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Popular all over the world, the Pilates method makes it possible to work the whole body without sudden movements. A kind of gentle gymnastics that users of social networks, and more particularly of TikTok, have today decided to spice up with the help of a… skateboard. The idea? Build muscle without resorting to expensive equipment or group lessons, a concept that is a hit on the Chinese social network.
Indispensable on a daily basis, whether for health or well-being reasons, the practice of physical activity, if it requires an annual subscription, can prove to be out of budget for some, especially in an inflationary context. When this is not the case, there is also the fear for some of judgment or teasing, a phenomenon called ‘gymtimidation’ and which affects many more people than you might think.
So many reasons that push the youngest to look for alternatives to keep fit at a lower cost, without having to leave their home – or almost. Among them, ‘skateboard pilates’, a slightly eccentric name to evoke a new kind of practice which consists of using a skateboard to build up your whole body.
An alternative to the Pilates Reformer
For the past few weeks, the trend of ‘skateboard pilates’ has continued to swell on TikTok with thousands of views generated for exercises that seem accessible to everyone – or almost. A method of muscle strengthening, which allows you to work on your balance, your posture, but also your breathing, Pilates today consists of a multitude of disciplines, including the Pilates Reformer, which is practiced using a machine of the same name. Expensive equipment that allows you to perform all kinds of movements intended to strengthen the whole body. It is precisely an alternative to this discipline, much more expensive than the classic method, that users of social networks have developed with ‘skateboard pilates’.
It will be understood, the skateboard comes here to replace the Reformer machine, which consists in particular of a sliding carriage allowing – among other things – to work the obliques. A simple skateboard could quite simply and simply replace this equipment, and make it possible to solicit all the muscles of the body at a lower cost. Is it still necessary to perform each exercise perfectly… Because the idea is to reproduce many Pilates exercises with the help of said skateboard: from sheathing to the solicitation of the muscles of the thighs and abs, everything goes. And according to the many videos published on the social network, some of which have more than 1.5 million views, this practice would be infallible for sculpting your figure without having to spend all your money.
Watch out for bad posture
Practiced outdoors or at home, ‘skateboard pilates’ does however require some precautions to be taken. It is first advisable to master the exercises of the Pilates method to perfection before throwing yourself on a skateboard, and above all not to make sudden movements which could do more harm than good. In other words, it is essential to already have a base – including abs – to distribute your weight properly on the board, and not to be carried away by the skateboard. Doing lunges, or possibly a slid variation of the pelvis raise, can be ideal for beginners.
Just take a look at the many TikTok videos published on the subject to realize that those who indulge in this new kind of method are anything but neophytes. So be careful not to embrace this technique if you have the slightest doubt about the posture or the movements to adopt.