Pilates 101 Basic Terms to Learn

Like other popular niche forms of exercise and fitness disciplines, pilates seems to have a language all of its own. If you are not yet completely familiar with the jargon of pilates, don't fret. Learning to speak like a pilates pro is easier than you think. Simply take a few moments to review these pilates terms. Since pilates works closely with strengthening and conditioning the whole body, you will probably come to hear many terms that have to do with muscle contraction and different muscle groups. Becoming a regular practitioner of pilates means that you will come to understand your body on a deeper level. Ideally, you will develop an awareness of your body and how it works. You will come to learn more about the human anatomy, including the name of various body parts and different pilates positions. Even if you do not have a background or even much basic knowledge of human anatomy, you will find that learning pilates will also help teach you many of the basics about your body that you may not have learned while in school. Here are some of the terms you may hear in your pilates class, and what they mean.

Abduction refers to the contraction of a muscle that occurs in the middle of your body. You will probably hear your instructor refer to abduction while you are conditioning the midline. Another popular term you may hear is adduction. Unlike an abduction, which refers to a movement that draws away from your middle, an adduction is a contraction that draws toward your midline. Another term you may hear may sound a bit confusing at first. Eccentric is a pilates term that refers to lengthening the muscle. Of course, eccentric has another meaning altogether, but while you are practicing pilates it means that you will be lengthening the muscle during a movement. Another popular pilates term is extension. Extension means that you will be straightening out a limb while using your muscles. Concentric, on the other hand, means that you will be shortening the muscle. Flexion is a related term that refers to the fact that you will be bending the limb with the use of your muscles. Finally, hyperextension means that you will be straightening your limb, but this time you will be stretching it out beyond your normal range of movement and motion. You will probably hear your pilates instructor refer to a neutral spine. Keeping a neutral spine means that you are maintaining the natural curve of your spine while in the midst of a movement, instead of pressing it against the floor or flattening it out. Another term you may hear is prone. Prone means that you will be laying face down on your front. The opposite of prone is supine, a move that means that you will be lying on your back, face up.

Now that you have some understanding of the moves associated with pilates, here is some brief information into the anatomy that is most associated with pilates. When you hear the term cervical, this means that you will execute a movement that involves the area around you neck. Ligament most likely refers to the fact that you will be stretching the fibrous tissue that connects your cartilage and bones. When your teacher mentions disks, he or she is referring to the shock-absorbing cartilage that rests between your two vertebrae.