The human nervous system is a complex network of cells and fibers that govern our body's every movement, thought, and sensation. But have you ever wondered how we learn new skills or adapt to changes? One of the remarkable ways the nervous system accomplishes this is through repetition. Today, we’ll explore how the Pilates Method uses repetition to help us execute healthy joint movements and build stamina.
Learning is not a one-time event. It’s a continuous process that involves the formation of new connections between neurons, the cells that make up the nervous system. These connections, known as synapses, transmit signals and information throughout the brain and spinal cord. As we exercise, our ability to control our bodies depends on the strength or weakness of these synapses. In Pilates, students employ repetition of specific movement skills within exercises to stimulate the brain to rewire itself. This improves a student’s neuromuscular synapses, leading to heightened body awareness and more precise joint control.
At Pilates in Common, we frequently encounter students experiencing low back pain. From our experience, these students struggle with:
- Sensing the position of their pelvis is in space.
- Differentiating the movement of the pelvis from the spine or distinguishing the movement of the hip joint from the spine.
- Activating deep core stabilizers without flattening their back into the mat.
Examples #1-3 are all movement skills in Pilates. Our teachers use repetition to help students internalize movement skills essential for low back health before progressing to more complex and difficult exercises. This repetitive and layered approach fosters improved communication between the brain and body, resulting in more resilient muscles and an increased capacity to sustain more effort over an extended period.
Simultaneously, students build stamina in our Pilates Mat classes by integrating the repetition of movement skills into each Pilates exercise. Simpler movements become more complex when the body relies on muscle memory to execute multiple movement skills at once. As the nervous system learns the correct joint mechanics through the repetition of Pilates exercises, it encodes this information into motor patterns. This process makes the movements smoother, healthier, and more automatic over time, much like learning to ride a bike.
Repetition is a powerful tool that remodels our nervous system and amplifies our capacity to learn and adapt. By understanding how repetition in Pilates reinforces neural pathways and improves stamina, we can optimize our learning, recovery, and personal movement journeys.
Written by Nicole Lancie
