We are committed to giving you the very best Pilates classes in our daily timetable of Pilates Mat and Pilates Reformer classes 🙂
We offer also a buffet of Pilates classes:
Pilates Physiotherapy, Clinical Pilates, PreNatal Pilates, Pilates for Golfers, Pilates for Runners, Cardio Pilates, Osteo Pilates, Pilates Matwork and Pilates Reformer
Here at PowerMoves Pilates in the Park – with Pilates group classes at Bishan Park and at Dempsey Hill 🙂
See you all next weekend for our Pilates Workshop in the Park at 6 Dempsey Road, Singapore ~ at 2pm 🙂
– Claudel Kuek –
PowerMoves Pilates in the Park
After giving birth to her third child, Susie Lawson was determined to lose the extra weight she’d gained during pregnancy. By chance she was introduced to Pilates by a neighbor and, less than a year later, she has lost nine kilograms and seen drastic improvements in her body shape. I caught up with Susie at PowerMoves‘ Pilates studio to find out more.
“It’s a daunting task to lose weight after a baby,” says Susie, “but I was determined to do it while we’re here in Singapore where I have home help to look after the kids while I am exercising. I could not have done this if we were back in Australia!”
“I realised I’d need to be pushed and motivated to lose the weight,” she says, “and the personal attention you get at PowerMoves was just what I needed. They have small classes of two or three, so the instructor notices as soon as you’re doing something wrong and she corrects your posture so that you get the full benefit of the exercise time. She also keeps challenging you to do more, and you really feel it the next day — so you know you’re getting a great workout.”
Susie is also motivated by the beautiful park-like setting of PowerMoves. “It’s a great escape from the city environment and I really look forward to ‘my time’ here. It’s conveniently close to my home plus there’s a fabulous spa just next door!”
A picture of good health, Susie’s enthusiasm for Pilates is contagious and the secret of her success has clearly been the visible results of her progress. “I can now fit into clothes that I haven’t worn in years–I’ve lost seven centimeters around the abdominal area in just eight months”, she explains. “Pilates has changed my perception of exercise–I’m addicted now!”
After such a positive endorsement, I had to give it a go! The Pilates instructor under Mrs. Claudel Kuek put me through my paces on the Pilates Reformer machine, carefully explaining and demonstrating each movement with a combination of action, contraction of the core muscles and correct breathing. There’s a lot to think of at once and you definitely need personal attention to help you get it right. I like the fact that their trainer focuses on quality rather than quantity; each move is carefully controlled to maximise the strengthening and toning effects on the core muscles. “Pilates is all about creating longer, leaner muscles so you get a strong, toned body without the bulk”, she explains.
By Karen Lucas
Written for Mrs Claudel Kuek
PowerMoves Pilates studios in the Park, Singapore
Sculpt a more beautiful physique, improve your posture and feel more confident with Pilates at PowerMoves Pilates-in-the-Park Singapore.
Pilates is one of the most effective workouts for transforming your body, refreshing your mind, and boosting your energy and self-confidence. This form of exercise is a careful blend of strength and flexibility training, where you build endurance and power, improve posture and tone, and enhance coordination and balance.
PERFECT FOR ALL LEVELS
Trying Pilates for the first time may seem daunting, but PowerMoves Pilates-in-the-Park is ideal for those who are just starting out. With internationally qualified Pilates instructors and small personalised classes, you can expect to receive all the guidance and support to get the most out of each session.
Even if you’ve done Pilates before, PowerMoves has something for you. It offers a range of programmes, encompassing private and group classes on the Mat and on the Reformer. There are 100 classes weekly to choose from, offering a diverse and rich repertoire of movements and benefits.
TRANSFORM YOUR BODY, HEAL YOUR MIND
Working out at PowerMoves can result in longer, leaner muscles, improved muscular tone, increased core strength and stability, and improved posture. Over time, Pilates can also help prevent injuries, bring relief from stress and back pain,improve your balance and coordination, boost your circulation, and enhance athletic performance. Plus it is effective in post-rehabilitation cases.
BEAUTIFUL STUDIOS
PowerMoves has been voted as having the most beautiful Pilates studios in the world, and it’s not surprising considering its three locations – Dempsey Hill, Rochester Park and Bishan Park. Rustic and welcoming, these tropical studios offer a tranquil and comfortable environment for those who wish to practise Pilates in style. Call 6472-2221 or visit www.powermoves.com.sg for more information about the body-altering benefits of Pilates Singapore.
Pilates was originally designed to treat injured and bedridden soldiers in World War I. Although it was developed for clinical and rehabilitation purposes, it has become extremely popular with dancers, gymnasts and celebrities seeking the long and lean-muscled look. Today the Pilates method is widely practised for both its rehabilitation as well as its body conditioning and fitness benefits.
Pilates is an innovative mind-body exercise developed by Joseph Pilates. Blending eastern exercise philosophies with western fitness science, Pilates is a holistic discipline that improves physiological fitness and enhances psychological wellness. It combines the mental focus and specific breathing of yoga and Chinese martial arts with the physicality of gymnastics and other sports movements – creating an entirely new training regime that accentuates controlled grace in power and flowing beauty in movement.
Pilates is effective in rehabilitative and clinical therapy because of its strong focus on good posture, efficient movement and strengthening of proper musculature. With better body awareness through Pilates, one’s motor control and precision in movement can be improved. This results in better, more productive and efficient muscle functions during the workout. The benefits of this mind-body control and synergy can then be applied in all other areas of daily life.
Regular practice of Pilates will also ensure improved balance, coordination and circulation as well as increased core strength, flexibility and mobility. The emphasis on controlled, low-impact movements and correct breathing helps to ease pain, stiffness and rigid joints. Pilates is especially useful for persons suffering from chronic pain in the neck, shoulders, back, hips and knees; issues with postural and biomechanical problems; concerns with sports conditioning and injury prevention.
While weight training exercises tend to build short, bulky muscles, Pilates creates long, lean muscles. It is especially important in the strengthening of the ‘core’ muscles that stabilize and hold you up – giving you better posture to do your daily routine, creating a strong centre so that you can perform all tasks with ease and balance, and ensuring that you move your body correctly to avoid aches and pain. This core stabilization of the body also realigns the body to prevent any muscular imbalances. Pilates teaches you to connect your brain with your body, making all movement and exercises you do more efficient and effective.
Pilates can be physically challenging and keeps your heart pumping in the target zone so you burn more calories in less time. At intermediate and advanced levels, you will be able to move rapidly through the exercises without losing proper form, and your stronger core will take you from one exercise to the next with precision and control. For optimal fitness results, incorporate the principles of Pilates into your regular workout routine to combine form with function, add depth and proficiency towards an intensely beneficial workout each time.
Several benefits of Pilates rehabilitation and physiotherapy include improved postural issues; easy on the joints – low impact in nature; improved balance, coordination and circulation; increased mind-body awareness; enhanced functional fitness and ease of everyday movement.
All Pilates exercises are scientifically-based, gentle and restorative, and can be modified to meet the needs of each individual. Pilates was also designed as a mind-body regime that reduces stress and anxiety through consistent practice.
Call PowerMoves Pilates in the Park for your body makeover today!
PowerMoves wins Singapore Tatler’s BEST of Singapore 2012 ~ The Best Pilates Studios Award ~ the only comprehensive list of the country’s best as selected by the readers and editors of Singapore Tatler.
Thank you for your continued support and recognition of PowerMoves; everybody’s favourite Pilates studios in Singapore!
PowerMoves Pilates in the Park 🙂 🙂 🙂
Runners usually exhibit great strength in their legs but may have issues with tightness in the hips, with lower back or knee pains, and/or problems with balance. Pilates exercises help runners improve on their core strength allowing them better posture while maintaining the balance in the muscles of the back and hips. Pilates also teaches runners proper breath control which help to increases their stamina and endurance.
The chosen exercises herein are beneficial to the runner because they challenge the core and emphasize the neutral positioning of the pelvis and hips. They also help correct postural imbalances, create flexibility and stretch the lower body.
For all exercises, remember to draw your shoulders down towards your hips and far from your ears, and keep your abdominal muscles engaged while long in the waist.
Lie on one side leaning on the elbow of the lower arm with hands behind your head. Stabilise the bottom leg on the floor and hold the top leg at hip height. Minimise the rocking of your trunk by engaging your abdominal muscles. As you exhale, swing the top leg as far forward as possible with a flexed foot. On your inhale, swing the top leg as far back as possible while pointing your foot and elongating your leg. Keep your pelvis neutral and quiet throughout as you repeat the back-and-forth swing 12 times.
Lie on your back with arms out in a T-position. Legs are together, straight and slightly pointed. Exhale as you bend one leg in toward your chest and straighten it upward, perpendicular to the floor, foot flexed. Keep other leg and pelvis on the mat quiet and stable. Inhale as you circle the raised leg inward past the centre of your body, then down and around. Make your circle only as big as you can without moving your hips and pelvis. Exhale on the next circle, alternating the breathing on each circle. Repeat 10 times before switching to the other leg.
Lie face down on mat with legs and arms. Inhale as you slowly lift right arm and left leg off mat as high as you can (extending fully your arms and legs away from each other in opposite directions). Hold for one count and then lower to start as you exhale. Repeat on opposite side and work up to 12 reps on each side.
Sit upright with straight legs opened slightly beyond shoulder-width, feet flexed. Arms are in T-position reaching far out to the opposite sides. Inhale as you rotate your torso to face the side of room. Keep pelvis anchored as you move the arms and head with the trunk. On the exhale, reach forward long over the leg, left hand extending past small toe of right leg. Inhale to extend farther deepening the stretch of hanstrings and lower back. Exhale to pull yourself back up to sitting tall, rotate back to centre starting position and repeat to the other side. Work up to 6 reps on each side.
Lie back with legs straight and arms extended overhead (but not touching the floor). Pull belly button in toward your spine. Exhale as you bring arms overhead and lift shoulder blades off the mat, curling all the way up until arms are parallel to legs. Exhale again as you slowly uncurl back to start. Do this 8 times.
Lie prone engaging abdominal muscles, lift the chest and extend the back. Your legs are in a straight line behind you, lifted off the mat. Place your elbows directly under the shoulders, your lower arms parallel to each other. On the exhale, bend the right leg and pulse it twice. As you straighten the right leg, bend the left leg to pulse twice on the next exhale. Repeat the pulses while alternating legs working up to 10 sets of pulses each leg.
• Keeping Fit while Having Fun in our integrated waterways and parklands: Through Singapore’s ABC (active, beautiful and clean) waters programme, more people are finding new vibrancy and quality of life in our revamped parks. With meandering rivers and tranquil lushness spanning the length of our urbanised city-state from Pandan to Punggol and Bedok to Bishan, families are embracing the outdoors in the park for fun and fitness as a way of life.
• Low Impact but High Yield Exercises through Pilates: People today are growing more affluent but the population is ageing and the stresses of balancing work and family can be intense. Both physical health and mental wellness have become a priority. Besides lengthening and strengthening your muscles, Pilates is low-impact on the body and benefits your emotional health. The smooth, steady movements calm your mind and soothe your nervous system. Pilates improves your circulation and builds endurance in a therapeutical way. Each workout will leave you feeling calm, centred and balanced, and you walk out of each class looking leaner, taller and more toned; and feeling recharged and youthful.
• Multiple Benefits in One Regime: Men and women today have less time but want all the benefits available from a cardiovascular workout (to build endurance and burn fat), interval training (to intensify workouts and calorie-burn), and weight training (to maintain bone density and increase muscle mass ~ the more muscle you build, the more efficient your metabolism will be). Pilates offers them their choice of all these benefits in one fitness regime.
Here in Singapore, we would like to see you:
• Make healthy food choices ~ fruits and vegetables have antioxidants that protect against major illnesses, calcium is good for our bones, protein like fish aids cell renewal and keeps your heart healthy, fibre-rich foods leave you feeling more satisfied for longer;
• Stay active ~ the body was created to be a moving one ~ do something you enjoy, do it with a friend or a trainer, do it often and do it right!
Here at PowerMoves Pilates in the Park, our new programmes for you:
• Unlimited Matwork ~ four weeks is all it takes to strengthen and tighten the muscles holding your body together ~ look and feel positively different with your daily dose of Pilates in just one month ~ now $498, usually $698;
• Jumpstart Fitness ~ achieving your 2011 resolution of a fit & fab body thru Pilates ~ every workout forces the use of core muscles and combines the benefits of strength training, calorie burn and the flexibility benefits of Yoga ~ 10 sessions for $600 now, usually $760!
Power Moves!
Your partner in fitness through Pilates 🙂
Yes, it’s true that you can too! 3 weeks to trim and slim! We show you how:
Muscle cells are many times more metabolically demanding than fat cells. This means that the larger the percentage of muscle you have in your body, the faster your metabolic rate becomes. Even while you are at rest, your body will burn about 8 times more calories than normal.
Pilates weight-bearing exercises builds muscle mass and density helping you to burn more fat and calories; thus achieving your weight-loss and shape-up goals in half the time.
The workout: Do these moves as a group or incorporate them selectively into your current fitness routine, 3 to 4 times a week. Combine your workout programme with 15 to 30 minutes of your favourite cardio exercise at least 3 times a week. Eat healthy and reduce your regular portions by some and you will expect to see a tighter, slimmer you in 3 weeks!
Long Arm Crunch
(abdominals)
Lie face-up with your knees bent, feet on the floor. Interlace your fingers, extend arms above your head and pull your abs in. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, lift your arms, head and shoulder blades off the ground at the same time in a slow and controlled manner. Inhale to lower in 2 slow counts. Repeat 8 times.
Side Kick Kneeling
(quadriceps, glutes and abdominals)
Start by kneeling on both knees with your hands behind your head. Reach your left hand down to the mat and raise your right leg parallel to the mat. Your left hand is under your shoulder, your left hip over your left knee, your right elbow reaching to the ceiling. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, kick your right leg toward the front of the room and then toward the back of the room. Bring your leg back to centre and repeat 15 times before switching sides.
Bridge (with ball)
(hamstrings, buttocks and abdominals)
Lie face-up on the floor, knees bent, feet resting near the top of the ball, arms relaxed at your sides. Inhale to press your feet into the ball. Exhale as you engage your abdominals curling your tailbone and the rest of your spine off the floor until your shoulders, hips and knees form a straight line. Hold the ball for 5 breaths, lower and repeat 8 times.
Side Raise (with ball)
(obliques and hip muscles)
Kneel and press the right side of your body against the ball so your lower ribs and hips are leaning into it. Extend the right leg to the side, big toe touching the floor. Place tops of fingers on forehead, palms forward, elbows bent and wide. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, lift your torso up off the ball as high as you can, keeping abs firmly pulled in with left hip in contact with the ball. Slowly return to starting position and repeat 6 times before switching sides.
Lunge (with box)
(quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes)
Stand on a small box with your feet parallel, hip-width apart, arms by your sides. Inhale to prepare. On the exhale, slide your left leg back into a lunge. Lean your spine forward on a diagonal making a straight line from your head to your left foot. Simultaneously extend your arms forward at shoulder height, balancing your weight on your right leg while keeping your abs in. Do this 8 times before switching sides.
Step Up (with box)
(quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes)
Stand in front of the same box with your right foot on top of it, your hands on your hips. Inhale to prepare. As you exhale, straighten your right knee and lift your body straight up extending your left leg behind you slightly. Inhale to lower to start. Repeat 8 times before switching sides.
From all your friends at PowerMoves Pilates in the Park 🙂
My wife, Sharon, started on Pilates first as she too was looking for a form of exercise that helps build and strengthen the body’s foundations. She convinced me to give it a try and we’ve not looked back since.
3. What has Pilates done for you, healthwise, so far? Can you compare your present condition to your condition before you did Pilates?
Since I started practising Pilates, I’ve come to be more aware and have a greater sense of how to control the movements of the various parts of my body to avoid exercise injuries.
4. Looking forward, what are your health goals and for how long do you intend to practise Pilates? Will you get your family and friends to try it?
I would most definitely encourage my family and friends to take up Pilates to improve their overall well-being and more!
Tracking the progress of Herbin Chia and his commitment to making a positive change in his life and in his body at PowerMoves Pilates in the Park Singapore.