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J-J
6th-January-2007, 05:33 AM
anyone do them?

if so anyone got darcy bussels dvd??!! :na:

its quite cheesy esp with the beach

straycat
6th-January-2007, 12:50 PM
anyone do them?

Yep. It's fantastic...



if so anyone got darcy bussels dvd??!! :na:


Who?

jivecat
6th-January-2007, 01:16 PM
anyone do them?



Yes. I think it's fantastic too.

You could get Darcy Bussell's book out of the library. Unfortunately just doing the exercises won't give you legs like her's, although they will give you a pelvic floor like an RSJ and transverse abs like a Victorian corset.

If you work in the kind of place where they deliver boxes of books and other stuff for you to buy (Ted Smart Publishers etc)then you might find Pilates and Fitball DVDs and books in there at low cost.

Caro
6th-January-2007, 06:34 PM
I've been thinking about starting pilates for some time now (yes along with going to the gym, swimming, starting tap dancing, learning to cook and a few other stuffs...:rolleyes:) and given that it is slightly complicated to do that in Aberdeen (just one studio and classes only run during working hours - I strongly suspect it's pilates-for-aberdonian-desperate-housewives), I'd like to know what sort of benefits I can expect from it (if you think I'll do any kind of sport just for the sake of it... well, think again :D ), and especially, did that had any influence on your dancing whether it is posture, balance, etc...

So, anobody who tried pilates and noticed it improved in some way their dancing? What are the consequences of having 'a strong pelvic floor'?

jivecat
6th-January-2007, 07:25 PM
So, anobody who tried pilates and noticed it improved in some way their dancing? What are the consequences of having 'a strong pelvic floor'?

I've been doing Pilates for nearly a year now and have become completely addicted. I try to do a class 3 times a week. I thought I was already reasonably fit but I noticed an improvement with just a few sessions of Pilates. Apparently, the abdominal muscles are very quick to respond to training.

I can't say for sure that it has directly benefitted my dancing because I was probably already quite fit due to years of exercise prior to taking up dancing.
But anytime having good posture, balance and strong stomach muscles would be handy whilst dancing (so pretty much all the time, then) Pilates would help to give it to you.

Pilates works on strengthening the muscles of the core (back, waist, abdomen) which are essential for good balance. Some exercises in Pilates are designed to challenge your balance whereupon the body immediately tenses those core muscles as a natural response. If you work on strengthening those muscles you will be able to consciously use them to help you when you need to balance. It also makes you aware of body posture and precise control of limbs and muscles. You will look more like a dancer - it will prevent that "soft in the middle " look that is commonly seen in both men and women at Ceroc venues but unknown among professional dancers.

I don't know that strengthening the pelvic floor will directly improve any aspect of your dancing (unless you've had 15 children) but it is my belief that improving strength in the whole core area will have a lot of benefits. Not least, it makes you feel absolutely fantastic.

Pilates has been described as "the dancer's exercise system", because it tones and strengthens the body whilst elongating the muscles, avoiding the risk of getting bulky - unlikely for women, anyway. And if it's good enough for Darcy Bussell, I think it's good enough for me!

Piglet
6th-January-2007, 10:56 PM
One of my resolutions is to try to get fitter this year... to this end I picked up a few cheap exercise DVDs at Asda - £6 each!

One was called "Shape Up - The Pilates Way with Lynne Robinson"
It has warms ups and 2 separate 30 minute pilates workouts - which I liked because it's easier to find 30 minutes in a day to squeeze a bit of a workout into.

I'm really enjoying doing it - but I did use to do classes in the evenings in Aberdeen - Danscentre used to do them, but I have a feeling they've stopped now due to lack of interest. I would recommend that you attend some classes so that you know how to find your neutral position, etc, before embarking on a DVD. It's always useful to have someone else tell you if you've got the right idea or not.

EDIT: Just remembered the hunky guy that does the warm up - he's worth the £6 on his own ;O)