Pilates has grown into a popular form of exercise over the past few years, and Pop Pilates is a fun and challenging variation of the traditional workout.
POP Pilates focuses on combining intense Pilates moves and upbeat music in order to create an enjoyable and effective workout.
Developed by Cassey Ho, also known as Blogilates, the combination of cardio, strength training, and stretching focuses on strengthening your core muscles while improving your posture and balance.
It combines traditional Pilates exercises with upbeat music and choreography for an intense full-body workout.
Inspired by regular Pilates, Pop Pilates focuses on breathing control, core engagement, and precision while also exercising to the beat of the music.
It targets all muscles in the body from head to toe while leaving no muscle untouched with its intense burn and soreness after each session.
What are the benefits of doing Pop Pilates?
Pop Pilates is a fun and challenging variation of the traditional Pilates workout. The benefits of doing Pop Pilates are similar to a regular session.
1. Improved Muscle Tone and Strength
Pop Pilates improves muscle tone and strength by focusing on the core muscles. It also helps to improve posture, increase flexibility and mobility, and alleviate back pain.
Through regular practice, Pop Pilates can strengthen all of the core muscles including the abs, butt, back and even shoulders.
It can also lead to increased muscle tone due to more efficient movement patterns resulting from improved body awareness and muscle connection.
2. Increased Flexibility
Pop Pilates helps increase flexibility by focusing on highly-focused movements that target every muscle in the body.
These exercises improve body awareness and muscle connection, as well as improve overall posture and alignment.
This leads to improved flexibility and mobility, as well as relief from back pain.
3. Improved Posture
Pop Pilates helps improve posture by strengthening the core muscles, which in turn improves body alignment.
By doing Pop Pilates regularly, you will develop stronger core muscles that help keep your spine aligned properly and reduce the risk of back pain.
You will also have better posture as a result of having stronger abdominal and back muscles.
4. Increased Core Strength
Doing Pop Pilates increases core strength by challenging the body to rhythmically flow from one exercise to the next. It develops a rock solid core while leaving no muscle untouched.
This intense, mat-based workout helps alleviate back pain by strengthening the core and improving overall body alignment.
5. Improved Coordination and Balance
Pop Pilates helps improve coordination and balance by engaging the core muscles. This helps to keep the body upright and stable, allowing you to focus on the movements of each exercise.
By practicing Pop Pilates regularly, you can develop better muscle awareness and increase your flexibility and mobility.
This will lead to better posture and overall body alignment, as well as helping to alleviate back pain. The highly-focused movements involved in Pop Pilates also challenge your balance by incorporating rhythmical flows from one exercise to another, leaving no muscle untouched.
6. Increased Cardio Conditioning
Doing Pop Pilates can increase cardiovascular conditioning by incorporating small sections that get your heart rate up.
It also focuses on strengthening core and trunk muscles, which helps improve overall cardiovascular health.
By doing Pop Pilates regularly, you will notice an increase in strength and flexibility in key areas of the body as well as overall cardio fitness.
7. Reduce Stress and Anxiety
Pop Pilates helps reduce stress and anxiety by improving body awareness, increasing flexibility and mobility, improving posture and overall body alignment.
By doing Pop Pilates regularly, you will gain better control over your muscles which will lead to reduced stress levels. Additionally, strengthening your core can help alleviate back pain which can also reduce anxiety.
8. Improved Breathing Techniques
Doing Pop Pilates can improve breathing techniques by increasing body awareness and muscle connection. It also helps to increase flexibility and mobility, improve posture and overall body alignment, and strengthen major core muscles such as the abs, butt, back and shoulders.
By strengthening these areas of the body, people who practice Pop Pilates are able to breathe more deeply, and this is important for their health and well-being.
They also have better control over their breath which can lead to better focus during daily activities such as yoga or meditation.
9. Improved Body Awareness
Doing Pop Pilates improves body awareness by increasing the connection between the mind and body. It helps people to understand how their movements affect their overall alignment and posture.
This helps them to correct any postural issues or imbalances they may have.Additionally, it increases flexibility and mobility which helps improve overall body awareness.
10. Better Relaxation and Concentration
Pop Pilates helps to improve both relaxation and concentration by increasing body awareness and muscle connection, improving posture and overall body alignment, helping alleviate back pain by strengthening the core, providing an enjoyable soundtrack to listen to while you exercise, and allowing you to perform moves at your own pace without any equipment needed.
By doing Pop Pilates regularly, you can increase focus on yourself as well as reduce stress levels.
What equipment do you need for a Pop Pilates workout?
As this is a variation, you may already have everything you require to get started.
1. Mat
A mat is a standard piece of equipment used in Pilates workouts. It provides a soft surface to practice on, ensuring the safety of the practitioner.
Using a mat during Pop Pilates workouts helps provide extra cushioning and traction to reduce strain on joints, as well as providing an optimal environment for performing exercises with precision.
Also, having a mat allows people to focus on their form without having to worry that they will slip or fall on other floors, like carpet or wood floors.
See: CARPET
2. Laptop / Smart TV
If you require guidance, a laptop, tablet or smart TV will be required to follow along with an online class. Of course, once you know what you’re doing you’ll be able to do your own routines as you see fit.
Remember, if you’re new to Pilates, be sure to learn the basics from a professionally qualified instructor before attempting to do workouts on your own.
That’s it! There might be additional equipment required for a specific class, such as small hand weights or a stability ball, but otherwise it’s a very minimalistic setup because we use your entire body to work up a good sweat.
FAQs
What is the format of a Pop Pilates class?
A Pop Pilates class can last anything from 10 to 50 minutes online.
An in person studio class typically lasts 55 minutes and includes 13 tracks, all around 3- to 4-minutes long.
The order of the tracks will indicate the physical requirements for that section of the class:
Warm Up: This track usually lasts between 2 to 3 minutes and prepares your body for exercise by increasing blood flow and heart rate as well as loosening up muscles.
Core Workout: This is where most of the work is centred around – it includes your glutes/back/abs/shoulders area and will definitely leave you feeling sore after class! There are moments of intense shaking involved during this track which can help build muscle endurance quickly if done correctly.
Cardio Section: Depending on instructor preference, there may be some cardio incorporated into this section, but it’s not typically high intensity or impactbased,d so it’s perfect for those who don’t like traditional cardio workouts!
You may then finish up with some cool down exercises.
What are the different types of Pilates classes available?
This isn’t the only variation available to you, there are a variety of Pilates classes available, including:
Classical Pilates: This type of class focuses on strengthening the core and achieving optimal posture. It uses slow movements and deep breaths to target specific areas such as the abdomen, back and thighs.
Power Pilates: This class combines classical Pilates principles with cardio exercises to increase heart rate while improving overall fitness levels. It incorporates more dynamic movements that focus on building strength and endurance while burning calories at the same time.
Aqua Pilates: This water-based variation of traditional Pilates uses resistance from water to increase muscle strength in a low impact environment while also providing additional benefits such as improved joint mobility and flexibility.
Are there any special considerations for taking Pop Pilates classes?
Taking POP Pilates classes does require some special considerations. First, it is important to note that these classes are designed for people of all shapes, sizes and genders, regardless of fitness level.
Therefore, it is important to listen carefully to your instructor in order to get the most out of the class.
Additionally, since this class focuses primarily on core exercises and low-impact movements, it may not be suitable for those with existing injuries or conditions that require special care.
Finally, as with any exercise routine, it is important to take breaks when needed and keep hydrated throughout the session to ensure safety and comfort during your workout.
