How Does Callanetics Work?

Callanetics is an exercise program that got its name from Callan Pinckney, its original founder. It was developed in the late 1970s to help release pain. Since then, it started gaining popularity to help maintain cardiovascular health, promote strength, lose weight, and enhance overall fitness. The program makes it possible for anyone to lose inches in just about 10 classes by engaging in some highly effective micro-movements that essentially place no strain on your cardiovascular system. You can essentially do Callanetics while at home or take a class where the teacher demonstrates the moves and works with you individually.

What is Callanetics?

Callanetics is essentially a series of contracting and stretching exercises meant to improve strength and muscle tone using small and gentle movements referred to as pulses. As already mentioned, Callanetics was developed by Callan Pinckney, a former ballerina who developed the program from the classical ballet techniques to help ease a back problem she had struggled with since birth. The moves she used did not only strengthen her back muscles, but also helped tone up her body. The working theory behind Callanetics is that your superficial muscles are usually supported by the deeper, secondary muscles. By allowing you to target the deeper muscles, the program helps you develop a firmer, stronger body without adding bulk. The emphasis is primarily on stabilising the rest of the body, ensuring that you are in the best possible position while you pulse, which avoids straining your lower back. While it might seem like you’re doing an abdominal workout, you are training the entire body due to the specific positioning.

How Does Callanetics Work?

Callanetics is an anaerobic exercise program designed to work out the deeper muscle layers. It essentially works out the entire body by targeting the non-dominant muscle groups while relaxing the rest of the body. Small pulsing movements are used to work the targeted muscle groups from the deeper layers, and the results are a longer, stronger, and leaner physique. The pulsing action, when combined with proper body alignment and exact positioning makes Callanetics so effective. These miniscule, controlled, and tiny movements are the predominant and the main difference between Callanetics and other conventional exercise programs.

The pulses are used with specific exercises in every position, whether it’s sitting, standing, or lying; to target the muscles you want to redefine and strengthen your spine and other joints at the same time. The key here is to keep the Pulses small without jerking or bouncing. Keep in mind, however, that the pulses are only part of what makes the system successful. The entire program is a balance of stretching and strengthening your muscles and realigning your posture in a dynamic, gentle, and rhythmic way.

Benefits of Callanetics

While it wasn’t created with the aim of weight loss, it can also be a pleasant side effect. It won’t raise your heart rate as the traditional cardio would, but it can help increase muscle mass and improve your metabolism. Other benefits include toning and firming of your arms, lifting and rounding your buttocks, as well as improving your overall flexibility and posture.

Since the program doesn’t include bouncing or jolting movements, Callanetics won’t exert any pressure on the joints. So, whether you’re a total novice, hardcore fitness buff, or just an occasional gym goer, Callanetics will let you exercise at your own pace and intensify the movements when you’re ready.

Why Should You Try Callanetics?

One great thing about the program is the fact that it can be practiced by anyone regardless of their age group, body type, fitness level, and gender. As such, just about anyone can achieve a fantastic figure with callanetics.

Getting Started With Callanetics

Just as with other exercise programs, it’s wise to consult your doctor first to see if Callanetics is right for you. Next, you can sign up with Stream Fit for a free 7-day trial on the membership level of your choice. All classes are conducted online, and there’s a video library available on our platform so that you can access the content you need on demand. Everything is slow, gentle, and non-intimidating, and by the end of the class, you will walk out feeling like you’ve given it your all.