However, a consistent thread is an overall attention to the muscles that support strong postural alignment and muscular engagement in an effort to encourage safe and effective movement and stability during held poses. In yoga, there are many interpretations that lead to varied levels of focus on the physical activity, meditative experience, flow between poses, etc. Many of the Pilates-inspired exercises in PiYo are rooted in isometric muscle contraction, such as shoulder bridges and side planks. In Pilates, all muscles in your body are active at all times, even if they are not the primary mover. Stabilization describes the ability to maintain a static position while performing an activity. What is the connection to PiYo?Īs PiYo LIVE Instructors, we know the format was inspired by the principles of alignment practiced in Pilates, namely total-body stabilization. Example: The static abdominal contraction that occurs while holding a plank in a stable body position. Isometric Muscle Contraction: This occurs when the muscle fiber contracts with no change to the muscle length and with no joint action. Example: The downward movement in a bicep curl results in a controlled lengthening of the bicep muscle as the elbow extends back toward gravity and the start position. Example: The upward movement in a bicep curl results in a shortening of the bicep as the elbow bends and draws the weight up against gravity.Įccentric Muscle Contraction: This occurs when muscle fibers contract by lengthening away from their center and control the lengthening motion. This creates a shortening in the muscle and movement at the joint.
When exercising or just moving around in daily life, our skeletal muscles contract or develop tension in three ways to generate joint motion or to maintain stability.Ĭoncentric Muscle Contraction: This occurs when muscle fibers contract and move toward their center. We will also discuss some talking points for cueing isometric exercises that you can share during class. In this article we will take a closer look at how isometric exercises specifically are incorporated into each PiYo LIVE class to help our participants build strength and improve posture and mobility both inside and outside of the studio.
During a PiYo LIVE class we guide our participants through Pilates- and yoga-inspired choreography, we inject powerful athleticism, and we incorporate a wide variety of stretch and strength-training protocols to increase participants’ overall muscular stability, endurance, and flexibility.
It combines strength training, cardiovascular training, and balance and flexibility training all into one beautifully choreographed group fitness experience. PiYo LIVE is like the “perfect storm” of group exercise formats.