Yoga or Pilates?

Soldato
Joined
3 Jan 2009
Posts
8,037
Any Yoga or Pilates enthusiasts here?

I'm thinking about taking up one or the other. A local gym offers classes in both.

My main interest is improving core strength but I'm also becoming concerned about my back. I do a lot of heavy lifting at work and over the last couple of weeks I've noticed that it's getting stiff and I'm getting a few twinges. I'd like to do all that I can to avoid any serious injuries.


Are Pilates and Yoga good for dealing with back pain and core strength? This Guardian article suggests that I should consider Pilates but as I know very little about either I'd like to hear your opinions.

Thanks for reading :)
 
Man of Honour
Joined
3 Apr 2003
Posts
15,618
Location
Cambridge
Any Yoga or Pilates enthusiasts here?

I'm thinking about taking up one or the other. A local gym offers classes in both.

My main interest is improving core strength but I'm also becoming concerned about my back. I do a lot of heavy lifting at work and over the last couple of weeks I've noticed that it's getting stiff and I'm getting a few twinges. I'd like to do all that I can to avoid any serious injuries.


Are Pilates and Yoga good for dealing with back pain and core strength? This Guardian article suggests that I should consider Pilates but as I know very little about either I'd like to hear your opinions.

Thanks for reading :)

Not a particular enthusiast of either, purely because I haven't tried either.

However, if you're getting twinges in your back due to heavy lifting at work, I think you need to consider more than just 'core strength'... lifting technique would be one.

I've heard good things about both, but only seen good things from yoga (my bro and his wife used to do it), more because I don't know anybody that's done pilates. Neither will be a quick fix for your apparent problem, however, so I'd do a bit of self-appraisal before diving into one as - to do either properly - they require a LOT of hard work.
 
Man of Honour
Joined
6 Apr 2007
Posts
7,633
Technique won't be fine, it'll be something you haven't thought of though :)

From what I know, pilates would be best. However, there is a chance that poor posture is what's wrong with your technique, in which case yoga would help.
 
Soldato
Joined
24 Feb 2003
Posts
8,681
I was considering going along to a pilates class at my gym, with a mind to getting some good solid ideas about improving my core strength, also improving my flexibility would be nice.

I have only ever done weights, bodyweight training and cardio so I really don't know much about Pilates or Yoga, I just heard that the former is great for building core strength and the later mainly for flexibility.

Hopefully it's not just all middle aged women though, indeed I hope it isn't just all women or I am going to feel rather silly and out of place :o (it probably will be tbh, still I MAN ...I don't care, grrr!) The next class my gymn offers is Sunday, which I can't make, so I'll probably go to one later next week, if you haven't attended a class yourself by then I can always let you know what I thought in here. Right now I plan to go to one class and see what it's all about and get some ideas about core building, I don't plan to make a thing of it.
 
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