With Pilates becoming one of the fastest growing forms of fitness exercise it has gotten a lot of attention on TV, Radio and even from movie stars like Daisy Fuentes. Since Pilates was developed by Joseph Pilates, a German National, there have been many different techniques developed such as the popular techniques of Mari Winsor, Stott Pilates and even Power Pilates.

Although there are many versions and techniques of Pilate workouts developed each version focuses on the core developed by Joseph Pilates. The goal of this article is to explore the core movements and techniques of a modernday Pilates workout.

Flexibility:
At the core of a Pilates workout is stretching and building flexibility to relieve stress in the joints and muscles. The one thing about stretching that most people do not realize is that stretching is a very good workout for building muscles as well. Also stretching helps prevent injury which is a common reason people using Pilates report such a low incidence of injury while working out.

Body And Mind
Building a solid body and mind is another core technique of the Pilates training method. Since Pilates offers movements that build strength and muscle tone people using Pilates find a huge fitness benefit of the training. Unlike Yoga which focuses more on stretching, Pilates looks to build muscle tone with state of the art movements. In addition, breathing techniques of Pilates workouts are used to increase blood flow to the brain which ultimately circulation in the body and removes toxins.

Posture
The average workout such as sit up or push ups focuses on a certain muscle. Pilates workouts focus on total body movements that work the whole body. This allows many people to get in a comprehensive workout, but most of all it provides a balanced approach that aligns the body. This help people who practice Pilates develop a better posture through movements that help the core of the body. Also the strength gained from a Pilates workout help to improve body shape which ultimately improves posture.

Motions
Unlike other stretching workout Pilates workouts look to improve the motion of your body. Since Pilates works out your body with many motions your muscles that support your joints become stronger. The stretching of these muscles allows you to become more elastic and thus the combination of these two makes your body motions smoother.

Overall Pilates is a total body workout that will provides benefits to the entire body and mind by helping relieve stress, improve posture, flexibility and muscle strength and ultimately helping with living a more balanced life.