Posted By : Admin / On : June 14, 2023 / In : Health,mental health
A little about Lengthen
One of our most popular classes in both our Godalming and Guildford studios is the Reformer Lengthen class. It’s a class I am passionate about teaching and always wish I could jump into. I simply love stretching, being stretched and having the ability to engage in stretches that push and improve my body.
Whilst Pilates is essentially a workout combined with mobility flows and amazing stretches. Stretching and Mobility Flows for our Control, Burn and Challenge classes are never the main focus. Stretches are added to compliment the muscle groups we just worked to release the tension recently created to ensure muscles are shortened to stimulate growth, and then lengthened to encourage and assist recovery. Some of the many reasons Reformer Pilates is such a wonderful workout, encompassing many comprehensive aspects neglected by other workouts.
Our Reformer Lengthen sessions however are all about stretching and mobility along with the compression of the body by pushing and resisting a heavy spring setting, so beautifully represented in a footwork series… It is often said that reformer makes you taller, it certainly does not make you taller (sorry), but it does give you that feeling of length in the body. It also massively improves posture which can impact your height. When you experience improved posture, it assists your height making you appear and feel taller or more to what your height should be once posture is corrected.
Why did we create a lengthen class…?
When we first opened our Godalming studio, we had a vision of a Pilates studio that provides a fantastic community atmosphere along with an amazing workout that needed to be accessible to all. That is why we created our Control class which is the ‘all rounder’. However, we also understood that not everyone wants a workout that focuses on an aesthetic element (try Reformer Burn if that is what you are looking for) but some want an ‘internal cleanse’ session that is not physically challenging.
People often come to Reformer Pilates because along with it being an amazing strength building workout, it has a multitude of therapeutic benefits. One reason being the machines ability to stretch you safely because of the spring and pulley system. Along with these systems, people are being closely monitored by experienced trainers, ensuring you stretch and work to precise movements, getting the best out of your time.
I also feel the main reason though, is that Pilates is a proven formula that has been getting people results for years. Whilst it has evolved over time the core principles are the same. Essentially that is what we do as instructors, follow a proven formula that gets people results on a multitude of different levels. So we created ‘Reformer Lengthen’ a session that is purely designed to stretch, release and mobilise your body from head to toe. Fully enhancing one of the many results that Pilates is able to offer people in one class!
So what is a Lengthen class…?
A lengthen class is precisely choreographed to move your body fluidly through a sequence of stretches with basic elements of strength compression work. The objective is to mobilise your body by incorporating flowing movements, simple strength work along with taking you through a series of complimenting stretches. This format is repeated for the duration of the class. As we have the time to focus more on the holistic aspect the stretches are held for longer allowing the body to respond better and improve flexibility, posture and mobility over time.
When you challenge your stretches, you will find your body responds rapidly with this carrying through to your everyday life, helping you to move and feel better. At The Pilates Movement our ethos is;
‘To deliver motivational classes that help our members to move better, feel better and heal from within.’
So what better way to represent this ethos than giving our Godalming and Guildford communities a Lengthen class.
Who is a lengthen class for…?
A lengthen class can in some ways be ideal for a complete newbie to Reformer Pilates as the tempo is slower. Essentially giving you time to get to grips with a Reformer Pilates sessions, cueing and sequencing. It has proved incredibly popular for Beginners at both our Godalming and Guildford Pilates studios when Reformer Pilates was a completely new concept to the person.
However, that said, it is essentially targeted for people who want to stretch, suffer from immobility, poor posture or want to participate in fundamental strength work. It is a wonderfully holistic session and ticks a lot of boxes. So don’t ‘shy’ away from it if you feel it is not challenging enough for you. You will feel absolutely fantastic afterwards and stretching in itself can be incredibly challenging when done correctly, following an improvement journey on your mobility.
Ever wanted to do the splits…or in the least touch your toes?
Founder – The Pilates Movement
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