42. Is Pilates Good for Arthritis, with Raphael Bender and Cloe Bunter

Is Pilates Good for Arthritis, with Raphael Bender and Cloe BunterWe’re discussing all the empowering ways that we can facilitate an awesome movement experience for students with arthritis. There is no doubt that some Pilates instructors are fearful about working with clients who have arthritis — but we want to de-threaten that situation and empower teachers. So, in this episode of Pilates Elephants, we refresh and update your knowledge of joint health to allow you to view exercise and arthritis through a more positive lens and answer the question, “Is Pilates good for arthritis?”
What You Will Learn: Is Pilates good for arthritis
How to empower students with arthritis to move fearlessly
The anatomy and physiology of the joints
Why it’s vital for students with arthritis to put their joints through the full range of motion
Why we shouldn’t be treating older clients with arthritis as fragile
How to use bodyweight to load joints and maintain joint health
Promoting Fearless Movement for All Ages The Pilates elephant we’re discussing today is the question, “is Pilates good for arthritis?” There’s an idea out there that your clients with osteoarthritis shouldn’t work through to their full range. Typically, Pilates instructors are anxious about causing more harm to older adults with arthritis with exercise. So, we want to discuss the misconception that Pilates for seniors should always be low load and empower instructors to promote fearless movement in all age groups. 
Appropriate LoadA commonly held myth in the fitness community is that people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis should avoid moving their joints through the full range and avoid impact or high loads. Unfortunately, Pilates teachers often mistakenly assume that arthritis equals fragile — and that is not the case. Humans are adaptive, and evidence shows that the way to strengthen us is to subject us to appropriate load rather than to avoid loading us at all. 
Maintaining Joint Health At Breathe Education, we are committed to supporting our students to be their best selves by empowering them to move freely and confidently. In this episode, we give a refresher on the anatomy and physiology of joints and explain why it’s essential to keep the cartilage lubricated correctly. Bodyweight is enough of a load to maintain joint health but to load all of the cartilage, you need to fully flex and straighten your knee in exercises that put the knee through its full range of motion under load.
About Raphael and Cloe:Raphael Bender, CEO, Breathe Education
Raph believes everyone deserves the opportunity to transform into a better version of themselves. His main strength as a teacher and movement professional is the ability to distill complex research findings into a simple, science-based approach to help people move fearlessly, thoughtlessly, and painlessly. He LOVES running, weights, cycling, and Contrology.
Raph holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology (Rehabilitation), a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science, Diploma of Pilates Movement Therapy, and STOTT PILATES full certification.
Cloe Bunter, Training Manager, Breathe Education
With 8+ years in the industry, both teaching Pilates and nurturing new instructors, Cloe is passionate about empowering new and seasoned instructors to think critically and move fearlessly. Empowered instructors empower their clients, and in turn, change lives. 
She finds great joy in building connections with clients, students, colleagues, and the broader movement and rehab community.  Co-hosting the Pilates Elephants Podcast with Raphael Bender has provided an incredible platform to bust common Pilates, movement, and rehab myths while creating a worldwide community of critical thinkers who are elevating health literacy.
Cloe is fascinated by movement in general and its ability to enhance our lives at any age. Her own movement practice includes Contrology/Pilates, running,

Is Pilates Good for Arthritis, with Raphael Bender and Cloe Bunter

We’re discussing all the empowering ways that we can facilitate an awesome movement experience for students with arthritis. There is no doubt that some Pilates instructors are fearful about working with clients who have arthritis — but we want to de-threaten that situation and empower teachers. So, in this episode of Pilates Elephants, we refresh and update your knowledge of joint health to allow you to view exercise and arthritis through a more positive lens and answer the question, “Is Pilates good for arthritis?”

What You Will Learn: Is Pilates good for arthritisHow to empower students with arthritis to move fearlesslyThe anatomy and physiology of the jointsWhy it’s vital for students with arthritis to put their joints through the full range of motionWhy we shouldn’t be treating older clients with arthritis as fragileHow to use bodyweight to load joints and maintain joint healthPromoting Fearless Movement for All Ages 

The Pilates elephant we’re discussing today is the question, “is Pilates good for arthritis?” There’s an idea out there that your clients with osteoarthritis shouldn’t work through to their full range. Typically, Pilates instructors are anxious about causing more harm to older adults with arthritis with exercise. So, we want to discuss the misconception that Pilates for seniors should always be low load and empower instructors to promote fearless movement in all age groups. 

Appropriate Load

A commonly held myth in the fitness community is that people with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis should avoid moving their joints through the full range and avoid impact or high loads. Unfortunately, Pilates teachers often mistakenly assume that arthritis equals fragile — and that is not the case. Humans are adaptive, and evidence shows that the way to strengthen us is to subject us to appropriate load rather than to avoid loading us at all. 

Maintaining Joint Health 

At Breathe Education, we are committed to supporting our students to be their best selves by empowering them to move freely and confidently. In this episode, we give a refresher on the anatomy and physiology of joints and explain why it’s essential to keep the cartilage lubricated correctly. Bodyweight is enough of a load to maintain joint health but to load all of the cartilage, you need to fully flex and straighten your knee in exercises that put the knee through its full range of motion under load.

About Raphael and Cloe:

Raphael Bender, CEO, Breathe Education

Raph believes everyone deserves the opportunity to transform into a better version of themselves. His main strength as a teacher and movement professional is the ability to distill complex research findings into a simple, science-based approach to help people move fearlessly, thoughtlessly, and painlessly. He LOVES running, weights, cycling, and Contrology.

Raph holds a Master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology (Rehabilitation), a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science, Diploma of Pilates Movement Therapy, and STOTT PILATES full certification.

Cloe Bunter, Training Manager, Breathe Education

With 8+ years in the industry, both teaching Pilates and nurturing new instructors, Cloe is passionate about empowering new and seasoned instructors to think critically and move fearlessly. Empowered instructors empower their clients, and in turn, change lives. 

She finds great joy in building connections with clients, students, colleagues, and the broader movement and rehab community.  Co-hosting the Pilates Elephants Podcast with Raphael Bender has provided an incredible platform to bust common Pilates, movement, and rehab myths while creating a worldwide community of critical thinkers who are elevating health literacy.

Cloe is fascinated by movement in general and its ability to enhance our lives at any age. Her own movement practice includes Contrology/Pilates, running, weights, and kettlebells. Close has a Diploma of Clinical Pilates, Cert IV in Pilates, and Cert IV in Training and Assessing.

How to Connect with Raphael and Cloe:You can find Breathe Education online hereYou can find Cloe Bunter on Instagram here: @cloebunterpilatesYou can find Raphael Bender on Instagram here: @the_raphaelbenderPilates Instructor Training Resources: To be added in spreadsheet

Our Pilates instructor training is 100 percent online, so you can study from anywhere in the world. 

Earn recognition: Your Breathe Education Pilates qualifications are recognized by the Australian Government, Exercise & Sport Science Australia, and all major insurers.

Build your skills: with our pilates instructor training, you’ll learn the original Contrology exercises created by Joseph Pilates. Plus, you’ll learn the most current, science-based ways to cue and program those exercises, how to work with injured and pregnant clients, and nurture beginners.

Gain confidence: Learning is fun and easy when you engage with our state-of-the-art eLearning system, filled with straightforward, relevant content and structured to guide your training as you build skills and confidence.

Feel supported: You’ll learn world-class problem-solving skills, not just a list of answers. Our student success team and trainers will provide you with all the guidance, challenge, and support you’ll need to become what you want to become.

Take your first step to becoming a certified Pilates instructor by scheduling a 20-minute Discovery Call with us here.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

AdBarker - https://adbarker.com/privacy