Long Dense Musculature
“Contrology is not a system of haphazard exercises designed to produce only bulging muscles...Nor does Contrology err either by overdeveloping a few muscles at the expense of all others with resulting loss of grace and suppleness, or the sacrifice of the heart or lungs. Rather, it was conceived to limber and stretch muscles and ligaments so that your body will be as supple as that of a cat and not muscular like that of the body of a brewery-truck horse, or the muscle-bound body of the professional weight lifter you so much admire at the circus.” ~ Joseph Pilates
Most people are unconsciously attracted to a person with good posture. That person will appear more upright thus confident and more open. Good alignment will probably be the first thing you notice about the body of someone who has a Pilates body. The second will be their long dense muscles. Even though genetics plays a huge role in how our bodies look, we can change the shape of our muscles. Think about the extreme changes in musculature a body builder goes through. If you can create a huge short bulging muscle, then you can create a longer dense muscle, it’s just a question of methodology. Our musculature operates by the principal of adaptation which means that fully stretching a muscle and then putting a load on it (resistance) will force our bodies to adapt, and not only lengthen the muscle, but increase its’ density (strength). Cause and effect...do the reps...correctly. We emphasize full range of motion to get and then keep our muscles long, while using a relatively light resistance so that we don’t damage ligaments and tendons. A light resistance also serves to decrease leverage, making it necessary to engage your deep stabilizing muscles (core).
Our musculature also operates on the principal of adaptive shortening, which basically means your muscles will only be as long as you need them to be. If you have ever taken a week off from exercise, and you notice how tight your muscles have become, you are experiencing adaptive shortening. So, if it is true that our muscles can get shorter and tighter, then the inverse must be true. We can lengthen them and make them more supple. Suppleness is flexibility combined with tone and is necessary for graceful movement.