MOVEMENT + EXERCISE RESEARCH

Theory behind the exercise

ACADEMIC research papers

Click the topics below to see the academic research that currently supports our exercise practice:

– exercise choice
– exercise and health
– learning movement
– muscle development
– posture and alignment
– reformer pilates
– stretching

QUESTIONS we EXPLORE IN THE membership

EXERCISE FOR HEALTH

  • What does modern research say about exercise and health?
  • Do you need specific exercises for specific body parts/pain sources?
  • Does it matter what type of exercise I do?
  • Is reformer the best kind of exercise you can do?
  • Does reformer have mental health benefits?
  • Can movement improve mental health?

PAIN AND INJURY

  • What’s the best way to prevent injury?
  • What’s the best exercise for lower back pain?
  • Best exercise for computer-related pain?
  • Do you need to move your body in a particular way to prevent injury?
  • What does it mean to be safe on the reformer?
  • Most likely way to be injured on a reformer?
  • Is reformer the best kind of exercise you can do?

POSTURE

  • Is posture a thing?
  • What is good posture?
  • What influences posture?
  • Is posture an important indicator of pain or dysfunction?
  • What is the postural-structural-biomechanical model?
  • Can you fix posture with reformer?

FORM AND ALIGNMENT

  • Do you need to do reformer exercises in particular ways for them to be effective?
  • Should you align your joints during exercise?
  • Should your knees track your feet in a squat?
  • Is neutral spine important on the reformer?
  • Is reformer an aesthetic discipline or a movement experience?
  • Do you really have hypermobility?

SHOULDERS

  • Should you put your shoulders down and back before starting an exercise?
  • What’s the best way to strengthen shoulders on the reformer?
  • How to improve range of motion in the shoulder?
  • Is reformer good for shoulders?

BREATHING

  • Is there a correct way to breathe when exercising?
  • Is there a right way to breathe in reformer?
  • Is it okay to hold your breath?
  • Are there any benefits to deep breathing?
  • Should you hold down your ribs to stop them flaring?

MUSCLES

  • Do you need to consciously activate certain muscles?
  • How do muscles interact with each other?
  • How do you strengthen your muscles?
  • What’s the difference between strength and endurance?
  • What should you do with muscles in pain?
  • What is the biggest predictor of muscle injury?

STRETCHING

  • Is it important to stretch?
  • Do you need to stretch before and after working out a muscle?
  • What’s the best way to stretch?
  • Is strengthening or stretching more important?
  • What’s the best way to improve range of motion in your joints?

MOTOR LEARNING

  • What are the best ways to learn reformer exercises?
  • What’s the difference between motor learning and motor control? Which is most important?
  • What are the best ways to achieve movement goals?
  • Is it important to focus inside your body when doing reformer?
  • What are the differences between internal and external instructions in class?