Feeling victorious after finishing our first pilates class!
The Class
Today, we attended our first pilates class. We drove through the pouring rain to Equinox in Palo Alto, nervous and excited for our first class. Neither of us had any experience in the area, and were prepared to embarrass ourselves in front of all the seasoned experts. Upon entering the yoga studio, we both felt completely out of place. We were surrounded by super fit middle-aged and young women looking superb in their tight yoga pants and exercise tops. They were all barefoot and stretching on their orange yoga mats, while the two of us clunked around in our baggy t-shirts and sneakers deciding where we should sit. Should we sit in the front... where everyone will stare at us, but we can easily follow the instructor? Or do we sit in the back... where we have to sacrifice a good view for our integrity. We sat in the back, despite having to move the trashcan so we could squeeze our yoga mats against the wall.
Before introducing herself, the instructor asked if anyone was new. We were the only two to raise our hands. She came to the back of the room and asked if we had any injuries she should know about. Besides our pride, we had none. The class started off easy and were able to keep up. We were feeling pretty confident as we rotated our shoulders and wobbled our necks from side to side. Unfortunately, that was just the warm up.
Sarah's Take
I consider myself a workout-aholic. I run 4 miles a day and do weight-training. I love any type of cardio and love to feel my body burn. I've played soccer among other sports my entire life, and have become quite competitive. I thought pilates would be a breeze compared to being in the 75th minute of an intense soccer game. I was proven wrong.
After the first 10 minutes of the class, the exercises slowly became more difficult. My legs felt strong when we were in tough positions, but my shoulders ached. I was only using 3-pound weights, but the repetition killed me. In my usual workouts, I do 3 sets of 45-second planks, but lifting my arms above my head 10 times in a row was horrible. I was shocked at how inflexible I was, and almost started crying out of awe when I compared my flexibility to the rest of the class, besides Emma. I went in to the class quite confident in my abilities to keep up with the rest, thinking I would counter the class's expectations for a newcomer. I thought I was fit and strong, but pilates clearly takes a different type of strength than I apparently have. I felt like the typical strong but inflexible athlete, who couldn't bend my body into the necessary positions. I'm excited to continue attending Pilates Power Play to strengthen my shaky muscles, but I'm sure I will be sore tomorrow.
Emma's Take
Unlike my athletic project partner, I do not consider myself an avid exerciser. A typical "workout" for me consists of walking or biking downtown and putzing through the stores with a friend. It doesn't exactly work up a sweat. On the rare occasions when I do visit the gym, I spend a mere 30 minutes on the elliptical before packing up and returning home. In the last few years, I have attended a handful (albeit a very small one) of yoga classes, but I had never tried pilates. I struggled, big time.
When Sarah and I put our mats down, the woman beside me struck up a casual conversation. We clearly looked dazed and confused because she asked if we were beginners. After we confirmed her suspicions, she said lightly, "Oh, you'll love it!" Based on that airy remark, I thought that pilates would be a walk in the park. And for her, it was. Meanwhile, I wobbled as we held difficult poses, and couldn't even hold the basic beginning positions (the ones that came before the actual exercises). In short, I failed miserably.
I used to do gymnastics, and today made me realize just how much flexibility I've lost in the last four years. I used to be able to bend over backwards and touch the floor, but today my calves burned as I touched my toes. I'm excited about the possibility of improving at pilates, and maybe gaining back a tiny bit of that freakish flexibility.
