What is the Visceral Approach to local muscle training?
Visceral Pilates strengthens the body in a way that reduces the risk of working at the cost of the spinal vertibrae, the pelvic floor and the body’s various herniation sites. The approach makes for optimal alignment of the spine based on the individual posture. Learning PILATESwiss Visceral Pilates approach enables students and teachers to better recognize the limits and signals of each individual presenting which crucial for their spinal alignment and local muscle strength.
Taking Visceral Pilates teacher education or even taking Visceral Pilates classes often results an epiphany of understanding about the individual local muscle strength but more importantly the amount of local muscle or intra abdominal pressure suitable to foster postive posture, optimal organ function as it relates to abdominal training and cortisol levels
The Visceral Pilates method
How is Visceral Pilates it taught? Each client is taught the Visceral approach of to local muscle recruitment by trained Visceral Pilates Teachers. In order to work at the PILATESwiss studios in our Zurich locations, the selected graduate teacher must have completed the 450 hour comprehensive Visceral Teacher Education program. Many pilates classes or machine personal training begins with pre-pilates,we couldn’t agree more. This is exactly where the Visceral approach is repeated every single session. During the Visceral Teacher training program we teach teachers hopeful of working in the Visceral Pilates approach to recognise the Visceral Pilates alignment and dosage of intra abdominal pressure that each differently presenting client requires.
What are the advantages of working in the Visceral approach?
The feedback and results: Clients are absoutely floored by the efficacy of the method and immediately feel and see the difference of working in the Visceral approach in comparison to other abdominal methods of training.
How long has Visceral been around and where has it been adopted?
Karolina Schmid first launched the Visceral approach to Pilates training in Zurich in 2000. Here clients like the the Swiss Olympic Schulthess Clinic, an award winning orthopedic hospital became a client 20 years ago, and continues to hire Karolina to train their physical therapy and sports medical therapy specialists over the years. This hospital is ranked nr one in Switzerland as a an orthopedic hosital and is just one of the medical partners that rely on PILATESwiss and Visceral for their rehabilitation content.
What are the bennefits of working out in the Visceral approach?
If you have herniations like the two very well known for both men and women: ventral or umbilical herniations, Visceral Pilates, depending on the degree of fascial softening or injury that often leads to herniation can strengthen the underlying structures and possibly ward off surgical measures. Conversely abdominal training without specific attention to regulation of intra abdominal pressure can easily put load on these two common herniation sites, as well the pelvic floor or the spine. The cost on these structures is immense. The Swiss incontince society brought fourth a number in 2023: 35% of over 65 year olds in Switzerland suffer from inconitnence. It is the case that medical professionals are currently prescribing medication to combat incontinence with side effects including amongst other issues dying of eye and depression. Visceral Pilates with its high attention to Pelvic floor recruitment and release might serve as an additional strategy to people suffering from incontinence or pelvic floor disfunction issues
Other benefits of teaching in the Visceral approach is aligning the spine in a manner which takes pressure off the body’s de-neutralisers like the psoas or pectoral muscles which pull the spine out of neutral axail elongation and put the body into the “stress axis”.
Benefits to males training in the Visceral approach to Pilates is improved pelvic floor health associated with prostate health and erectile function.
Benefits to females, is better recovery after pregnancy up to 80% of women have a slight prolaps just after birth and the high attention to pelvic floor recruitment helps rehabilitate these structure. Post menopausal women suffering from vaginal atrophy can expect hight blood circulation of the pelvic floor muscles during Visceral Pilates which is often beneficial
Live or online Visceral Pilates can easily be incorporated into a Pilates Teacher’s teaching repertoire and can serve to provide safety guideline for teachers in group Visceral Pilates teaching situations. Hopefully we have motivated you to join one of our online Viscereal teacher training programs.
