The Breakdown: Pilates? I guess I can give it a shot

I woke up Friday morning to fresh snow on the ground. Any other person in this county would have instantly snagged their skis and sprinted for the slopes.

But not me, I had a prior engagement.

You see, I had a pilates class at 10 a.m.

I know what you're thinking, and it's exactly what my initial reaction was when someone suggested the idea for a column: "Isn't pilates a girl thing?"

And really, the reason that I thought that was because I didn't know anything about it (besides that Ari's wife does it on Entourage).

That's the point of trying new things, though, right?

Anyway, that's why I was standing in sweats outside Body Essentials Pilates on Lobante St. in Dillon, scratching at my nit cap, Friday morning. I knew I was at the right place, but I was still wondering if I was in the right place. You know what I mean?

While I was staring at the large painted letters, "PILATES," on the window, I was broken from my nervous anxiety by a voice.

"Are you going to do pilates?" a woman in a parked car asked. I nodded. "Because she is the best."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Yup, you're definitely in the right place if you're a first timer," she said.

That gave me the courage to climb the 23 steps up to the pilates studio, where Bridget Crow, the owner of the place, was waiting to greet me for my first-ever lesson.

I should note that at this point in the journey, I still didn’t have the slightest idea what pilates was.

But I guess that’s I was there.

First things first, I had to take off my shoes. Pilates is done in socks or barefoot, Crow told me.

Then we moved from the entry room into the actual studio, where I saw three “machines” that looked kinda like an advanced version of those work out machines that Chuck Norris sells in infommercials.

This machine is called a reformer, Crow told me. Basically, its a padded bench that can slide back and forth while being resisted by springs (it’s more advanced than that, but that’s about the only way I can explain it).

Crow, who ends up being incredibly well-versed in the history of pilates, explained to me that the entire training method was invented by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s. It generally seems to break down into exercise that works your core through more natural body movements, rather than hucking a 50-pound piece of metal over your head like in weight training.

So, as we started going through the exercises, there was definitely a central theme of working your stomach and spine.

And in pilates, you don’t even mention the word repetition, because you’re basically switching between different exercises every minute or two.

We did things called a stomach massage, 100s, pumping arms, side splits and the teaser. Those are just the ones that I can remember well.

But even though we went through all of these torso burning routines, none of it felt that bad due to the quick rotations between exercises. (Note: That excludes the thing called “teaser,” where you basically are on your back with your feet and shoulders raised and using your arms to slide back and forth on the bench. That one definitely wore me out.)

Also, with the way that Crow helps encourage you while your working out — not to mention keeps you from cheating — it makes it a lot more enjoyable.

But the best thing about the hour-long work out, was that, unlike in some other forms of training, I could still comfortably walk to my car afterward and had more energy the rest of the day.

And that’s not to say it wasn’t hard, because I’m definitely still sore while writing this.

Overall, it was a good experience and a really good work out. It definitely got the stereotype of being “a girl thing” out of my mind.

I’m not saying I’m going to regularly trade powder for a mat, but it’s definitely something I’ll think about.

Like it? Hate it? Have a better idea? Let Bryce know at bevans@summitdaily.com.