Those who talk about fitness often talk about the abs; many women want a flat stomach and many men want a six pack, and this is one of the reasons Pilates has become so popular in recent years because Pilates is all about the ‘core’.

As you develop core strength, there are numerous benefits to having a strong core. It is not just about having flat abdominals and yet it is the flat abs that have helped to make Pilates classes so popular all over the UK and across the world.

Many newcomers to Pilates ask ‘Will I get a flat stomach?’ The secret to having a flat stomach is doing the exercises properly and as instructed. To do this, it means that you have to really pull in your abdominals during the movements rather than allowing them to bunch outwards without effort. When you allow the stomach to just bunch outs it means that the rectus abdominis, the most famous and largest muscle in the core group of stomach muscles, is allowed to bunch up and become shorter. You will still get a stronger muscle but it won’t help you get a flat stomach. The flat stomach comes from the deep muscles within the stomach, the ones that are harder to exercise and so you must pull your stomach muscles in tightly during the exercises.

Good Pilates classes will include a warm-up and build you up through foundation exercises to completing popular Pilates exercises such as The Hundred, whilst ensuring you work opposing muscles to gain the full benefit of the class.

At livepilates, we offer Pilates classes with a limited ratio of students to fully qualified Pilates instructors in places such as Chorley, Burnley and Rochdale amongst others in the Ribble Valley and Lancashire areas.