Pilates Clothing Facts

Pilates is a type of physical exercise that involves the body and mind and is very similar in concept to yoga, however, in essence it is much different. Both yoga and Pilates involve exercise which requires a mat and comfortable clothing.

The key to good Pilates clothing is to ensure it is not restrictive of movement, comfortable to wear and move in while not being too loose or baggy. As you become more advanced with Pilates you will gain insights regarding what you like and don’t like to wear, in many ways it can be seen as trial and error. Read on for more tips.

What Not to Wear when doing Pilates

When doing Pilates you want to be able to focus on the exercises and principles, not worrying about your clothing. With that said the most important thing about clothing for Pilates is the fit.

Shirts

Some ladies like to reveal a little cleavage but remember that in Pilates you do actually move around. Tops that are too low cut will end up begging for your attention, as you’ll be more concerned about not revealing yourself than what you paid to do - Pilates. So when selecting a top to wear to your Pilates session think about how functional the neck line will be for the type of bust you have. Try moving around in the dressing room to make sure that everything stays in place.

Pants

Look for pants or shorts that are comfortable and not too loose. Avoid pants with too much free flowing material as the fabric can easily get caught in the springs of the reformer and when doing inverted Pilates exercises.

Avoid wind breaker material for any of my pants because they are too slippery. This slippery (usually nylon) material sometimes causes the pants to be pulled down your bottom, for instance doing multiple Pilates roll ups.

Shorts

Whether or not to wear shorts to a Pilates class/session is really your own call. If you feel comfortable revealing those legs - then let them shine! Just be cautious when choosing your length of shorts that you won’t be enlisting yourself in a tug-of-war game with your shorts. No one wants to see those butt cheeks hanging out of your shorts so do a movement test in the dressing room before you buy them.

Clothing Recommended for Pilates

Comfort is key. You have to be able to move freely without thinking about your clothes. This means that your clothes need to fit well and make you feel confident about what you are wearing. Clothes which are made up of a blend of natural fibers and a stretch material seem to work best.

It is also recommended going to the Pilates class wearing layers. Sometimes a Pilates studio will seem a little cold and you may need to retain an extra layer giving you the ability to remove a layer (like a light jacket) once you warm up and get the blood flowing.

5 Key Pilates Clothing Factors to Consider

1. Comfort - the first and foremost criteria when choosing any type of clothing should be comfort. This is indeed one of the most important aspects of Pilates clothing. This is important because during the course of the exercise there would be many workouts that would inconvenience you further.

2. Pilates clothing need to have body hugging clothes because when the clothing becomes too loose, the person will not be able to move freely and perfume the exercises correctly.

3. Pilates clothing should be airy and light-weight - hence it would be good if the chosen material would be cotton or something very similar. Unless the clothes are lightweight, it will become difficult for the person to move freely under the burden of heavy clothes hampering the exercises

4. Keep the Pilates clothing totally simple - this clothing should be similar to karate and yoga, where the clothes are at their minimum basic. Remove all fancy buttons, zips, locks as they could become extremely inconvenient while bending, stretching and so on.

5. Be politically correct in your behavior in class - totally abstain from using any type of clothing or behavior that could hurt other people's sentiments, be it Christians, Jews, Hindus, Muslims and any other denominations. Cultivate the habit of talking in neutral symbols and learn to tolerate other people's view on religion.

Form the above factors, you will realize that though Pilates clothing is not exactly something special, it entails certain basic rules which should not be ignored. As in yoga and all other types of body and mind exercise regimes, it is important that you are comfortable with what you wear, while at the same time the clothing should permit stretching and bending without creating any type of inconvenience to yourself or to others.

It is also recommended to use cotton in making these types of garments, though people come dressed with other types of material and do not find it too tedious or problematic. Cotton is meant for excessive sweating and what is most important, it is extremely light in weight making the exercise seem effortless. In the end though, it's down to your personal choice.

I hope this helps and all the very best with your Pilates!