Spring Based Resistance: The Secret Power Behind Pilates and Why It’s So Amazing for You!

The benefits of Pilates on the body are now both well-known and widely acknowledged. Perhaps less well known are the benefits of springs-based resistance commonly used in Pilates based exercise routines and their ability to stimulate eccentric muscle contraction.

Spring-based resistance is a fundamental aspect of the Pilates method, offering unique benefits that distinguish it from traditional weight training. This innovative approach, developed by Joseph Pilates, utilizes specially designed equipment with adjustable springs to provide variable resistance throughout each movement.

Unlike static weights, spring resistance changes dynamically as you move. As you stretch the spring, the resistance increases, the further you extend, the more challenging the movement becomes, and resistance decreases as you return to the starting position.

This variable resistance aligns with the natural strength curve of your muscles, providing an optimal challenge throughout the full range of motion. Pilates springs can increase muscle burn and help you to achieve better balance by providing weight resistance or stability during your sessions.

Types of eccentric contraction exercise like Pilates commonly train slow twitch muscle fibres. Activated by low-intensity, sustained movements, these muscles burn out slower than the rest of your muscle fibres, commonly referred to as fast-twitch muscles.

By training your slow-twitch muscles, Pilates improves your stamina, agility, and strength in ways that conventional forms of exercise do not.

So what is meant by eccentric muscle contraction and what are the benefits it provides?

Anatomically, there are three types of muscles contractions the body employs.

Concentric, isometric, and eccentric.

A concentric contraction occurs when the muscle contracts and gets shorter for example when you lift a weight for a bicep curl. An isometric contraction is when the muscle is held in a static contraction, like holding a wall sit and an eccentric contraction is the lowering part of the movement, for example, when you lower a weight from the bicep curl.

During an eccentric contraction, the muscle gets longer while it contracts, causing the muscle to work harder. Ms Thomas says that while Pilates employs all three types of muscle contractions, there is more emphasis on eccentric contraction.

One of the key benefits of Pilates practice is the ability to build a longer, leaner look without building bulk, with the secret being its focus on eccentric contraction.

Eccentric contractions in Pilates movements offer several key benefits and can be highly effective:

Increased Strength Gains: Eccentric contractions allow muscles to generate more force, leading to greater strength improvements compared to concentric-only exercises.

Enhanced Muscle Control: Focusing on the eccentric phase improves overall muscle control and coordination, which is crucial in Pilates for precise, controlled movements.

Improved Tendon Health: Eccentric training promotes collagen synthesis and strengthens tendons, reducing injury risk and aiding rehabilitation.

Muscle Hypertrophy: Eccentric contractions are particularly effective at stimulating muscle growth and increasing muscle mass.

Pilates naturally incorporates eccentric contractions by emphasizing controlled, resisted movements. Its focus on “resisting the springs” during the return phase of exercises maximizes eccentric muscle work, allow for greater force production with less metabolic cost, making Pilates exercises more efficient!

New research from Western Australian based Edith Cowan University (ECU) has shown that one type of muscle contraction is most effective at increasing muscle strength and muscle size and rather than lifting increasingly heavy weights, the emphasis should be on lowering them.

The team, which also included researchers from Niigata University and Nishi Kyushu University in Japan and Brazil’s Londrina State University, had groups of people perform three different types of dumbbell curl exercise and measured the results.

It found those who only lowered a weight saw the same improvements as those who raised and lowered weights despite only performing half the number of repetitions.

ECU’s Professor Ken Nosaka said the results reinforced previous research indicating a focus on “eccentric” muscle contractions – those in which activated muscles are lengthened – and that it is more important to increase the strength and size of muscles, rather than the volume.

“We already know only one eccentric muscle contraction a day can increase muscle strength if it is performed five days a week, even if it’s only three seconds a day, but concentric (lifting a weight) or isometric muscle contraction (holding a weight) does not provide such an effect,” Professor Nosaka said.

He said the study showed that we can be far more efficient in the time we spend exercising and still see results by focusing on eccentric muscle contraction.

“Understanding the benefits of eccentric-focused training can allow people to spend their time exercising more efficiently,” Professor Nosaka added.

In a world where we are all increasingly time poor, efficient exercise like Pilates that focus more heavily on eccentric muscle contraction could prove the key to better health, increased flexibility and strength without necessarily spending hours in the gym.

Is Spring-Based Resistance Right for You?

Spring-based resistance in Pilates offers numerous benefits for a wide range of individuals like:

– Fitness Seekers: Those looking to improve overall fitness and body composition.

– Athletes: Individuals aiming to enhance performance and prevent injuries.

– Rehabilitation: Those recovering from injuries or managing chronic conditions.

– General Wellness: Anyone interested in developing better posture, balance, and core strength.

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