What exactly is the ‘Powerhouse’?

Have you heard your Pilates instructor tell you to 'work from your Powerhouse', or 'engage your Powerhouse', and wondered what that actually means? I know that when I started Pilates it took me quite a while to understand exactly how to do what my instructor was asking me to do. So, let's start with the muscles that comprise the sometimes elusive 'Powerhouse'.

In Pilates, the Powerhouse refers to the group of core muscles that provide stability, control, and strength for the entire body. These muscles include:

• Abdominal muscles (rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, obliques)

• Lower back muscles

• Pelvic floor muscles

• Gluteal muscles (buttocks)

• Hip muscles (flexors and extensors)

In the Power Pilates program of Classical Pilates, we also say that the Powerhouse is not just all of these muscles, but it is ALSO a set of correct actions. These actions include:

• Draw the abdominals inward and upward

• Draw your shoulders down your back

• Hug into the midline

• Square the box of the body (shoulder to shoulder and hip to hip)

• Lengthen long and away from an anchor point

• Work with Oppositional actions

The Powerhouse is considered the foundation of all movement in Pilates. Joseph Pilates, the founder of the method, believed that strengthening the Powerhouse leads to better posture, balance, and overall body control. By engaging these core muscles and doing the above actions during Pilates exercises, practitioners build a strong and stable center that supports every other movement, promoting both strength and flexibility.

If you are in a class or session and not quite sure if you are getting the concept correctly, just ask your instructor to help! We can often give imagery and even hands-on cues to help support doing the exercises correctly. Let's find that Powerhouse!

Try our new Pilates 101 class and get started on your Pilates journey today!