Happy Holidays everyone! We will be closed from 22nd Dec to 3rd Jan ~ see you in the beautiful year of 2024!
Come in this November for our lucky draw and prizes galore ~ we are celebrating our 10th anniversary in Pilates, here in Singapore 
Always a pleasure serving you and seeing to all your health and fitness needs through PowerMoves Pilates 🙂
Thank you all for your continuing love and support ~ we are very honored and most humbled.
One in fitness with you,
Your PowerMoves Team
Powermoves is holding an exclusive Pilates workshop on Sept 24, 2016. This one-hour event will guide you through fundamental Pilates moves on the reformer and on the mat, while introducing the full range of techniques and principles.
DATE Sept 24, Saturday
TIME 2.30pm
VENUE #02-05 Novena Specialist Center
SIGN UP Call 6455-2221 or visit www.powermoves.com.sg
Joseph Pilates first called his method Contrology; he referred to it as ‘the complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit’. This is why we practise Pilates movement exercises with total attention and control. Exercising in this way allows the body and mind to unite bringing forth the most gain possible from each exercise. The Pilates principles of breathing, concentration, control, centering, precision and flow are key concepts that are used to integrate the body with the mind.
Unlike other forms of exercises, Pilates does not over-develop some parts of the body while neglecting the others. It is true that all Pilates exercises build on your core strength and focuses on training your body as an integrated whole. Pilates works to promote strength and balanced muscle development as well as flexibility and increased range of motion for the joints.
Pilates is a great foundation for all movements, including those in sports as well as those in daily activities. With its emphasis on core support and full-body fitness, the coordination of the mind with its breathing; Pilates provides the highest level of integrative fitness that is exceptional and extraordinary.
For starters, try the Pilates exercises listed here for specific needs that you may have. Practise them thrice a week, pair them with a sensible diet and expect to see dramatic results from the fourth week.
To improve your posture:
Swan Lie on the mat face down, keep your arms close to your body as you bend your elbows to bring your hands under your shoulders. Extend your shoulders away from the ears. Keep your legs together as you engage your abdominal muscles, lifting your belly button up and away from the mat. As you inhale, lengthen your spine, sending energy through the top of your head as you press your forearms and hands into the mat to support a long upward arc of the upper body. The elbows are close to the body, the head stays in line with the spine, and the hips stay on the mat. On the exhale, release the arc, lengthening your spine as your torso returns to the mat in a sequential way (low-belly, mid-belly, low-ribs until you are in prone position again). Repeat 6 times.
To look taller:
Spine Stretch Sit up tall on your sit bones, extend your legs about shoulder-width apart, flex your feet. Reach the top of your head to the ceiling as your shoulders stay relaxed. Inhale and extend your arms out in front of you, shoulder height. Exhale as you lengthen your spine to curve forward. You are going for a deep C-curve reaching as far forward with your arms as is comfortable. Keep your shoulders down as you reach your fingertips toward your toes. Initiate your return by using the lower abdominals to bring the pelvis upright. Roll up through the spine to sitting position. Repeat 6 times.
To achieve a smaller waistline:
The Plank Lie face down with legs extended, forearms resting on the mat shoulder-width apart, hands in fists. Tighten abs, tuck toes under and lift hips off the mat so that your body forms a straight line from head to heels. Hold for 30 seconds while breathing normally and then lower to start. Rest before repeating 3 more times.
Criss Cross Lie back with your knees bent, fingers laced behind your head. Lift your shoulder blades off the mat and exhale to twist your right shoulder toward your left knee as you extend right leg out as shown. Pause at the inhale and then exhale to twist to the other side. Work up to 15 reps on each side.
To lift your butt:
Single Leg Drops Lie on one side in a straight line with the bottom arm supporting your head up. The top arm is bent with hand placed on the mat. Keep your pelvis in a perpendicular line to the mat. Lift your top leg to hip height and flex your foot as you point your toes towards the mat in front. Imagine your big toe is touching a hot stove on the mat so you don’t want to stay there long. As soon as the toe taps the mat, it lifts off the mat again with the heel of foot reaching to the ceiling. Stay stable and square in the hips as you tap and lift your toes for 25 times without stopping. Breathe normally.
Pilates works on all your primary concerns as it strengthens your core. Almost instantly, you will appear a couple years younger, stand taller and look lighter! Expect also to be looking more poised and moving more gracefully in your every day movements. People will be coming up to you to ask for your new-found secret!
🙂 🙂 🙂
This is one of the most popular Pilates exercises for developing your core strength and stability. The plank is known to target abdominal muscles and shoulder stability. Full optimization is achieved through the integration of the core stabilization muscles in the pelvic-lumbar region and the shoulder girdle. Good
alignment and solid stabilization must be present. The arms, glutes and legs should be active as well.
The most common plank is the front plank which is held in a push-up position with the body’s weight borne on forearms, elbows and toes. You will identify that a plank is successfully performed when good form is achieved (the body is in a straight line from head to toe), you can feel your core (center) is working and your hands are directly under your shoulders.
The Pilates Criss Cross focuses on the abdominal muscles with emphasis on the obliques. This exercise involves flexion and rotation of the spine, develops pelvic stabilization and trunk rotation, and defines your waist.
Tip: Always keep a lot of length between your shoulders and your ears. Imagine that your back is very wide and that your shoulder blades are sliding down your back as you raise yourself off the mat. Keep your elbows wide and stable. Rotate from the waist.
Instructions:
Often used as a warm-up and cool-down exercise to relieve tension, restore body balance and stretch your legs. The rolling motion strengthens the abdominal muscles and improves blood circulation throughout your body. It also stretches and increases mobility in the back, spine, neck and hamstrings and works on improving your posture.
Instructions:
The Pilates swimming exercise strengthens the muscles on the back of your body including the butt, thighs and your back muscles. Keep your head and your neck working as extensions of your spine and don’t break the line at the neck. Shoulders are relaxed throughout and abdominals engaged and lifted off the mat.
Instructions:
A gentle warm-up exercise for the spine and the abdominal muscles. It strengthens the lower body and helps coordinate breath with movement. For those with upper back or neck problems, you may practise engaging and releasing the pelvic tilt or roll up just part of the way. Shoulders and neck should remain relaxed throughout the exercise.
Instructions:
This is a powerful duo in targeting your lower abs which results in the flatter tummy everyone desires.
The Chest Lift creates a deep curve of the abdominals down toward the mat. It is done very slowly with the breath and no momentum is used.
The Single Leg Stretch teaches you to move from the centre. It trains the abdominals to initiate movement, and to support and stabilize the trunk as the arms and legs are in motion. Especially helpful in targeting the lower abs, good coordination is achieved as well.
When you build abdominal strength and understand the lengthening move of the Pilates Chest Lift, you will have a good foundation for working with many of the forward flexion Pilates exercises like the Single Leg Stretch and The Hundred.
Instructions: