Pilates Power

Pilates. If you don't know how to pronounce it, chances are you won't have to look far to find someone who does.

Pilates (Puh-LAH-teez) is the nation's "fastest-growing exercise format," according to surveys taken by IDEA, a national organization of health and fitness professionals.

American Data Inc. found that Pilates participation rose from 2.4 million to 4.7 million participants between January 2002 and January 2003, the latest figures available.

You can find Pilates equipment and videos sold at your drugstore and discount store geared to the at-home exercise crowd. Or look for Pilates instruction at your area Pilates studio. You'll also find classes at YMCAs, health clubs, community centers, hospital-affiliated fitness facilities and yoga studios.

The exercises are low-impact because they don't put force on joints but rather the muscles that support them.

The exercises are far from mindless repetitions of calisthenics. They require concentration. Slight changes in position are critical. So is deep, rhythmic breathing.

Instructor Jodey Johnson says that when she took up Pilates two years ago, it was the first thing she had done that really taught her focus.

Johnson says those learning Pilates need about two months to feel really comfortable with it. The breathing technique alone takes some getting used to. The inhale involves filling the rib cage from side to side. The exhale involves pulling up on the muscles of the abdominal floor while shrinking the waistline in.

There are two forms of Pilates instruction generally available.

There is equipment-based instruction, which involves one-on-one or one-on-two instruction. Clients work out on machines. The equipment uses tensioned springs for resistance to help isolate and develop specific muscle groups. The exerciser uses many muscles, small and large, to maintain proper form.

Other studios focus on Pilates mat classes. This method is a popular and growing segment of Pilates instruction because it is more affordable and can be done with a minimum of small, portable props, such as balls and weighted bars.

Don Vowels, a psychotherapist who took up Pilates 10 months ago, says he wouldn't miss his machine-based workouts. He does mat classes on his own at home to supplement his private sessions with his Pilates instructor.

"Even though I knew the importance of exercise, I never found anything that kept me interested," Vowels says. "This does."

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