What Is The Pilates Powerhouse?

The “Powerhouse” is one of the most important concepts in the classical Pilates method, as Joe Pilates wrote about in his book Return To Life in the 1930s. 
 
In recent years, the ideas of “core strength” and “core training” have become very popular and are used somewhat interchangeably with “Powerhouse,” but they’re not the same. 
 
Let’s dive deeper into the anatomy of the Pilates “Powerhouse” and why it’s so important to the practice of Pilates.
 
New to the Pilates world? Here are 15 Pilates terms to familiarize yourself with before taking your first class.
 
The Anatomy of The Pilates Powerhouse 
 
Joe Pilates’ “Powerhouse” is an area of the body that includes the following muscle groups and subgroups. 
 
The Abdominal Muscles

• Transverses Abdominals: These muscles wrap around the trunk of the body, and when contracted, give an hourglass waist. They are the deepest layer of muscles surrounding your spine like a belt. Activating your transverses muscles feels like you are hugging the midline of your center—like putting on a snug vest or corset. Their main responsibility is to protect internal organs, as well as stabilize the torso, spine and pelvis before any movement of the limbs can occur. Planks are a great exercise to engage the transverses abdominals when held for at least one minute.
• Internal Obliques: These muscles start at your hip bones and go diagonally up towards the ribcage. They rotate and side-bend the body.
• External Obliques: These muscles run diagonally from the ribcage down to the hipbone. They rotate and side-bend the body. Together, the external and internal obliques create an “X”-like shape that wraps, hugs and supports the center of the body.
• Rectus Abdominals: The outer layer of the body known as the abs. The rectus abdominals are most visible with very low body fat and create that six-pack look when developed. It mimics the movement of the spine and flexes the spine forward and backward.  

 
The Deep Back Muscles
-       Semispinalis 
-       Multifidus 
-       Rotatores 

Three big words and a lot of information to get caught up on here. So, in brief, together these deep back muscles create a chevron-like shaped musculature. They attach to the back bones and side bones of the body. These muscles are responsible for extension, rotation and side-bending.
 
When back muscles are weak, the spine can become compromised and cause back pain and various other issues. The semispinalis, multifidus and rotatores muscles help stabilize the verbal column, aid in balance and help maintain posture.
 
The Hip Flexor Muscles
-       Psoas major 
-       Psoas minor 
-       Iliacus 
 
These three hip flexor muscles are what attach the thigh bone to the pelvis. The psoas attaches to the spine and crosses the hip flexor, supporting the body’s upper extremities and lifting the legs in conjunction with the abdominals.
 
Modern life puts a lot of stress on the hip flexor muscles and consequentially pulls the spine into forward flexion if they are weak, causing back issues. 
 
Why Is The Powerhouse Important?
 
The muscles that make up the “Powerhouse” work together to form a supportive corset for your trunk. Joe Pilates’ method teaches that all movement starts in the “Powerhouse.” Not only do these core muscles help stabilize and balance, but they also help us create the bigger and more explosive moves we make. 
 
A strong and pliable “Powerhouse” promotes better posture and improves spinal health. It leads to noticeable improvements in one’s strength, stamina, flexibility and balance, plus a greater overall feeling of wellness.
 
The Pilates method teaches students how to activate their “Powerhouse” in various exercises while stabilizing and engaging specific muscles. It is taught along with proper breathing and focus to retrain the body to “power-up,” breathe and engage from the center (including your hips and glutes—we will talk more about the gluteal muscles soon).
 
Activate Your Pilates Powerhouse
 
Discovering, building and strengthening your Pilates “Powerhouse” is a huge part of our practice at Studio Be. We believe it’s never too late to retrain and learn how your use your body for stronger, healthier results. 
 
Ready to start engaging your “Powerhouse”? Come take a class with us! If you’re new to the Pilates world, the best way to get started is taking a private class to learn the proper movements. 
 
For a limited time, we’re offering 3 private sessions for only $225—click here to get started!