I will be the first to admit that this experience was a bit outside of my comfort zone to say the least. I have never been the guy that was interested in Pilates workouts. The macho bro inside of me laughed at the movements and could never fathom that they could provide a benefit. That being said, I was approached by Park Meadows Pilates and Physical Therapy (PMP) with the “sales appeal” that athletes are now using Pilates more and more to balance their bodies and prevent injuries. Being that I tore my ACL in college athletics, I thought this might be a great learning experience for myself and readers of my article.
PMP is a trendsetting studio that offers Metro Denver’s only Core Align® and Balanced Body Barre™ equipment and classes. According to several articles, “athletes across the nation are touting Core Align®, a new vertical, stand-up version of the classic Pilates reformer that offers functional, real-life training.” Balanced Body Barre™ is a high energy fusion of Barre exercises, sculpting and Pilates principles. Additionally, PMP offers PMA Certified Pilates Practitioners, which is a 450 hour program that practitioners have to go through to attain an independent certification.
On the day I was to visit the studio, the great rains of Colorado were just hitting the Front Range. Being that the studio owner, Lindy Royer, and I both had packed schedules, I didn’t want a little rain to ruin this experience. After a short tour of the newly renovated facility by the Park Meadows mall, Lindy introduced me to some of the equipment. She did an amazing job of giving me the history of Pilates and how it has been used by athletes from the inception.
We started off with a general “checkup” of my body to see any and all imbalances that I had from injuries and how I function through my work day. I wasn’t surprised that Lindy found several imbalances in my body from years of desk work and compensating on my left side from my right ACL tear. Being that they also have physical therapy, she was extremely knowledgeable in how to correct these items through basic at-home exercises.
After the checkup, Lindy walked me over to the traditional Pilates reformer for some different exercises. She took me through some of the harder ones, or so she said, to keep the macho side of me engaged in the experience. Next, she provided a great comparison by putting me through some of the same exercises with the new Core Align® reformer. It was harder, but what I liked best was that it was functional and I could see the value it could create in daily activity.
Finally, Lindy did another checkup to see how my muscle flexibility and alignment improved off of one workout. It was astonishing that only after an hour I was able to improve in both areas. While leaving the facility, I kept thinking about how I wished my athletic programs would have introduced these ideologies earlier and how my ignorance (like probably many others) has held me back from a beneficial workout.
Park Meadows Pilates is located off Park Meadows Dr. in Lone Tree.