Callanetics for beginners: reviews, results and photos

More than three dozen techniques have been developed all over the world to help burn excess calories.
Among others, callanetics is especially popular - a combination of exercises aimed at improving coordination, stretching and flexibility. The technique is based on elements of yoga - static asanas that regulate breathing and increase muscle tone. Read more about callanetics exercises in a separate issue. Eastern teachings and philosophy have always been popular because they skillfully combine cleansing of consciousness and body. Callanetics to restore metabolism, lose weight, improve skin condition and partially normalize the functioning of internal organs in the shortest possible time

Five women of different age categories shared their stories and observations, and St. Petersburg fitness instructor Elena Zharikova commented on all this. The discussion about the effectiveness of callanetics will continue in the comments to the material.

History of sports practice

Like many other techniques, callanetics appeared due to the imperfection of its creator. Callan suffered a dislocated hip. But even such a congenital physical defect did not stop the girl in her desire to achieve her goals. She started playing sports hard. At first, her choice fell on swimming and diving. Subsequently, the persistent girl began to study ballet. Gradually she learned to feel her body and recognize its needs.

Over time, when the traditional sports activities of American women were replaced by the hobbies of the East, Callan began to practice yoga. She was fascinated by complex technology and philosophy, accessible only to true fans. After 11 years of travel, the girl returned to New York. She realized from her own experience the effectiveness of Eastern practice. Callan decided to try to adapt one of the practices for Americans. By choosing the most effective exercises and simplifying her philosophy, she was able to achieve her goal. A new sports practice – callanetics – was presented to the public. For beginner athletes at the present stage, this is one of the most effective types of training.

Who invented callanetics?

Callanetics got its name in honor of the former ballerina Callan Pinckney and the author of this technique. The direction appeared in 1984, when her book “Callanetics: 10 years younger in 10 hours” was published. What prompted the girl to create this technique?

Callanetics coach and fitness instructor for strength and functional training Nina Malysheva explains: “Callan had serious problems with her joints and back since childhood. Since childhood, she studied ballet and then yoga, and thanks to her perseverance and constant physical activity, she was able to get rid of constant pain.

She was the best advertisement for her own fitness method, with the help of which she not only brought her body into excellent shape, but also maintained it until her death in 2012.

The whole world started talking about this miracle gymnastics when the Duchess of York herself, the wife of Prince Andrew, became a fan of this movement. Using the technique, she was able to get her body in order in a short time. Callan personally helped her in this. After this, callanetics took a leading position in the fitness industry for a couple of decades.”

The effect of the training exceeded expectations

Information about the unprecedented results of the new sports practice spread quite quickly. And even one of the duchesses became a big fan of this sporting trend. After the birth of her child, Sarah Ferguson noticed that she weighed about 90 kilograms. In this regard, she decided to invite Callan to Buckingham Palace. The results appeared within a few days. Accordingly, many high-ranking officials learned about this. Local girls stood in line to receive recipes for longevity and beauty. Among those who were once interested in callanetics for beginners, one can highlight Barbara Streisand.

Thanks to callanetics, the creator became famous. She began traveling all over the world to teach rich and famous girls the intricacies of her training program. Naturally, individual lessons were quite expensive. But it was worth it. As Callan grew older, she could no longer travel long distances to teach girls. And the author had a desire for everyone to know about her system, and not just wealthy people.

Philosophy - love yourself

All trainees using this system leave enthusiastic, positive reviews. Before and after callanetics, people feel differently. It’s as if the body’s hidden resources are waking up after a long sleep, and it becomes easier for you to feel and love your body. The meaning and idea of ​​any process of improvement in the body is entering into a dialogue with the body with the intention of helping it, trying to understand it and listen to it, find what harms it and cut it off. The body is the home of our soul. You have to love him.

The benefits of practice

What is good about callanetics for beginners? You do not need to purchase a gym membership to exercise. There is no need to buy special uniforms and equipment. Each person will be able to get rid of excess calories, correct their posture and other imperfections of the figure at home. Many girls who did not want to go to gyms because their bodies were not ideal were able to get a panacea for numerous complexes.

According to Callan Pinkney, beauty and slimness can be achieved by working with all the muscle fibers that, like a web, weave around the body of every person. When any muscles are not involved in work, extra pounds immediately appear in these places. They can be destroyed through aerobic exercise, which increases the circulation of oxygen in the body. In this regard, callanetics lessons for beginners have become quite popular.

Panacea for the shy, lazy and busy

Callanetics is absolutely your sport if you:

• want to straighten your posture and dream of a flexible, beautiful back;
• predisposed to osteochondrosis and spinal diseases;
• you are embarrassed to work out with everyone in the gym together, you like a home environment;
• want to get concentrated training without spending a lot of time;
• you prefer to choose your own time for training;
• Each person has his own character and psychotype; If you don’t like to run and be physically active, try callanetics, and reviews, photos, video tutorials, as well as expert opinions from doctors will help you master this practice.

Strengthening all muscles of the body

Classes are based on stretching and static exercises. Due to them, even those muscle fibers that are located deep can be made to function. Accordingly, it is possible to achieve weight loss in deep areas of adipose tissue. Weak and thin muscle groups become stronger and more beautiful during the training process. Callanetics lessons for beginners imply that the exercises should be done with a stop. Each individual pose should be held for about 2 minutes. This is the only way the muscles will receive the required load.

What is the success of callanetics and its widespread use?

Firstly, callanetics for weight loss, unlike many types of fitness, does not require visiting gyms specially equipped for classes. Everyone can experience all the delights of such gymnastics at home, without purchasing an expensive subscription to a sports club, special sportswear and shoes. It’s enough to put on comfortable things, turn on calm music – and that’s it, you’re ready to study.

Secondly, on the one hand, this is calm and slow gymnastics, but on the other hand, during callanetics classes there is a very intense, simply colossal work of all muscles. At the same time, gymnastics is developed on the basis of non-straining static loads, classical yoga poses and stretches after each exercise performed, which together prevent muscle pain and prevent excessive muscle prominence.

Static exercises are aimed mainly at micro-contractions of muscles . There are no jumps or jerks, no changes in tension of neighboring muscle groups. During classes, all muscles are used, including small ones. Stretching and static exercises cause increasing activity in muscle groups located deep enough to cause changes in the deepest layers of stored fat tissue.

The excellent physiological effect is based on the following: during a long-term static load on a muscle, the level of its metabolism increases greatly (i.e., the metabolic rate becomes higher), and this is much more effective than muscle training during a cyclic load, and, what is important , more calories are burned. As a result, muscle mass is not built up, but the muscles are brought from a flabby, inert state into a natural, aesthetically attractive form, which is consistent with a healthy body.

Thirdly, callanetics is called a talented sculptor who is able to sculpt an ideal figure with impeccable forms: posture will be corrected, osteochondrosis will disappear, the chest will rise beautifully, the stomach will become flat and toned, the buttocks will acquire a rounded shape. You yourself will be surprised at the changes that have occurred in a short period of time. And your movements will become smooth and feminine. After exercise, lightness will spread throughout your body - after all, exercise has an amazing relaxing and healing effect .

Another advantage of this training method is that both a young girl and an elderly woman can successfully practice it. The main thing is that there are no contraindications in the anamnesis. Callanetics is one of the few gymnastics that, as they say, “ is suitable for all ages .”

Who needs this practice?

For whom was callanetics created? It was created for those people who want to lose weight, but cannot afford serious exercise due to dizziness, weakness and shortness of breath. If you are not one of those who like running, jumping, squeezing weights and working out on exercise machines, then callanetics will be the optimal solution for you. Its main principles are smoothness and grace. But you should understand that classes will not bring any benefit to those who want to instantly get rid of extra pounds. Especially if no training has been done before. It should also be noted that Callanetics gymnastics for beginners can be fraught with sprains and pain. This will manifest itself if the body is unprepared.

Tips for beginners in callanetics

• Perform only those exercises that you can, and in no case force your body to do something for which it is simply not yet ready.

• It is best to do the exercises while watching yourself in the mirror . This way, errors and inaccuracies are immediately noticeable; in addition, practice shows that movements are better recorded in front of a mirror.

• It is preferable to conduct callanetics classes in silence - otherwise you may lose the desired rhythm, and this is undesirable.

• Don't be alarmed if you not only don't start losing weight right away, but also gain a little. Continue exercising - trained muscles weigh more than flabby ones. The same applies to unpumped abdominal muscles - at first the stomach may grow a little. Don't worry: everything will be back to normal very soon.

How to practice callanetics correctly

According to Callan Pinkney herself, it is necessary to start practicing callanetics three times a week , and the training itself should last at least an hour .

After the result is visible (this will happen after two to three weeks of regular exercise), the number of workouts can be reduced to two. It is also possible to break one lesson into three or four mini-workouts of 15-20 minutes each.

When the desired stable result is achieved (the body is reduced to the required volume, well-being improves, health problems disappear), just one hour a week is enough to maintain muscle tone.

What should you do if you want to study?

If you are still interested in gymnastics, then first of all you should visit a doctor. It is he who will decide whether to engage in callanetics. After completing the examinations, the specialist can give the go-ahead for training. He will also tell you that through this practice you can get rid of pain in the lower back and neck, develop flexibility of the joints and spine.

First steps

Reading only reviews about callanetics, it is sometimes difficult to perform the exercise correctly. To master the technique, it is better to take a training course by enrolling in a sports club. Your trainer must have (and show you) a certificate that he has the right to teach callanetics. Only he, understanding the mechanics of doing the exercises, will teach you how to perform them correctly so as not to harm yourself.

Have you mastered the training and everything is clear to you? No need for a coach anymore? Buy a CD or stream online and train at home!

In what situations can the practice be harmful?

But there are also contraindications. You need to know them if you are interested in callanetics. A complex for beginners can be harmful to the body if performed incorrectly. Caution should be exercised during the training process. Exercises should be approached with special care if you have asthma or heart problems. After the operation, you should start exercising only after a year. People who have poor vision or spinal problems should first see a doctor. If you have varicose veins of the third degree, then you should completely stop exercising.

How to spend even less time - combine business with pleasure

If you have mastered the exercises well, you no longer have problems with the technique of execution and many things have been brought to automaticity, then you can combine some exercises with other types of activities.

1. Standing at the stove, for example, frying pancakes or anything that requires staying in one place.
2. Ironing clothes.
3. Checking your child's lessons.
4. Playing with your daughter or son on the floor. For example, by raising your legs in a static position, you can use them to form an arch for a train.
5. Watching TV - news, films, programs.
6. Listening to audiobooks or foreign language lessons - if you want to develop yourself.

Most popular exercises

What does the set of exercises include? Callanetics for beginners should be accompanied by regular measurements of their volume and weight. This is the only way to see results a week after active exercise. The following steps must be taken:

1. You need to raise your arms, after which you should stretch as high as possible. In this case, the stomach must be pulled in.
2. You should bend your knees, bend over (the body should be straight) and pull your arms forward. After holding this position for a minute, you need to move your arms back, while stretching your neck.
3. Having relaxed your shoulders and neck, you need to pull in your stomach and buttocks. Hands should be on your hips. You need to lift your chin slightly to the right and up. After waiting 10 seconds, the chin should be lowered. After this, it should be raised to the left and up. After 10 seconds, repeat in the other direction. The exercise is performed for about a minute.
4. It is necessary to perform a smooth bend, clasping your ankles with your hands. You can't bend your legs.
5. You need to spread your arms to the sides without bending them. The palms should be directed upward. After this, you should begin to smoothly move and move your shoulder blades apart.
6. Extend one arm up. The other should be placed on the front of the thigh. Straining your hips and buttocks as much as possible, we stretch upward. After a minute, you should begin to bend to the sides without taking the starting position. The raised arm must be extended to the side above your head. The second hand should slide down the leg.
7. We stretch our arms and legs in a position lying on our stomach. We strain ourselves as much as possible. After this, you need to raise one arm and its opposite leg. You need to fix yourself in this position.
8. Having adopted the position described above, you should place your hands under your chin. After this, you need to raise both legs and stay in this position for a few seconds.
9. Lying on your stomach, you should spread your legs as wide as possible. Your arms should be bent at chest level. They need to be rested on the floor. You need to straighten your arms and try to fix your body as high as possible.
10. You need to lie on your back, bend your legs, and place your feet slightly apart. The pelvis should be pressed to the floor. The palms should be placed on the inner thighs. You have to lean into them, trying to push them away from you.

These are the main exercises that callanetics includes. Reviews and results, photos, opinions of others - all this and much more speaks about the benefits of this practice.

What are the benefits of practicing callanetics?

Regular practice of callanetics brings many benefits to the whole body. And the longer you do this simple gymnastics, the more noticeable the result will be. After just a few weeks of constant training, you will find that:

• Your posture has improved, you have forgotten about back pain, and osteochondrosis has simply disappeared from your life
• Metabolism has improved significantly and the immune system has become stronger
• weight went down
• improved skin tone
• You become more flexible and your muscles lengthen without unnecessary bulk
• Your joints become stronger and your muscles become stronger
• You are less exposed to stress and negative influences from external factors, and your self-esteem is growing rapidly

This is exactly how callanetics works - reviews after classes using the Callan Pinkney exercise system are strikingly clear: all the women who practiced achieved excellent results.

Reviews about this sports training

The opinions of people who have tried this set of exercises are mostly positive. There are practically no dissatisfied girls among those who are interested in callanetics for beginners. Reviews, and there are quite a lot of them, indicate that the practice is quite effective. Many girls took this training after giving birth and were very pleased. The only negative point, which quite often slipped into the reviews, is that it is difficult to start classes without practice; it is still better to contact an instructor.

Process mechanics

Our muscles don’t care whether we are running with our tongue sticking out or frozen in a static position, the main thing is that they tense - the mechanics are very simple. Reviews about callanetics tell us that during exercises a huge range of muscles are simultaneously involved, which quite significantly speeds up metabolism and fat burning. Active breathing during exercise provides oxygen, which “burns” fat cells.