One of the most asked questions from Pilates studio clients and studio equipment teacher trainees is “what springs do I need for this exercise?”. The short answer is of course “whatever spring best facilitates the acquisition of the exercise objectives”. However, such an answer demands an answer to a more pressing question; “what is the purpose of the exercise?”. The true answer to this question relies on much more than a keen memory of generic rationale and a convincing demeanour. Understanding the theories underpinning the methodologies used in the creation and programming of exercises is essential if the work we do is to be robust enough to stand up to scrutiny.

If you haven’t already, check out the Vlog post ‘What is the purpose of an exercise?’

In this post I will explore some fundamental principles that should help you resolve questions regarding appropriate spring selection for many popular Pilates studio equipment...

This vlog post is from a tutorial previously only available in our professional membership area. However, we feel this is such an important topic we wanted to raise greater awareness to the importance and relevance of individualised approaches to exercise prescription and programming. It poses two very important questions:

• What is the purpose of an exercise?
• Can exercise centric training systems truly serve the interests of all those that they profess to help achieve their aspirations?

To answer these questions, we must first understand what an exercise is and the role they play for those who practice them and those that teach them. We must also consider where the exercises we know come form and for what purpose they were originally intended. It is also probably important at this point to clarify what I mean by an exercise centric training system. These are training systems, approaches or methods that typically teach a repertoire of exercises that are...

In this article we discuss utilising biopsychosocial frameworks for effective diagnosis, treatment, and recovery planning for injured dancers and athletes.

Experiencing an injury can evoke a range of difficult emotions and potentially lead to negative psychological responses and social implications that in turn lead to maladaptive illness behaviours^1-3. Beyond physiological trauma, resultant psychological and social effects often impede recovery, extending the process beyond the timeline needed for physiological repair. This increases the chance of progression to a chronic injury state which is multifactorial and notoriously complex to resolve⁴. This is largely a ubiquitous phenomenon. However, for physical performers such as dancers and athletes, whose identity is often defined by their ability to perform and express themselves physically, the impact of injury can more severely affect their health and well-being⁵. This is due in part to the relationship between...

The term proprioception has several interpretations, definitions and approaches purporting to enhance it, vary somewhat across research, clinical, and conditioning environments. This article intends to clarify the term and considers how proprioception can be approached by movement teachers and practitioners looking to improve and enhance their client’s movement function and performance.

What do we feel?

Sensory information elicits the actions we take and the efficaciousness of those actions, it provides feedback essential for motor control and the enhancement of movement skill through motor learning. Specialised sensory (afferent) neurones provide the central nervous system (CNS) with a wide range of information about the surrounding environment and the state of functioning within the body. Aside from the primary exteroceptive senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch, we also have interoceptive senses that gather information from within the body, many of which...