A Therapeutic and Functional Approach to Pilates, Mobility & Post-Injury Rehabilitation

Pilates, Mobility and Strength Training Principles

The more options your body has to accomplish a task, the better you will be at that specific task. My goal is to help you create options. Whether recovering from an injury or training for a PB, training with me will help you approach your favourite activities with a body that’s strong and mobile enough to reach your goals, pain-free.

What is Pilates?  Frankly, I don’t know.  

A quick google search will definitely get you up to speed on the creation of the Contrology method and subsequent evolution into its modern terminology of Pilates, rightfully named after Joseph Pilates, its inventor.  You might read about a “series of exercises” performed on specialized equipment and perhaps have a better idea after spending a few minutes reading or watching videos.  Or you may still be confused.  Join the club.  

This is a question I’ve gotten stuck on the more experienced I have become.  I was really good at spouting off the ubiquitous but generic spiels about improving posture (it doesn’t) and creating a mind-body awareness (whatever that is…), and it being a “safe” method of working out (again, wtf?)

Pilates isn’t just a series of exercises.  It’s a resistance training program.  It’s a movement practice.  It’s a space where you learn about how your body works.  It’s where you regain confidence in an injured body and learn how resilient you are.  It’s where you learned that “just getting old” isn’t the reason why you felt like shit.  It was the first step to get you running again.  It helped you get back out on the golf course.  It got rid of that nagging lower back pain you’ve been dealing with for the past 5 years.  It gave you confidence in your physical abilities.  It made push-ups less agonizing.  It got rid of your neck pain.  It got rid of your shoulder pain.  It got rid of your knee pain.  It kept you moving when you were injured.  It helped with your rehabilitation.  It provides cross-training apart from your other activities.  It kicked your ass.  It helped you sleep better.  

My inability to describe what I did led me outside the realm of my Pilates training (thankfully) in search of a broader perspective on teaching human movement and building strength.  In that journey, I learned about optimizing joint health and creating movement options.  I’ve learned to assess movements in various ways and critically apply concepts of efficiency of movement to help clients with varying injuries, abilities, ages and goals.  

Since my certification in Pilates, I’ve become trained in Dr. Andreo Spina’s Functional Range Conditioning, Functional Gait assessment with Dr’s Courtney Conley and Jen Perez of Gait Happens, and lower body biomechanics with David Grey Rehab.  I’ve taken workshops with Pilates practitioners that offer evidence-based applications of the Pilates method and unique approaches to teaching Pilates utilizing strength-training concepts.  I’ve done workshops with movement practitioners that weren’t Pilates Instructors.  I’ve freed myself of identifying with any brand of Pilates as my experience and application of knowledge is now more vast than my initial training.  

I call myself a Pilates teacher as it’s a straightforward and simple term, but it’s misleading because I don’t just teach Pilates (don’t get me wrong, I love Pilates).  

What I really do is get people moving.

My approach to movement blends Pilates and FRC® programming to create a workout that is beneficial and challenging. Workouts are never pre-programmed, nor will you ever “follow-along” with an instructor. Exercise selections are based on the needs of the individuals in the session. This approach requires a high level of applicable knowledge and critical thought.

FUNCTIONAL RANGE CONDITIONING® was developed by world-renowned musculoskeletal expert Dr. Andreo Spina. FRC® is a comprehensive joint training system based in scientific principals and research. There are 3 main training-goals when utilizing the FRC® system which are all closely interrelated, and acquired simultaneously:

1. MOBILITY DEVELOPMENT

   Mobility refers to the amount of active, usable motion that one possesses. The more mobile a person is, the more they are able to maximize their movement potential safely, efficiently, and effectively.

2. JOINT STRENGTH

   While improving mobility and movement potential, the FRC®system also acts to ‘bullet proof’ (or safe-guard) your joints so that movement can be executed safely.

3. BODY CONTROL

   Training with FRC® improves the function of your nervous system. This leads to a reduction of pain and injury, joint health and longevity, as well as an increased ability to move freely and easily.

Workouts As Unique As You Are