Do you need equipment or kit for class?
In all honesty you don’t need any kit for class… BUT it really can benefit your experience.
Resistance bands
Resistance bands are really useful to help get your muscles to activate – if you have ever been to see a physiotherapist, they likely sent you away with exercises to do using a band. There is good reason for that! They help particularly inactive muscles to activate. I like to have a long band and also a looped band. A belt is an okay alternative.
Weights
Small hand weights, again these are really useful to help get your muscles to activate. For the type of movements we do in Pilates using a light weight, 0.5kg or a 500ml water bottle (filled) just helps muscles switch on to give you a more controlled movement in your exercise and therefor more benefit.
Balls
A spiky massage ball is brilliant for stimulating the nerve endings and muscles in the soles of your feet. If you have done my Foot Mobility & Strength Master Class you might remember that we have 7000 nerve endings in EACH foot!! Those nerve endings NEED and LOVE to be stimulated. Alternatives are tennis ball, lacrosse ball or golf ball.
The Pilates ball, I think this is my favourite piece of kit! It can help activate muscles, give stability AND create an unstable surface depending on how it’s used. If you were to get one bit of kit, this would be my recommendation. In some exercises it can be used in stead of a resistance band too! A cushion or pillow is a good alternative.
Belt Or Strap
Yoga belt or strap, these can be used in both Pilates or Yoga, the way I use the strap in class it to give support through a stretch or to take the weight of a limb so it can relax in certain positions.
None of the pieces of kit are about building big muscles, they are about activating and supporting you throughout your movement to get the best out of your exercise -it’s what we all want! I always invite my participants to bring kit in and take it out when it suits them best. I give them options and different ideas of how and when to use the different items.
