Curious about what health benefits you can gain from reformer Pilates? No matter how or why they start their KX Pilates Xperience, people are always impressed by the results they see and feel. In this article, we explore the top 5 benefits of KX Pilates exercises.
One of the biggest benefits of KX workouts is the enhancement in overall strength, endurance and fitness, through which we can enjoy a better quality of life with more energy and better mental health. KX Pilates workouts build more strength, endurance and fitness than traditional mat Pilates because movements are performed with added resistance, rather than just with our bodyweight. We can use the signature spring system of the KXFormer, our exclusive reformer bed, to increase loading, as well as by using a variety of pilates props like a pilates ring or dumbbells.
Through resistance training, we can challenge our muscles to build strength and endurance. Resistance training also loads and stimulates our bones to promote bone density, which becomes increasingly important as we age, especially for women. The KXFormer also features the proprietary Power Platform; a raised platform designed to combine Pilates principles with the dynamism of circuit training. With the Power Platform, we can perform functional movements like step ups and plyometric exercises like jump lunges. The higher intensity of KX workouts means the cardio benefits (and calorie burn) are higher than mat Pilates. Plus, because we can do plyometric exercises lying down, we can reap the rewards of higher intensity training, while managing the impact on our joints; especially advantageous if you are not only a beginner to reformer Pilates but relatively new to resistance and higher intensity training!
From our KX workouts, we also see progress in balance and stability through stronger stabiliser muscles and greater core strength. When we develop our balance and stability, we are more resistant to injury and can feel more confident to lead a more active and healthy lifestyle.
In KX classes, we begin with footwork to build balance and stability from the ground up because after all, our feet are the foundation for movement! Footwork is a series of squat-like exercises that are done lying down on the KXFormer in various positions to strengthen the feet and ankles, as well as engage the lower body. The core work we do in KX workouts also helps increase balance and stability. This is because our core or ‘powerhouse’ stabilises both our upper and lower body and helps produce the force we need to efficiently coordinate everyday movements.
For beginners to reformer Pilates, building core strength starts with cultivating body awareness, rather than just doing more repetitions. Your trainer, who is both industry-trained (with minimum qualifications of a Certificate 4 in Fitness or in Pilates) and KX Academy-qualified, will guide you through properly activating your core muscles. As you see improvements, your trainer will progress your exercises so you continue to challenge your body. Our KXFormer also has a larger carriage surface and wider footbar than traditional reformers to accommodate more movement patterns. By training in more positions across multiple planes and angles, we build greater stability in more postures; key for injury prevention.
With commitment to KX workouts and its resistance training principles, we also benefit from better mobility and range of motion, particularly in our hips. What’s the difference between mobility and flexibility, you ask? While flexibility is the ability to move a joint through a range of motion, mobility is the ability to actively control that movement. Both are crucial, but we often overlook mobility for flexibility! Yet, hip mobility is critical for healthy movement and injury prevention because our hips are one of the most important weight-bearing joints in our bodies. When we have tight hips, we can feel it in other pain hotspots including our lower back, making it difficult to perform daily activities. In KX workouts, we actively promote hip mobility through exercises such as leg circles and lunges.
It’s all too common to see examples of bad posture with our modern lifestyle; slouching forward with rounded shoulders or a swayback where the pelvis tilts forwards. The effects of poor posture can include strain on our necks, backs, hips and knees, as well as headaches and even digestive issues. KX workouts help us attain better posture through promoting spinal flexion and extension for a healthy spine, building core strength and correcting muscle imbalances. Exercises like the Swan where we also strengthen our upper back while targeting spinal extension are also effective at improving posture. And there’s more to it — through our KX workouts, we become more aware of how to properly align our spines and bodies. As we continue to commit to our training, this awareness is transferred outside the studio to the rest of our daily lives, improving posture over time.
We can turn to KX workouts to help alleviate stress and foster more positive moods through not only the endorphins that are released during exercise, but also through the focus on breath and awareness of our bodies. With the motivation and encouragement from KX trainers along with the uplifting energy in a KX class, people leave feeling revitalised and more confident! Lastly, if you are wondering whether KX Pilates will positively impact the rest of your fitness endeavours, the answer is a loud, resounding, ‘yes!’. As your balance, stability and mobility improves, so will your athletic performance, especially in agility-based movements and sports.
