I am down in sunny San Diego at a Mastermind Meeting with Sylvia. And we stepped out; we are having lunch right now.
We were talking about Bodyweight Pilates. So I asked her to step out of the lunch room, and we would talk a little bit about Bodyweight Pilates and how it can help you. The benefits of it and how it differs from other Bodyweight exercises.
Who is Sylvia Favela?
So, Sylvia, I will get you to introduce yourself.
Sylvia Favela: I’m Sylvia Favela, and my program is 45 Day Pilates Meltdown.
I help men and women achieve greater fitness results with Pilates.
The great thing about Pilates is that it helps with your workouts. It helps with your endurance and getting better results with your already regular workout in the gym.
The best thing about Pilates is it’s a complex move. It never plateaus; a lot of times, workouts plateau. But in Pilates, it’s an ongoing practice. But once you practice it repeatedly, you better understand the actual workouts. And you tend to love it more and more each time.
Bodyweight Pilates Workouts
Rick Kaselj: Maybe you can give us an example of a Bodyweight Pilates workout or exercise.
Sylvia Favela: For the workout, for example, something for your abs. We are used to doing some crunches, like, let’s do about 100 or something. But what tends to happen is you pull on the back of your neck, and your alignment is completely off, rather than focusing on the core. You are misaligning your spine, and that’s when you get neck and shoulder injuries.
But with Pilates, focusing on working the core allows you to continue doing other bodyweight movements effectively. Bodyweight Pilates exercises specifically target core strength, which is essential for performing various movements safely. If your core is not strong, it will hinder your ability to execute these movements properly. You can try them, but without a strong core, you won’t reap the benefits, and you may even risk injury.
Rick Kaselj: Yeah, it’s good. And like with Pilates, it helps you with that alignment. And working on that good alignment helps transfer over to your regular exercise program. Because if you have better alignment, you can lift more, and you can work harder. And you are less likely to injure yourself. Because the most common reason why people get injured in the gym is bad technique. And one aspect of that technique is the good alignment of that body.
Sylvia Favela: And I see it too much where I do see people in the gym that their positioning is completely off, and I can say, ‘oh, they are going to be hurting tomorrow.’ But yes, with Pilates, that’s the best thing because it deepens and strengthens the small intricate muscles you normally don’t think about. All you think about are the main, like the abs, and we are just thinking like the six-pack abs. Of course, they are great to look at, but we focus more on the deeper abs, the transverse abdominus that nobody talks about, and your spine, your back, and everything else.
It’s a good foundation, and it’s good to have because your workout in the gym will improve, and you will be more aware. It’s body awareness, and when you continue with Pilates, you will find yourself holding yourself differently when you go to the gym. You hold your abs, and you can find yourself doing more reps.
Rick Kaselj: And that brings up a really good point because if you think of technique as increasing your awareness of your body and if you have better awareness, you can work on better technique, and you have better alignment, and you could push yourself harder.
Difference Between Bodyweight Pilates to Other Bodyweight Exercise
I have one more question: How does Bodyweight Pilates differ from all other bodyweight exercises out there?
Sylvia Favela: The difference with Bodyweight Pilates is that it targets proper alignment and form. Bodyweight Pilates Bodyweight Exercises consist of various movements that enhance strength and flexibility. For example, a push-up is a straight bodyweight movement; however, if I have you do a Pilates push-up, it’s slightly different because of your position and your form.”
And with Pilates, it’s that because you are targeting certain muscles, the deep muscles, it will force you into a certain alignment you probably never had.
Rick Kaselj: There’s a difference between working on your alignment to help with your performance compared to going out there and doing bodyweight exercise for a workout for athletic performance or strength or fat loss; it ends up being different.
Sylvia Favela: Yes, it does. And it reduces injuries. That’s the biggest thing with Pilates, and that’s the number one thing that people like a lot of my clients, they’ve been injured doing workouts in the gym with a lot of popular workouts out there.
Rick Kaselj: Awesome. Sylvia, where can people get more information about yourself?
Sylvia Favela: You can learn more about the program by going here.
Rick Kaselj: Thank you very much for watching this video, and thank you very much for joining us in sunny San Diego.
Rick Kaselj, MS
