Exercising from home is such a great way to maximise your time, feel comfortable in your own environment and to choose how you’d like to move your body on any given day. But how can you get the most out of the online Pilates class? This blog will give you three top tips on how to enjoy your online Pilates class, whilst improving form.
Screen placement
This might not be the first tip that comes to mind but visuals are everything! For many people, watching how something is done is how they learn best. Try to set the screen up in a position where you won’t be kinking your neck to watch the workout – that’s only going to frustrate you and hurt your neck. Ideally, the screen should be right in front of you, as if you’re watching TV.
Speaking of TV, the bigger the screen, the better. That way you can pick up on details and not strain your eyes. If you have the ability to screen share from your laptop to the TV, take full advantage. It also gives you a more ‘in real life’ experience.
If you’re doing a Matwork online class, you might even want the screen to be propped up so you can easily see it laying on the Mat. There is nothing worse than pausing the workout to adjust the screen or volume so it might be a good idea to test the screen placement and volume before you start the online Pilates class.
Replay moments
Using online classes gives you the luxury of pausing, rewinding and replaying moments – something that you definitely can’t do in a in-person class. This gives you the power to go back and try something again that you maybe didn’t fully understand or maybe it felt so good that you want to repeat it. Giving you the confidence to try things multiple times in the comfort of your own home which will improve your form greatly.
Listen to how you feel
This phrase gets thrown around a lot but it’s very true! Sometimes we feel pressure to look like the instructor on the screen. Trying to mimic them perfectly is not the point of online workouts. It would be like going to a painting workshop and trying to get your artwork to look like the professional’s – not a realistic expectation! Instead, use the instructor as a guide. Listen to the cue’s they are giving and try to focus on what you can feel rather than what you might look like.
In saying that, you also don’t necessarily need to do the same amount of reps or go at the same pace of the instructor on the screen. If you feel the movements better moving slower than what the instructor is performing on the screen, do that. If you feel you need to take breaks during the set, do that! You are moving your body for you – not the person on the screen.
Here at PPF, we offer an online membership of just $1 a week! There are hundreds of different workouts ranging from Matwork, Reformer, Stretch, Barre, HIIT and Yoga to choose from. New videos are uploaded weekly so there will always be something new to try. The instructors demonstrate the whole class and talk through cueing, whilst providing modifications and progressions throughout the class.
Feel free to try the three top tips for PPF’s online classes!
