers and oblique scissor legs.   Now that you know how fast it goes you can see if you can make it a little harder.   Go a little deeper in the dips; make sure you get full depth on your air squats (or turn them into some kind of weighted squat); on the scissor legs, reach your top arm a little further.

Get 'er dun.

5-50s - Day one/June 1.

So here is the workout for the June challenge.  See below for modifications.

1. 50 air squats.  Just basic but fast squats
2. 50 situps.  Any kind that you can do well!
3. 50 pushups.  I'm going to do floor pushups but you could do countertop or dining table height pushups or wall pushups at the studio
4. 50 dips or tricep dips.  Hands on the edge of a chair (make sure the chair doesn't slide away) or full on ring dips (I'm gonna do ring dips but with a band for full depth)
5. 50 oblique scissor legs.  Both arms to the side of one leg.  Scissor legs - each leg up counts as 1/2.  Do 25 on each side.  

Go for time.  These are not overly complicated exercises so you can get some speed on them if you wish. Post your time (with any modifications) to our FB page.  

Should take maybe 15 minutes max.  Easy schmeasy.

Ellen's Fitness 50 Challenge for June

One of our clients - Ellen - has a daughter getting married at the end of June.  Naturally she wants to look her best (many of you will remember my own fitness challenge before my wedding) and, since June is the perfect month for a little challenge, I'm using her event as a challenge for all of us.

5 exercises - - 50 reps each - - every day until June 23 (which, coincidentally, is also Gay Pride here in Seattle).

The fine print.

1. If you commit, you have to commit to EVERY DAY for 22 days.  
2. 1- upper body exercise.  1 - lower body exercise.  1 - ab exercise.  And 2 choices.  My personal emphasis will be arms, abs and ass - AAA.
3. The exercises must be done in one session.  However, you can break the exercises up however you wish.  For example, you could do 10 reps of each of the 5 exercises and go through that cycle 5 times.
4. You can choose any exercise you want.  I know, I know.  Most of you want to be told what to do so I will post my suggestions daily on the Blog.  You, of course, have veto power of any exercise based on fatigue, time and other factors.
5. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO YOUR REGULAR WORKOUTS.  I will not be doing this during classes at the studio.  
6. You can make it as easy or hard as you want.  50 jumping jacks, 50 situps, 50 squats, 50 countertop pushups, and 50 cross changes would work just fine for a lighter day.   
7. It shouldn't take you more than 30 minutes max and more likely close to 15 min.
8. You could substitute a row, stairs, run, jump rope.  I figure it needs to be 3 minutes of those type of activities.  
9. You will get the most benefit if you do all of one exercise before moving on to the next but this is not required.  
10. You could come early or stay late after class to do your 5 50s - time and space permitting.  
11. I'll have a form for you here to track your workouts and your time.  It is kind of fun to repeat a workout and see if you can improve your time.  

It would be great to get 50 people to commit to the Ellen challenge.  Are you up for it?

Rhubarb and Mother's Day

Today, May 13, was Mother's Day.  But it was also the first harvest of my Rhubarb for the year.  This is a happy coincidence for 2 reasons.  One is that I was able to make my Rhubarb Muffins for our workout today (complete with Mother's Day Music).  But secondly, and perhaps more importantly, Rhubarb reminds me of home in Minnesota and all of the Rhubarb dishes my Mom as well as my Aunts make.  And so, in honor of my Mom, on to the Rhubarb.

For those of you who don't know rhubarb,  it grows very well here in Washington as well as Minnesota.  It's easy to grow, pretty to look at and has lots and lots of uses.  I have 4 plants in my yard that look quite terrific mixed in with other perennials.  Just cut or pull out the stalks and cook away.

The Rhubarb Muffin Recipe here is the one I used in my Cafe - 21 Union Cafe-  but it originally came from my Aunt Darleen's muffin booklet - Muffin Magic.  Yes, REALLY.  I add more Rhubarb than she did and use some cardamom as well.  They are very moist so it may appear that they are not done.  Since they are so moist, I err on the side of overdone.  This makes around 18 muffins, I think.  (I am always doubling or tripling the recipe for quantity).

• 3 C. Flour (I use 1 C. whole wheat and 2 Unbleached white)
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 1 1/2 C. packed brown sugar
• 1 C. buttermilk
• 2/3 C. vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 t. vanilla (don't overdo the vanilla like we all normally do)
• 3 C chopped rhubarb (maybe 1/4" or less dice.  I think they are better with not too fine a chop so you can get some of that rhubarb 'bite'.  I will even use 4 C. rhubarb although the original only calls for 2 C.
• 1 C. chopped nuts

• 1/2 C. brown sugar
• 2 t. Cinnamon
• 1/4-1/2 t. cardamom.  
• 1/2 C. finely chopped nuts.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine Flour, soda and salt in a large bowl.  

In a separate bowl, mix brown sugar, buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.  Make sure the brown sugar is not sitting in lumps at the bottom of the bowl. 

In a third bowl combine the last 4 ingredients together for the crumble topping and set aside.  

Combine, a bit at a time, the wet with dry flour mixture.  Try not to over mix but do get it blended.  

Fold in the rhubarb and the nuts and scoop into muffin cups or greased muffin tins.

Sprinkle the tops with the crumble and bake for 25-35 minutes.  Take out when the toothpick comes out clean and relatively dry.  Let cool.

There are many Rhubarb recipes but I'll add one more and then link to a couple more of my friend Tom Conway of Vashon Island and his wonderful Tall Clover Farms.  

Rhubarb Crisp of course is a staple in many Minnesota farmhouses but Rhubarb sauce is my dad's favorite.  We had it a lot for dessert, occasionally with ice cream.  My Dad always would dump a bunch of heavy cream over it instead which we thought was gross because we thought the Rhubarb would curdle the milk.  And he loved teasing us and urging us to try it.  We never did.

But Rhubarb Fool is a layering of rhubarb sauce and whipped cream in a dessert dish.  Amazing and pretty to boot.  The sour/sweet of the rhubarb and then the creamy smoothness of the whipping cream make it a real treat.  I occasionally add some frozen blueberries to my rhubarb sauce which turns it from pretty pink to magnificent magenta.  Tastes great and easy to make.  And talk about beautiful presentation.  (I know.  So gay.  Lol)

• 2 1/4 lbs rhubarb - ends cut off and cut into 4-6" lengths
• 1/3 C. orange juice
• 1 C white sugar
• 1 C frozen blueberries (entirely optional)
• pinch of salt

• 2 C cold heavy cream
• 3 T. sugar
• 1 T vanilla (or less)

Dump the trimmed rhubarb in a bowl of cold water to leach out a bit of the acid and remove any grit.  Drain and chop into 3/4" slices (cut the stalks in half if they are enormous)

Combine orange juice, only 3/4 of the cup of sugar and a pinch of salt in a saucepan (large enough that will hold the rhubarb) and bring to a boil. 

Add the rhubarb and bring back to the boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer.

Stir only occasionally (otherwise the rhubarb looses all shape completely) just until the rhubarb starts to break down and is tender - 7-10 minutes.

Transfer to a glass bowl to cool to room temperature.  Cover with plastic and refrigerate until cold (at least an hour)

One half hour or so before whipping the cream, put the bowl and the beaters in the refrigerator to chill.  

Beat the cream and the remaining 1/4 C. sugar and vanilla in a mixer starting on low speed and gradually increasing speed until you have whipped cream in soft peaks.  

To serve, layer rhubarb, whipped cream, rhubarb, whipped cream, etc. depending on the height of your dessert dish but ending with whipped cream.  Serve immediately.

Tom Conway has a terrific and entertaining blog about his farm - Tall Clover Farm.  There are tons of recipes and gardening information and some of the most beautiful food and garden photography I have seen.  (It is his photo that I stole at the top of my post.) Here are links to a couple of his Rhubarb recipes:

http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/3827/heritage-recipe-rhubarb-berry-cake-pudding

http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/55/renae-i-have-your-rhubarb

http://www.tallcloverfarm.com/1562/rhubarb-vanilla-ice-cream-rhubarb-a-palooza-continues

If you had been doing Pilates . . .

I assume that by now everyone has heard of Pilates and even tried some version of it - especially the mat work.  The core work, the flexibility and the larger range of motion make it a natural supplement to many other forms of fitness and sports.

Apparently not.  Today at Crossfit, we were warming up with some simple hamstring stretches - the kind of thing that we do regularly in Pilates.  (The single straight leg pull/stretch, for example, combines hamstring stretching along with abdominal strengthening).  One of the Crossfit clients remarked "If I had only know about this (these stretches) 10 years ago. . ."  

My thought bubble - which fortunately never made it out of my mouth - was, "If you had been doing Pilates for the last 5 years, these stretches wouldn't seem so painful or surprisingly new!"  Pilates, especially among men, has had the reputation of not being hard enough.  Too much breathing, too much slow movement and too much stretching.  That may be partially true.  But in too many cases, it is not strength that is holding a client back but flexibility and functional flexibility at that (the ability to actually go to that larger range of motion with support and control).  

Pilates would be such a great help to so many athletes.  The awareness, the core and the stretching are critical to ongoing athletic endeavors for aging athletes.  I wish I could help athletes outside our studio see that.  At Mind and Body Pilates, we may say 'because strong doesn't just happen' but that strength is tested and challenged in ranges outside of normal activity so that you have control of your body in all you do.

Pilates will help you play your sport better, do Crossfit faster, help you eliminate or minimize your injuries.  But you have to get yourself to a class.  Then we'll show you how we can 'Kick your abs'

Fitness over 50.

I am 51.  I am in better shape today than I was in my 20s and even 30s.  I want to continue to get stronger and more fit as I age as much as possible.  I have concluded however, that there are a few principles that I need to adhere to in order to keep moving forward.   Most people start giving up at this point in their lives and conclude that they can't do more and so they do less and less.  I reject that concept and believe that it is a matter of working out smarter without giving in to popular wisdom.  So here are some of my guiding principles at this point.

1. Above all, do not get injured.  Getting injured means you have to back off, take some time off and, since recovery is longer, you find yourself farther and farther behind the starting line:  
1. I'm judicious on how heavy the weights are.  
2. I try to be very, very mindful when I am working out - checking in with how my body feels.
3. If I feel anything odd or 'tweaky', I immediately evaluate and try to change modify the exercise until if feels painless.
4. If I, by chance, end up tweaking my body, I stop, take immediate action to keep any injury from expanding.
2. If I get injured, I do NOT stop everything.  I have a pain-free policy.  I do not allow my injured area to be painful.  However, I keep working out other areas as much as possible.  And I back off on my affected area as much as I need but still try to do something.  
3. There are always going to be at least a half dozen 'hot' spots that I am going to be monitoring over the course of a day or a few days.  If it starts getting worse, I really need to take action of some kind.  Yesterday it was my thumbs but they feel fine today.  Today my right knee (from a junior high wrestling injury) is a little odd but maybe it will feel fine tomorrow.  
4. When one of my hot spots flares up, I usually stretch first.  Sometimes some of my affected areas feel like 'arthritis' type pain.  But if I stretch, they always feel so much better.  And I usually find that the muscles around that area are tighter than I thought.  I explore the stretches in all directions to see which feels more effective.  
5. Stretch.  My body is not as elastic as it was so stretching is more important.  I will stretch my hands and forearms in the car.  I'll stretch my calves for a moment or 2 going up stairs.  I move around in my desk chair and stretch my back and arms.  Stretching is as important as strength.  
6. Recovery is, naturally, slower.  I work out 7 days a week and would like to get more than one workout a day in if possible.  While everyone may not want to workout that much, I listen to my body.  If it is too sore or, more likely, too tired I just have to accept that and not worry about losing ground.  
7. I try to push how heavy I lift but I am now trying to lift based on 6-8 reps in a set rather than the heavier weights at 2-6 reps/set.  It feels safer and better to me,  
8. Drink water, drink water, drink water.  The process of aging is, sorry to say, the process of 'drying up'.  Cells lose their ability to retain water but we don't have to help that process along.  Even if you have to force yourself to drink water.
9. Food, stress, energy depletion, and any kind of debauchery are going to have greater consequences than they did earlier in our lives.  Most of us recognize that and give up the late, late nights but all of the things that keep us functioning optimally, while they may be fun, have a great price.  

I know it's a lot to think about but really, it's just about being smart and aware and listening to your body.  Today (Saturday), I am a little too sore from a workout I did on Thursday (which is a little unusual) but I'll be out in the garden today, so I'll keep moving and then tomorrow, on Sunday, I 'll get a Pilates circuit workout in and also hopefully, swimming in the evening.

The Wall Spring System at Mind and Body - we really were the first!

In 1998, I came back from living (and teaching Pilates) in Hamburg, Germany.  I was teaching Pilates at Velocity dance studio and my teacher, Cary Regan, had invited me to join her at her private studio at Velocity.  But I also started teaching over in West Seattle on Saturdays in an Iyengar Yoga Studio.

At this particular studio, they had this beautiful wall system of hooks and straps designed for helping students of Iyengar Yoga get more out of the class.  But while I was teaching a regular mat class there, I realized that I could attach the springs from the Cadillac (or Trapeze table) to the Iyengar straps.  And so it began in 1999.  I ordered some extra springs from Balanced Body and we started doing a lot of the classic Pilates Cadillac work in a class setting.

It worked out really well.  The studio was small so I had 6 sets of springs and half the clients would be doing some matwork and half would do the Springs and then they would switch.  This continued for a few years until I opened up my studio here at 21st and Union in 2001.

When I opened up my studio, I simply screwed 4 inch screw eyes into the studs and away we went.  Except this time I added the 'yoga straps' which are actually 'foot straps' from the Universal Reformer.  And we have never looked back.  We, of course, have added other exercises to the classic repertoire and developed new exercises to fit our unique Wall system.  And we are still using the Wall system in new ways.

When the TRX first came out, I was very interested and looked into this piece of equipment.  But I was amazed to discover how many of the TRX exercises that we were already doing:  pushups, pullups, rows, abs, etc.

Today, the manufacturer of Pilates equipment - Balanced Body - has their own version of my wall system (designed and created with a teacher in California) but Mind and Body Pilates' Wall System predates that too.  And while many Seattle Pilates studios have incorporated the 'Springboard' into their studios, I am proud to say that we are the 'originals'.

Especially because of this Wall System, I think Mind and Body clients are much stronger in their upper bodies than most other Pilates studio clients.