Pilates for seniors
Can You Start Pilates in your Sixties Even if You’re a Beginner?
The answer is YES! Of course, you can do Pilates in your sixties and beyond! I’m sixty-five at the time of this writing and still can do most of the advanced movements. If I can do it you most certainly can get started!
I have had many students who have not started exercising at all until well into their 50s and 60s. But you must find a teacher who is willing to break things down, go slowly at first and create modifications for you.
Have you been exercising regularly all your life or are you new to exercise?
It also depends upon your fitness level to begin with. Some people are very fit throughout their lives and have been exercising for a long time.
In the case of very fit elders, they can start beginning-level Pilates just like any other fit student who is starting a new type of exercise.
Even though the student is fit, they don’t necessarily understand the basic Pilates concepts, and this can take time to learn.
Find a teacher who is willing to modify Pilates Exercises to fit your body
Make sure the teacher can offer modifications and take consider injuries or physical limitations you have.
As we age our joints need to be protected so it’s important to use modifications as needed so you’re not putting too much weight on your wrists, or putting unnecessary strain on neck and shoulder, and knee joints when you’re` just getting started.
Footwork on the reformer
We Start Pilates Lying Down
I have had students begin Pilates in their 70s with gentle exercises lying on their backs on the reformer or mat and pushing out against the Pilates foot bar or pushing against an elastic band doing what is called “footwork”.
Footwork is a series of exercises done with feet and legs in different positions to work the feet, ankles and hip joints while learning to stabilize and strengthen the trunk and core.
Pilates can be beneficial for improving breathing, coordination as well as strength.
As the exercises become more complex, Pilates also helps to challenge the brain and keep you mentally alert.
Pilates may be even more helpful for coordination than less complex exercises like walking or biking which are repetitive movements. Pilates requires you to recruit many different muscle groups throughout the workout while standing and sitting in lots of different positions So it challenges muscles you might not use very often in your everyday life.
You can improve your fitness after the age of 60
Reformer exercises using light resistance to start with are helpful for developing strength, stability, and flexibility. I was surprised at how fast the bodies of older students responded even when they were over the age of 70!
Soon these students who were new to Pilates and even new to exercise in general were able to do standing balance exercises, modified squats with and without support. They tackled leg presses standing at the chair and a lot of the Pilates curriculum became accessible.
Many students over the age of sixty or seventy often want to stay with private classes or take a semiprivate with other older students at their same or similar level.
While some studios offer beginning level classes that are pre-modified so that seniors can safely join in.
Case Study beginning Pilates Student in Her Seventies
One of my first students over the age of 70 was a retired grade school principal. Ruth wanted to get moving again after the Covid lockdown and had gained a substantial amount of weight during Covid.
Before the lockdown she had traveled on cruises with senior groups and had been able to hold her own and was never the slowest person in the group.
She had never been athletic or done any kind of organized exercise. She had walked a lot for her job and for her trips abroad and had been a very good dancer in her younger days. But mostly she was a nerd. Her favorite way to spend the day was sitting down with a good book.
When she started Pilates, she was very deconditioned. We tried planking but her wrists couldn’t take it and we had to modify to standing planks with hands against the wall.
But Ruth was also very intelligent and able to follow directions and had a great attitude toward learning something new.
After a few weeks I was astonished at how much stronger she was already. We started out with just a half hour session and worked our way up to 45 minutes per time. Her stamina increased and she was able to put her feet in the straps for leg circles and frog pushes.
Bridging can be done on the reformer or the mat
Adding Bridging
After a couple of weeks, we started working bridging, which consists of lying on your back with your knees bent and lifting the hips into the air with your feet on the foot bar and engaging glutes legs abs and back all at once.
At first, she was only able to lift her hips a few inches off the reformer carriage. But one day she said “hey, I finally feel like I’m really bridging! I’ve seen other students do it, but I couldn’t figure out how to make my body do it.” Sure enough her hips really lifted, and she began to discover muscles she hadn’t known were there!
Adding Squats
We began adding ball squeezes while standing up and sitting back down on the reformer to get her midline muscles working in the low abs and inner thighs. This gave her the ability to get in and out of a chair easily once again.
We worked with hand weights to strengthen the arms and postural muscles in the upper back to improve her forward head posture so she wouldn’t have to walk looking down at the ground.
Improving Balance
Since her goal was to go on a group tour to Europe, we worked with her standing-balance holding onto the wall and eventually without no hands. Then we added single leg presses using the Pilates Wunda Chair while lightly holding the handles.
Eventually her balance became so stable we added the crossover press which works on stabilizing the outside of the hip of the leg that is pressing down while the standing leg also gets a great workout. The standing work increased her confidence with her balance, and she began adding daily walks to her regime and continues to take Pilates twice a week for 45 minutes.
Pilates benefits for mental health
As with any kind of physical exercise, Pilates has been shown to help with mental outlook. Small senior group classes using a chair, mat or Pilates equipment can be useful in getting older people out of the house and into a social setting.
Just give Pilates a try!
If you’re thinking about starting Pilates don’t be afraid to try something new. Maybe there is a group class for beginner senior students. Or if not, a teacher who can work with you in private sessions. If you don’t jibe with the first teacher or studio you go to keep trying other studios and programs until you find a place that works with your needs.
Ask if they have experience working with older students and if they are willing to modify the exercises.
You can also start with online courses and videos tailored to older beginners with simple chair Pilates exercises using any sturdy regular wooden or metal framed chair.
Or if you are able to get down on the floor basic pre-Pilates and beginner level Pilates mat-work might be a good choice.
Check out our list of recommended courses and resources
Grow Young Chair Workouts
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