Writer: Lucia Farina
Pilates is a form of exercise that has been around for over a century and has undergone several alterations along the way. While the principles of Pilates remain the same, the practice has evolved over time as it's become more popular amongst celebrities and received mass exposure over Instagram.
In this blog, we'll be contrasting classical Pilates and contemporary Pilates and help you understand the most obvious differences (as there are many) and give you an insight if you've only ever tried the one style.
Classical Pilates, as the name suggests, is a more authentic form of Pilates, taught a touch closer to the way its founder, Joseph Pilates may have done. It has undergone less change than the modern contemporary style we see today. The original style Joseph taught was in fact called "contrology" but it's not used commonly now. It follows a specific set of principles and routines that have been passed down through generations of Pilates instructors. This style of Pilates is all about precision, control, and a specific form. The focus is on slow, deliberate movements that engage the mind and the muscles.
Contemporary Pilates, on the other hand, is a more modern interpretation of Pilates. It involves incorporating elements from other forms of exercise, like yoga and modern day functional fitness. This style of Pilates is often about feeling a "burn" and involves more high-intensity movements and high reps. It's super popular amongst the younger generation and those who need to feel muscle soreness the next day to appreciate a workout.
While both classical and contemporary Pilates have their pros and cons, we believe that classical Pilates is a wise choice for those who want a more authentic and traditional experience. Here's why:
1. It's completely unique.
There is no influence from other practices that came after it. It doesn't feel like gym, or any other kind of exercise. It's a certain style that you only find in a classical studio, and on the specific classical equipment. Classical apparatus is different to contemporary apparatus and fully promotes (and requires) the power in the body to be initiated from the deeper muscles of the body, and less about the superficial muscles. You won't find classical Pilates anywhere else other than a classical Pilates studio. It's an uncommon style of training and initiates movement in the body that's efficient and is naturally functional.
2. High quality coaches.
In the classical world, it's quite a lengthly training and a high volume of hours need to be marked off before you can take your exams. To give perspective, it takes a minimum of 600 hours before the third and final exam can be taken in classical Pilates. It's 200 before your first exam. Those hours are a mix of personal practice, teaching and observation. You also need to have a fair amount of experience practicing classical Pilates before you apply for the course. In the contemporary world, experience is "preferred but not essential", before embarking on a course. You are able to teach the general public with just 30 hours of practice and teaching hours after a short 2 day / weekend course. Depending on the level of teacher you want to be, there are much longer courses in the contemporary world too, but that's more when you start to look at becoming fully comprehensive and learning all of the apparatus, likely when you go to work in the clinical world and less about group class sessions. In the classical world, it's not an option to only learn and teach reformer or mat pilates. Pilates is a full spectrum of training and there's no compromise on that.
3. Emphasis on efficiency in the movement:
In classical Pilates, "proper form" is of utmost importance. The slow and deliberate movements help you focus on engaging the right muscles needed for that specific exercise and maintaining the most efficient alignment. This can not only lead to better results but also reduce the risk of injury during session. Many of the exercises have a similar intention, to provide space on the back side of the body and to connect the mid line of the body. As you advance through the practice the pace picks up as you are able to find the connection quicker and the movements feel more natural and almost become second nature.
4. Mind-Body Connection.
Pilates was designed to be a mindful form of exercise, and classical Pilates takes this to the next level. The focus on quality techniques and the use of controlled movements help you to tune in to your body and increase your awareness of how you move. The Classical method requires you to think before you move and to be conscious BEFORE action. Often in contemporary group classes, "just move" tends to be the approach, still yes with alignment focus but more to do with knee placement and shoulder positioning rather than centre work and deep spinal articulation. In the classical practice, a few reps does the job it's a low rep form of exercise as Joseph intended it to be, so it can be done more often and avoid that muscle stiffness the following day (also known as DOMS / Delayed Onset Muscular Soreness). Contemporary practices often do high rep and aim for soreness and it's adapted the gym culture of "no pain no gain". This suites a lot of people, many of us see a workout as something that is about pain and almost punishing the body, praising soreness and rating how good a teacher is based on the amount of stiffness and soreness felt the next day. It's VERY GOOD to push muscles to that level, it builds up muscles, develops size and can encourage fat burn as well, but it's not traditionally what Pilates stands for. It's gym practice and if you want that, you can do it really well at the gym with a specifically trained coach who can get you even better results than a reformer when it's mimicked as a gym pully system with coaches who aren't trained in gym practices.
5. Traditional Roots
If you're someone who appreciates the tradition and history of a practice, then classical Pilates is the way to go. It stays a bit closer to the original teachings of Joseph Pilates in terms of structures, full integration and repetitions per exercise. The more original form of Pilates encourages full use of the body when it comes to training, the body is seen as a whole. Often in contemporary classes you'll see a lot of isolation work, leg sets or arm sets or just abdominal exercises, and classes are often split into sections like arms and abs for example, which again, can be a very good thing but is not what Pilates traditionally is about. Often it's said that Classical Pilates is not versatile or inclusive enough however that would make sense if someone had only practiced or studied it for 30 hours. It's not really enough time to fully understand a complex practice like pilates. Once you've completed a minimum of 600 hours and practiced over 450 exercises across 5 type of apparatus, it becomes quite obvious that it's one of the most inclusive practices in the world. It's a full system, designed on purpose so nobody is left out. It seems obvious to us that if you ONLY practice on the mat or ONLY practice on the reformer (which is what's on offer for the majority of contemporary classes) then that indeed is pretty limiting. If you have an injury or have a body shape that doesn't allow you to connect the same as the person next to you who doesn't have the same limitations, of course if you have to sit out you're going to feel left out, and it's hardly value for money. When you have the choice of apparatus, there's no excuse for anyone to feel left out, there's something for everyone, and every work out is a full body workout.
6. Challenging Workout
Classical Pilates may be slower-paced at the start, but it's still a challenging workout. The focus on proper form and the use of controlled movements can be physically demanding, and you'll be surprised at how much of a workout you can get from just a few simple exercises. The demand becomes about how your mind tunes into your body. No movement is involuntary. There needs to be a signal of communication for the body to move. The Classical Pilates system really encourages that. As mentioned before, Pilates can become addicting due to that alone. While focussing on one thing in particular, the brain has a break from thinking the way it normally does and this can be very invigorating and refreshing. Classical Pilates has a very holistic approach.
7. Value for money
Although classical from the get go is more expensive per class (that's fair considering the years of training and the specific equipment that has to be shipped from over seas) it's far more value for money. In the Classical studios you will never see a class bigger than 5 people. Here at trinity our max is 4 per class. That allows proper attention to be given to everyone attending. At the contemporary group classes you can see anything from 10 to 30 (yes we said THIRTY) per class. Yes of course it doesn't mean you can't get a great workout in, however again, it's not the way Pilates was intended purely because you cannot physically (or inclusively) train 30 people at once and give them all personal assistance through out the whole session. The quality is absolutely diluted when Pilates is taught in that fashion. But it's good business on the financial front, to have more numbers, which is why a contemporary studio can charge less per class. With less in the class, you'll have a richer experience and get tailored care.
In conclusion, both classical and contemporary Pilates have their own unique benefits, but if you're looking for a traditional, challenging, and mindful workout, then classical Pilates is the way to go. Contemporary practices can be so beneficial if it suits you to train in that way. After all the most important part of choosing your style of Pilates (and who says you have to choose one, you can mix it up) is that you love it and it resonates with you. If you're just starting out with Pilates, it's a great idea to try all forms and see what feels best in your body. The benefit of having so many variations of Pilates now, even though some are so far from the original concept, means there are many more types of exercise for people to try out and moving your body is important however you choose to do it.
From having taught contemporary practices for over 10 years then moving to Classical, my personal choice is to do Classical Pilates. It resonates with me because when i started it, it was the first time i felt like my body wasn't a problem. My back is "stiff' and i'm "rigid" ( i hate being told this because it's not constructive) while not being taught to articulate i was not getting much progress in the practice. Only when i started to practice Classical was i met with kind language and a nurturing approach. If i couldn't find a connection somewhere, i'd be moved to another apparatus and like magic, i could feel my body in deep ways i never could with contemporary practices. I had options!! I felt like i fit in suddenly and i didn't feel limited at all. I felt capable and the sense of achievement was so good for my mental well being. Classical wins for me every-time, now. That's my experience. Everyone will have their own experience.
The key is to listen to your body, do what feels good for it. We are avid Classical Pilates fanatics and we love how our bodies feel even after 1 session. If you've never tried it, what are you waiting for??
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