Pilates?

[gym4life123]

Pilates? Has anybody done it? Does it work? Would it be a good way to stay in gymnastics shape throught the summer, while I am not at the gym. I am a level 7 gymnast. What would they help with most, strengh, flexibility, endurance...?
I am thinking about doing it as summer conditioning so that I can go back, as strong as I was when I left.
What do you think about it? Anything you have to say? I am just looking to see what people think? Please say what you feel you need to say about Pilates?
Thank you.

 

[coachmolly]

The dance teacher at one gym I trained at would do pilates with us in addition to ballet. While there were some toning aspects to it, I think a lot of the reasoning behind it was to work on body awareness, positions/posture, that kind of stuff. We still had to do our regular conditioning in addition to the pilates sessions.
My experience was only with a few exercises done in a limited amount of time, so I really can't tell you what the benefits would be of a more intensive program. Someone else might be able to answer your specific question with a little more detail. If you do decide to go the pilates route, I recommend you find a good teacher because doing each exercise correctly is essential for it to be effective.
Are you out of the gym all summer? If that is the case, talk with your coaches. They know you and your abilities so could pinpoint some areas that might need a little extra work and recommend some exercises that could be done at home.

 

[gym4life123]

My coach gave our team a list of things to do, but it has gotten boring, and really easy. I was just looking for something new to do, that I would be more inclined to do. The list was relatively short, and it include things like push ups, banana rocks and holds, V snaps, sit ups, handstand holds, bridges and splits. I still intend to do this list, but I would probably do it less often. I will however work on flexibility every day because that is something that I really need. Could you recomend any other conditioning exercises (for any areas, flexibility especially). Yes, I am out of the gym all summer.

 

[nicci1999]

If you di it make sure you go to an intermediate(at least) class...otherwise it will probably be too easy. That is what I found out when I tried Pilates in conjunction with gymnastics