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Suzanne Harrison

WHEN  JOSEPH PILATES  created his own brand of core muscle-strengthening exercises in the early 1900s, he probably didn't  envisage health-conscious housewives and stressed executives crowding into studios to tighten their abs.

But like yoga, Pilates has become a household name for gentle, low-impact training and as a form of toning the body and clearing the mind.

Anyone who's done Pilates classes knows it mightn't result in a  sweat, but it's effective in working muscles in areas previously unknown - and ballet dancers' taut bodies are proof of this theory.

'I must be right. Never an aspirin. Never injured a day in my life. The whole country, the whole world, should be  doing my exercises. They'd be happier.' So said Pilates in 1965 - according to the Pilates Method Alliance website - when he was 86.

He had good reason to be enthusiastic. As the creator of the discipline, he knew how to  practise it properly - and he lived until he was 87.

Now, with an explosion in its popularity in gyms and through designated  studios, there's concern that it's sometimes being taught by instructors without adequate qualifications.

'People want to do things like Pilates and yoga because they're seen as trendy,' says Annemarie Munk,  owner and principal instructor of Streamline Pilates studio in Central. 'But the training required  is really long and, unfortunately, a lot of people don't have the patience.'

Some people have done one-day courses and now call themselves instructors, Munk says.  By contrast,  the former Olympic swimmer spent nine months and $30,000  on a Body Arts and Science International  course.  Other well-known and recognised international courses are the Polestar Method and Stott's Pilates.

The problem lies with the fact that there's no governing global Pilates body  to set a standard for the  exercise system.  'Because there isn't that seal of approval, people need to ask  the right questions,' Munk says. 'If they're savvy, they should be able to figure it out.'

Mabel Kwan, programme director of One Pilates studio in Central, says   demand for Pilates certification has been increasing for years.

The Physicalmind Institute  created the first international certification programme in the early 1990s. 'Prior to these, individual master teachers chose the  students to pass on their work through apprenticeship,' Kwan says. 'Now, the barrier of entry into the plethora of certification programmes is lower.'

She says a thorough Pilates certification course  should include theory, observation hours, self-practice hours, internship hours working with pre-screened clients (during  training) and working under the supervision of a senior teacher for at least one year before   final examinations (practical and theory).

Her  advice is to ask around for personal referrals  to reputable teachers. Munk says that if someone wants  to make a career out of Pilates instruction, they need to take one of the extensive, recognised courses. She warns against courses  that can be done via the internet.  One such reputable Pilates-training company  is coming to Hong Kong in a few weeks.  It offers a one-day seminar for people interested in training to become instructors.

If you're planning on going to a Pilates class, ask the instructor how many hours of experience they have, Munk says. 'An experienced instructor should go around the class correcting and demonstrating how to do things,' she says. 'And the class size should be no more than 10 people.'

Because of the surge in interest in  Pilates, large gyms in Hong Kong are following the global trend of thinking that they  have to provide it. 'You can have the best facilities, but if you don't have the right instructors, you're wasting your time,' Munk says.

Heather Thomas Shalabi, co-founder of Flex Studio in Stanley, says  teachers need hundreds of hours of training before they can sit for an exam to ensure they have the right skills to teach.

'There's a lot of art to it,' she says. 'It's not just science. People need to understand bodies, so I always say, you should try to be a role model for your clients because there's nothing like knowing how you feel doing it.'

Wayne Clark, Fitness First group exercise co-ordinator in Quarry Bay, says he  ensures all its instructors  are certified, and says he wouldn't  employ anyone who'd  done only a few weekend workshops. 'I don't have the [Pilates] skills, even though I understand the concept,' he says. 'So. I don't teach it because I  haven't done the training.'

He says the cost of the certified courses can put people off. 'There are people out there teaching who've had no Pilates training,' Clark says. 'I think the one  reason  a lot of people don't do the longer courses is because they're expensive.' What happens in a Pilates class? It  depends whether you do mat work or the machines. Many people start with  mat work (classes usually run for an hour to  90 minutes) because it can be done in a small space without  props.  However,  machines can  complement  mat work, especially for beginners.

The premise behind it is to strengthen the core - abdominals and back - by  using the internal muscles. Unlike yoga, there are no poses, but rather positions in which a person lies or sits and - while  contracting certain muscles - performs small movements. This can involve raising the head while  lifting and lowering the arms  and also raising legs while contracting the abdominals.

'The machines create a form of resistance and, because of the springs, the  resistance changes continually,'  Thomas Shalabi says. 'It's designed to stimulate the neuro-muscular system in the same way as real, everyday conditions.'

Professionals say that people can sustain injuries in  any exercise classes if they have specific  ailments, and the instructor should  be told before a class if someone is suffering from a physical problem.

Pilates is gentle, but it's considered an 'intelligent' exercise because it requires focused breathing and, therefore, can be  intense on both the mind and muscles.

For Thomas Shalabi, the popularity of Pilates also stems from its ability to  help people with back problems.  'Their back can feel a lot better when they do it,' she says. 'Part of the reason  it's good is because it's about exercise that you can walk out the door and apply  to everything you do. It stays with you.'



Flex appeal