Most of us know that Pilates is great for increasing flexibility, building stronger muscles and improving your core stability, posture and balance.  

But did you know just how beneficial it is for our tweens and teens?

The life of a Teenager…

The health of our youth is more important than ever.  

We are battling rising physical inactivity levels and childhood obesity, but also the demise of our kids’ postures, due to the overuse of modern technology.  Our children are using their iPhone/iPads for hours without the correct neck, shoulder & upper back posture, which places unwanted stress and tension on various structures of the body. 

Prior to Covid, teenagers were spending more and more time in front of screens studying, playing video games, using social media and binge-watching TV. And the COVID restrictions have just accelerated this trend.

On the other hand, in pre-covid times, some children were doing more physical training hours than professional sports people. Either way, these underuse and overuse type injuries can both lead to tight muscles; inefficient muscles; painful muscles and painful joints and this can impact performance.  Whether it be competing in a gymnastics competition. football carnival or focusing and concentrating during school exams.

Why Choose Pilates?

The Pilates Method can alleviate stress and tension, and prevent poor postures from becoming permanent.  See a quote from the creator of the Pilates method, Joseph Pilates below.  

“In childhood, habits are easily formed – good and bad. Why not then concentrate on the formation of only good habits and thus avoid the necessity later on in life of attempting to correct bad habits and substituting them for good habits.” Joseph H. Pilates, 1934.

In addition to just the postural focus, there are a range of physical benefits, but also, and sometimes more importantly, mental, social and emotional benefits for our kids.

Main Physical Benefits Of Pilates For Teenagers

  • Injury Prevention
  • Weight Control
  • Balance and Coordination
  • Strength
  • Flexibility
  • Posture and Body Awareness

Main Mental, Social & Emotional Benefits Of Pilates For Teenagers

  • Increases Self-esteem and Confidence
  • Alleviates Stress and Tension
  • Improves level of focus

Pilates for Body Conscious Teens or those that Don’t Enjoy Team Sports

Pilates suits all body types, ages and fitness levels and is particularly adaptable for teens that don’t enjoy competitive sports and struggle to find an exercise they really enjoy.

Pilates provides a healthy approach to movement and encourages a positive mindset when it comes to body image – so important in a culture of excessive social media!

Teenagers can gain better body awareness and coordination, as it works the entire body and enhances overall health and wellbeing. Pilates provides a better understanding of how the body works and assists with weight management which can lead to greater self-esteem.

The Pilates environment is also very supportive.  Sometimes the competitive nature, intensity, physicality and crowds of even “social” sports is very unappealing. Teens can also find the gym environment intimidating. Pilates is usually performed in a small studio however, with private or small-group sessions which appeals to the more self-conscious teen.

How Can Pilates Help Athletic, Sports Focussed Teenagers?

Pilates can be an excellent form of exercise for more athletic teens to integrate into their training and competition schedule. Include it in their sporting off-season to maintain cardio fitness and body strength, add it to pre-season training to prepare for more intensive exercise, and throughout their competition season to reduce the risk of injuries by developing whole-body stability and control.

Research suggests that in younger teenage years, cross-training is effective in preventing injuries as it eliminates excessive repetition of similar movements. It is also important for restoring left/right body balance for athletes who engage in a one-sided dominant sport.

Pilates For The Growing Body and Developing Mind

Through Pilates, teenagers can learn how to move their bodies more efficiently at a time in their life when their bodies are constantly changing.  Teenagers go through periods when their muscles feel tight. This is due to growth spurts, when bones grow first and then muscles need to gradually lengthen out to catch up.

When their bones are relatively a little longer than their muscles, they will often feel muscle tightness and lose overall flexibility for a period. Severs and Osgood-Schlatters are the most common conditions related to these growth periods.

Pilates works on movement control, flexibility and strength and therefore, can help reduce adolescent sporting injuries. Pilates is a great way to cross-train as it puts controlled loads through the body, in ways usually quite different to regular sports, is multi-directional and low impact.  This is why many elite adult athletes and sports teams, eg AFL and soccer teams, include Pilates in their normal training program.

Strength training for teenagers should include all of the major muscle groups and work through the complete range of joint movement. Pilates exercises provide this strength training in a safe and effective way that can be highly personalised by using body weight and spring resistance.

Pilates is also excellent for remedying challenging behaviours and helping to alleviate symptoms of stress, resulting in a more quiet and controlled mind. Pilates requires a strong mind-body connection which improves your teens levels of concentration and can boost academic and not just athletic performance.

Teen Pilates at SPHC

Whether you’re concerned about your kids’ general health and fitness or are looking for a fun, new way to introduce them to extra physical activity, Pilates can be a safe and low impact way to get their developing bodies and minds moving in healthier ways.

Our Teen Clinical Physiotherapy class is designed to offer our teenagers a safe and fun way to work on their activity specific conditioning under the supervision of our Pilates trained Physiotherapists. 

Your child will require a one on one session with a Physiotherapist before they can attend their first class, then a tailored, goal orientated exercise program is devised that will be delivered in a small group session led by one of our Pilates trained Physiotherapists.

Our Teen Class uses a mix of both Mat based and Pilates Equipment exercises and runs for 45 minutes. 

See our Class Timetable for current class times and our Teen Pilates page for current pricing.
Please call for more information or to book, on 3869 1099.