Sunday, June 22, 2008
Life, Health + Fitness
Gyro-what?
It may look like Pilates, but Gyrotonic is a work out in its own right
Jessica Gowen
Gyrotonic equipment in the CORE studio
WHAT: CORE Pilates and Gyrotonic
WHERE: 1218 West Paces Ferry Road NW, Suite 208
HOW MUCH? Classes start at $43 a session. See Web site for package specials.
CONTACT INFO: 404-814-2272. www.coreatl.com.
FITNESS FACTOR: 3 stars
FUN FACTOR: 3 stars
By Colleen Oakley
Gyros are my favorite sandwich. That’s why I was disappointed to hear that Gyrotonic has nothing to do with eating lamb and everything to do with working out. Kind of a bummer.
But also intriguing, because I had never heard of it before, and wanted to know what this strangely-named fitness regimen was all about. I Wikipedia’d it and found that it’s an exercise developed in the ’60s by Juliu Horvath, a Romanian ballet dancer, to increase flexibility, balance and muscle strength. It employs specially designed machines, much like Pilates, to help tone your core.
In fact, it’s so similar to Pilates that CORE on West Paces Ferry offers Pilates and Gyrotonic in the same studio. That’s where I signed up for a class to check it out in person.
Jessica, my instructor, took me through a series of warm-ups, where I sat on a stool and practiced breathing and stretching. “These are great for when you first wake up in the morning,” she said. I made a mental note to try that; I’m not a morning person, and maybe these moves would help get me energized for the day.
She then moved me to a tower machine to do some leg and arm work, all the while incorporating the breathing exercises from the warm-up. Though the moves were slow and purposeful, I could feel muscles in my entire body working, particularly my core.
While I was lying on my back doing hamstring work, I asked her what I’d been so curious about: “So are Pilates and Gyrotonic related?”
“Nope,” she said. “They were developed completely separately, and there’s even some tension in some circles, where they don’t want to be compared to each other. It’s kind of silly because they are so much alike.”
(Obviously CORE doesn’t have that issue, since they have Pilates and Gyrotonic machines right next to each other.)
I then did abdominal work on a mat and on a machine—my stomach muscles were shaking, so I assume it was working. And then we finished up with lunges on another machine. Unbeknownst to me, my legs were tight, and I could feel the lunges stretching them out. Jessica assured me it was normal for runners to have tight hamstrings.
The hour went by really quickly and when I was done, I felt energized, not tired. I think CORE has the right idea to teach Pilates and Gyrontonic side-by-side; the more ways you can work your stomach muscles the better, right? Especially after you’ve eaten one too many gyros. SP
Colleen Oakley is a freelance writer in Atlanta and the former editor of Women’s Health & Fitness magazine. Got a fitness challenge for her? E-mail her at colleen@sundaypaper.com.