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Study Demonstrates The Effectiveness of Pilates Workout on Stamina AeroPilates Reformer

January 21, 2011 By Steven Kirchhof

We have always been big fans of the AeroPilates line of reformers. Stamina Products are expert at bringing affordable fitness equipment to the home. With the AeroPilates line, they took reformers to the next level by (among other things) adding a free form cardio rebounder option that may be easily switched out with the standard jump board or bar.

To sum up the study findings below, Dr Wolkodoff found that AeroPilates burn more calories while building core strength than when working out with a treadmill or elliptical machine. In addition, it was noted that unlike a treadmill workout, AeroPilates is low impact, dramatically reducing risk of injury or undue strain. Read on, but to jump to more information and to buy one, click here.

(SPRINGFIELD, MO, July, 2009) A recent study shows that AeroPilates with patented Free-Form Cardio Rebounder delivers significant positive results including decreased body weight, improved body composition, improved overall strength, improved flexibility, better balance, and reduced stress.

The study was conducted by Neil Wolkodoff, Ph.D., sport scientist. “One of the interesting results from the study was how effective cardio rebounding is at burning calories compared to using an elliptical or a treadmill,” said Wolkodoff. “In most of the cases the participants in the study were actually able to burn more calories in a non-impact way using the cardio rebounding versus a treadmill or an elliptical.”

What is AeroPilates? Pilates was first developed in the early 1900’s and remains an effective way to strengthen the body and lengthen and tone muscles. AeroPilates simply combines traditional Pilates reformer exercise with cardiovascular exercise via a rebounder that attaches to the AeroPilates reformer. The result is a workout that develops the four components of fitness—muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness.

Research now confirms and quantifies AeroPilates’ effectiveness. Fourteen subjects with ages ranging from 23 to 64 participated in an eight week exercise plan, 40 minute sessions three times a week, which included traditional Pilates reformer exercises combined with Free-Form Cardio Rebounder workouts all performed on the AeroPilates reformer. Subjects were tested for fitness basics before starting the exercise program and tested again after completing the eight week program. The results showed improvement in key areas of fitness.

AeroPilates Eight Week Exercise Program Results

VO2 peak (measure of exercise potential) 17% increased endurance
Decreased body weight 11% body weight reduction
Body composition 15% fat weight lost
5% lean muscle weight gained
Balance 21% balance improvement
Increased core strength 28% improvement in overall muscle strength/endurance
Increased flexibility 177% better low back/hamstring flexibility
9% hip flexion improvement
18% torso rotation improvement
Decreased stress 58% stress reduction
Increased strength/endurance 24% increase in overall strength/endurance to body weight ratio
Anaerobic threshold 21% improvement

Unlike other exercise machines that only target and isolate individual muscles, AeroPilates trains and strengthens the entire body from head to toe with full range-of-motion exercises. And unlike mat Pilates, the reformer is made to support the body where it is weak and challenge where it is strong to achieve balanced musculature. This is important in posture, balance, and for performing well in sports like golf, equestrian, tennis, basketball, football, baseball, etc.

The patented Free-Form Cardio Rebounder workout is like bouncing against a mini-trampoline while lying down on the sliding carriage of the reformer. Four springs or elastic cords provide more or less resistance to adjust and target the workout intensity. The cardio workout is gentle to joints and connective tissue yet target heart rate is reached and maintained.

A separate study compared heartbeats per minute. The comparison below shows heartbeats per minute after seven minutes on a treadmill, an elliptical, and the AeroPilates Free-Form Cardio Rebounder. The AeroPilates rebounder workout elevated athletes’ heart rates faster and more efficiently than a standard treadmill and maintained the heart rate within the target heart rate zone throughout the workout session.

Exercise mode Heartbeats per minute (bpm) after working out for seven minutes
AeroPilates 156 bpm
Treadmill 141 bpm
Elliptical 139 bpm

Stamina’s AeroPilates reformers provide low-impact cardiovascular training plus the total body flexibility, strength training, sculpting and toning. AeroPilates reformer home units start around $400 (click here to check current pricing).

About Neil Wolkodoff

Neil Wolkodoff, Ph.D., sport scientist, trains both professional and amateur golfers in physical training and mental training for golf. He has trained a variety of athletes including NFL, NHL, MLB and Olympic athletes for over 15 years. A former strength and conditioning consultant for the Denver Broncos, the Colorado Rangers and the U.S. Freestyle Ski team, Wolkodoff now devotes his efforts to helping golfers improve their performance. He holds certifications from the American Council on Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine, the U.S. Weightlifting Federation and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

He is a past contributing editor for the American Council on Exercise, past editor for the American Council on Exercise, past editor for the American College of Sports Medicine, as well as contributor to various golf publications such as Golf Digest, Golf Magazine and Golf Tips. Wolkodoff is a sport science consultant for GolfTEC in Denver. His nationally recognized clinics on the physical and mental aspects of golf are sanctioned for continuing education credit by the PGA and LPGA.

His numerous awards and accolades include Best Personal Trainer in Colorado, 1997, by the Denver Post; State Director of the Year from the National Strength and Conditioning Association (twice); “80 People in Fitness to Watch in the ‘90’s” by Fitness Management Magazine; and Self Magazine citing Wolkodoff as “one of the best exercise physiologists in the business.” His Physical Golf Training Center is located at the Greenwood Athletic Club in Englewood, Colorado.

More information and to buy: click here!

Develop Muscle and Stamina With an AeroPilates Reformer While Becoming Flexible and Toned

May 25, 2010 By Keith

Stamina-Aero-PilatesPilates is a structured program of over five hundred controlled exercises that employ the mind and condition the total body. It is a balanced mix of strength and flexibility training that reduces stress, improves posture and creates long, lean muscles.

The Pilates method of exercise is a system of gentle effective, whole-body conditioning and corrective exercises. It seems like everyone is either doing Pilates, or interested in starting a Pilates exercise program.

One of the best things about the Pilates method is that it works so well for a wide range of people. Dancers and athletes love it, as do seniors, people who at various stages of physical rehabilitation and women rebounding from pregnancy.

Pilates gets your mind in tune with your body. By emphasizing proper breathing, correct pelvic and spinal alignment, and complete concentration on smooth, flowing movement. You become acutely aware of where your body is in space, how it feels and how to control its movement.

In Pilates the quality of movement is much more emphasized than the quantity of repetitions. Learning proper breathing is vital, and

helps you execute movements with the utmost power and efficiency. By learning to breathe properly you can and will reduce stress.

In performing Pilate’s exercises you are training several muscle groups at once in smooth, continuous movements. By developing a proper technique, you can actually re-train your body to move in a safer, more efficient pattern of motion. Pilate exercises are invaluable in aiding in injury recovery, improving an athlete’s sports performance, promoting good healthy posture and maintaining optimal physical condition.

Conventional workouts tend to build short, bulky muscles. These types of workouts make the muscles much more prone to an injury. Pilates elongates and strengthens muscles, improving muscle elasticity and joint mobility. A body with balanced strength and flexibility decreases its chances of being hurt.

Pilate’s exercises are done on either a Pilates mat on the floor, or on exercise equipment. The workout equipment that is used in Pilates in general utilizes pulleys and resistance from your own body weight on the machine and graduated levels of springs. The Pilates reformer is probably the best-known piece of resistance equipment that you will encounter at a Pilates studio.

There are many styles of reformers. Some reformers are metal and some are wood. There could be leather straps or ropes, and the reformer may be on legs or flat on the floor. Even so, their functions and basic parts will be the same.

The Stamina Aero Pilates line has a reformer for everyone, from commercial-grade reformers to economical home models. Only Stamina reformers offer their patented Free-Form Cardio Rebounder, which is standard in several Aero Pilates Reformers.

It has been demonstrated that by using the Aero Pilates rebounder, you will reach and maintain a target heart rate as effectively as if you were executing a workout on a fitness treadmill. However, the low-impact Aero Pilates workout minimizes the shock and concussion to your back, hips, and legs.

No other exercise system compares to Pilates in being so gentle to your body while giving it a challenging and invigorating workout. Many of the exercises are performed in a sitting or reclining position, and most are low impact and in some measure weight bearing. Pilates is so safe, it is used in physical therapy facilities thru out the country to rehabilitate injuries.

Modifications to the Pilates exercises allow for you to experience a range of challenging exercises ranging from the beginner to the advanced. Get the Pilates workout that best suits you now, and increase the intensity as your body improves in strength and endurance.

Click for more information on Stamina Aero Pilates Reformers on Amazon.

Click for our article about a recent Pilates study (must read!)

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