What is Callanetics and can anyone explain its benefits over other forms of cardio/aerobic exercise?
Callanetics was founded by a woman named Callan Pinckney, trained in classical ballet, who needed to stay toned while recovering from a back injury. Because it is gentle yet effective as an exercise routine, it is appropriate for any age or fitness level. Each routine lasts for an hour. More than one routine may be done in a session. Callanetics exercises generally feature small pulses or contractions of muscles rather than lots of movement and sweat. It uses isometric movement, which is when we carefully flex and pulse different parts of our bodies in small precise movements. We are working with our body to tone and lift, rather than against the body when we strain to lift weights. Lifting weights contracts and shortens our muscles. Callanetics elongates our muscles. As Callanetics targets deeper muscles, posture is improved which improves the overall body profile. One example of a Callanetics exercise is to press your palms together as hard as you can for one minute. You can see that
