If you’re thinking about starting a workout program (again or for the first time) or you’re looking to step up your current fitness regimen or even if a disability or physical limitation prevents you from working out…
…. Callanetics could be exactly what you’re looking for.
Callanetics isn’t some new fitness craze, either. It has been around for decades, consistently producing some pretty impressive results.
By targeting deep, core muscles and using no-impact, high repetition moves (like, 100 reps), Callanetics exercises strengthen and sculpt from the inside out with benefits you can feel and see in as little as one class.
Now, that’s fast!
You might be squinting skeptically at this point, wondering what kinds of results you could possibly notice after just one session of any fitness class. I get it. It sounds too good to be true, but it’s not.
Callanetics isn’t like most fitness classes.
You won’t leave drenched and out of breath. Instead, after just one class you’ll experience some of the results below, and with subsequent classes, those results will increase and others will begin to emerge.
Here are some of the main results from Callanetics you’ll see after one class, one month of classes, and beyond:
- Improvements in mood, energy and motivation
- Freedom from back, neck, knee and shoulder pain
- Sculpted muscles and improved body composition
- Better posture, balance and coordination
- Increased flexibility and functionality
- Injury-free results at any fitness level
Let’s take a look at these Callanetics results in more detail.
Improvements in Mood, Energy & Motivation
Stress, anxiety and depression are all too common in our society and a major factor in the lack of motivation to exercise.
Because of the low-impact, low-intensity nature of Callanetics, it’s one of the easiest ways to make small changes in your activity levels that will yield big results.
The deep muscle work will increase oxygen and blood flow, decrease muscle tension from stress and anxiety and release depression-fighting endorphins in your first class.
These rapid changes can seriously motivate you to incorporate regular exercise into your life.
Maybe you already work out regularly or even intensely. If that’s the case, Callanetics can be just as beneficial for you.
I recommend taking “off weeks” throughout the year for my hard core clients. Your body needs the break so you don’t burn out and so your workouts don’t lose their effectiveness.
Callanetics is a terrific workout for more athletic types either during downtime or as a to supplement your regular workouts
You’ll target your muscles in a completely different way and reap the benefits of improved mood, energy and motivation.
Freedom from Back, Neck, Knee and Shoulder Pain
That’s no short order.
While there are other workouts, like Pilates, Yoga and Barre that can have similar benefits, I have not found them to be as effective or all-inclusive as Callanetics.
In fact, Callan Pinckney, founder of Callanetics, developed the workout specifically for relief of her chronic back pain.
Callanetics exercises focus primarily on strengthening deep core muscles. These muscles are responsible, in part, for supporting your back.
When your core is weak, your back is vulnerable, overworked and unsupported.
Even if your back pain is a result of injury, bulging discs or some other back-related issue, a stronger core and pelvic floor will bring significant pain relief and improved functionality.
While there are classes called “Cardio Callanetics” that involve a bit of jumping about, traditional Callanetics exercises are virtually no-impact, which is music to your knees.
You’ll still be bending and stretching and using them, but in the kindest ways possible, and they will thank you for it.
Avoiding exercise because of knee pain is just a prescription for stiff joints and more knee pain, and Callanetics is the perfect solution.
A typical Callanetics class will have you holding stretches and pulsating in various ways, bringing incredible relief to tight muscles in your neck and shoulders.
You can feel a difference after just one workout, and continued workouts bring continued relief.
Sculpted Muscles & Improved Body Composition
Yes, Callanetics is low-impact and low-intensity. It is not a cardio workout or a weight loss program, but make no mistake, the physical results are impressive.
Who doesn’t want firmer abs and legs and a tighter behind? Hello Callanetics, goodbye saddlebags!
Now, if you’re one of those folks obsessed with numbers on a scale, you’re likely to be disappointed.
I would need a whole separate post to address the errors of the numbers game, so we will save that for later.
While you may not see a big difference on your scale for a while, you will notice a significant difference in your tone, strength and shape.
With Callanetics, you are targeting the muscles so deeply while pulsing, that your body has to recruit more muscle fibers for you to maintain the pose through the reps.
This phenomenon causes the muscles to tone remarkably fast, and since you are sculpting, you will lose inches before you see any significant movement on your scale.
These results tend to happen really quickly with consistent workouts.
It is not uncommon to lose 1-2 clothing sizes within 4-6 weeks of consistent Callanetics workouts. I’ve had clients lose 2 pants’ sizes within 10 classes.
Better Posture, Balance & Coordination
These results may not sound like a big deal to you, but whether you are 65 years old beginning your first workout program ever…
… or you’re a 20 year-old athlete training for the Olympics, these things matter – a lot.
Good posture isn’t just standing up straight. Good posture equals good form.
It creates a muscular and skeletal harmony that protects your body from injury. You need that at any age and fitness level.
Balance helps us control our movements, lowers the risk of injury and promotes good posture.
Endurance athletes actually practice balance training to help them swim stronger, bike longer or run harder.
Coordination is necessary for everything we do, from driving a car to pushing a grocery cart, but it is super important for any type of exercise or sport.
Don’t worry if you’re not very coordinated – it is a skill that can be learned and improved.
Posture, balance and coordination all work together.
The benefits to developing them can be life-changing. Better motor skills, more self-confidence, fewer injuries, less joint pain, even improved cognition are all results of making improvements in these areas.
Callanetics exercises improve posture, balance and coordination very quickly. The intense focus it takes to target those deep muscles, hold the pose and do the reps really has an amazing impact on all three.
You’ll notice a difference within the first few classes, especially in your posture.
Increased Flexibility & Functionality
Ever heard of too much of a good thing?
Flexibility is kind of like that. There’s a sweet spot. I was one of those super-bendy, rubbery dancers when I was young. My hips are paying for it now.
Think of those Olympic runners. Have you ever watched their legs move?
They have incredible flexibility and range of motion in their hips, which is why they can run so fast (and why they have arthritis in their 30s).
While you don’t need to be able to wrap your leg around your head, you do need optimal flexibility and range of motion. Both of these will aid in functionality.
Functionality includes all the little things we do and take for granted being able to do, like walking, reaching, bending, squatting, etc.
As we age, the most common injuries come from lack of functionality in daily tasks.
I have a friend that threw her back out brushing her teeth. True story.
Even if you can still play leapfrog right now, there will come a day (sooner than you think) when just tying your shoe could be a real challenge if you don’t maintain flexibility.
Some of the benefits of flexibility include:
- Less soreness and faster recovery from workouts
- Improved balance and coordination
- Lower risk of injuries
- Fewer muscle cramps
Callanetics exercises promote flexibility without overstretching as well as increase functionality with intense muscle sculpting.
Injury-Free Results at any Fitness Level
While overuse or improper use of muscles and joints is a real issue for many who have established workout regimens, the most common problem I have seen in clients just starting out or just getting back into a fitness routine is a total lack of awareness of their own physicality.
It happens every January and August/September.
New Year’s resolutions and kids going back to school always brought a wave of new clients, all revved up about getting into a fitness routine.
A few might be complete newbies to exercise, but most are always seasoned vets that for whatever reason just hadn’t worked out in a while.
So many times, despite my warnings to ease in and not dive in and hit it full-out, their excitement (or maybe its pride) gets the better of them, and within the first week, they are injured and out for the next 2-3 weeks.
Sometimes, they get back up on the horse and other times, it just provides a handy excuse for their next fitness hiatus (no judgement – I, too, am guilty of the hiatus!).
That’s another amazing benefit of Callanetics. The injury-free workout!
Callanetics is effective enough to challenge and benefit the most fit, but it is safe enough for the most…er…not-so-fit.
I suppose if you were so inclined to force it, you could make a way to injure yourself doing traditional Callanetics, but you’d really have to try.
Wrapping Up
I’m not sure why Callanetics faded into the abyss of the fitness industry, but I am super psyched to see it making a comeback!
The results of Callanetic exercises are truly unique.
Similar results can be gained from Yoga, Pilates or Barre classes, but not as quickly.
Nor is any other class so accessible and appealing to such a wide range of fitness levels.
The results are just as beneficial to a beginner as to an athlete who is doing Callanetics to take their current program to the next level.
With more benefits and accessibility (everyone can do this) than other fitness programs, Callanetics is well worth a shot.
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Hope this helps!
As a former fitness and nutrition coach, group fitness instructor and personal trainer, Melissa has helped many people realize their goals. Now, she pairs her decades of experience and love of writing to share her passions with a wider audience. Visit MDealWrites.com to learn more.