How can Low Pressure Fitness be beneficial? What added value does it bring?

Today we hear a great deal about Yoga and Pilates. But what about Low Pressure Fitness — a complete training method based on hypopressive breathing? Had you heard of it before?

Low Pressure Fitness naturally connects with Yoga and Pilates. However, we will highlight the specific advantages of Low Pressure Fitness training. Many people practise all three techniques, or just two, as part of their training routine. They may also practise them alternately, depending on their mood or schedule. The three disciplines share similarities and differences in their approach, objectives and style.

Yoga remains a highly relevant global training method. It became celebrated in the 1950s, as did Pilates. More recently developed, Low Pressure Fitness is an excellent new approach to exercise and wellbeing, with very specific objectives and characteristics.

Yoga, Pilates and Low Pressure Fitness share a common goal: the student seeks to control their body mindfully. All three prioritise body alignment, breathing and posture. Self-elongating the spine, engaging the abdominal core, and breathing in and out with control are classic instructions found across all three disciplines. Low Pressure Fitness is a training programme derived in part from Yoga and developed several decades after Pilates.

None of these methods require complex equipment or a specific location. Simple, minimal equipment can be enough to diversify practice and keep it engaging over time. Low Pressure Fitness uses certain accessories such as massage balls, a yoga mat, wooden rollers, a Swiss ball (or Bobath ball), elastic bands, the magic circle, yoga blocks, a winnerfow (or simply a straw), etc.

The main differences/similarities between Yoga, Pilates and Low Pressure Fitness are as follows:

• Yoga follows a spiritual and inspired approach not included in the other two methods.
• Yoga is generally more static. Yoga poses, or asanas, are held as long as possible — with the exception of the continuous flow of vinyasa, a fluid sequence linking several poses, such as the sun salutation.
• Pilates often executes exercises in a specific order, one after another. As in Yoga, exercises have specific names, such as the swan, the scissors, the downward dog, or the rocking. All these positions require strength and precision.
• In Low Pressure Fitness, poses follow an order chosen by the coach/therapist according to the student's level and goals. They bear the names of Greek goddesses such as Venus, Athena, Maia and Hestia.

The connection between Low Pressure Fitness and Pilates is immediately apparent: both aim for better management of intra-abdominal pressure. Furthermore, an increase in flexibility has been noted and scientifically proven through the practice of both methods.

Pilates and Low Pressure Fitness both take into account local body awareness and body schema. Pilates focuses on specific areas of the body, particularly the voluntary contraction of the abdominal muscles. Low Pressure Fitness provides the added value of another type of focus and centralisation: apnea, which activates the involuntary muscles of the pelvic floor.

Like Yoga and Pilates, Low Pressure Fitness belongs to the category of exercises useful for balancing myofascial tension, realigning posture and improving breathing. Exercises are also sequenced from simple to complex, with emphasis on the abdominal muscles, pelvic floor and breathing. Low Pressure Fitness exercises share the same patient, focused attitude as Yoga and Pilates — but with one distinctive feature: a permanent focus on reducing pressure in the pelvic area.

What is specific to Low Pressure Fitness is breath retention (expiratory apnea followed by a false inhalation) which allows a greater range of motion. The exercise often focuses on work in the sagittal plane (right or left sides of the body). As visible in the images, these are probably the exercises that bring the most improvement — though we also find more advanced postures targeting the coronal plane and all three planes simultaneously, with full upper-body rotations.

Unlike traditional approaches to abdominal and pelvic floor exercise, which focus on one segment of the core at a time, the Low Pressure Fitness programme trains the core to function synergistically and as a whole.

Sources

• « Effectiveness of Massage Therapy and Abdominal Hypopressive Gymnastics in Nonspecific Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study »
• « Pilates: how does it work and who needs it? »
• « How can Low Pressure Fitness benefit Pilates? »