www.oncore.co.za

I have been an avid gym bunny for the past 15 years, pushing as heavy weights as I could manage and generally abusing my body. About 8 years ago I had heard about Pilates and sauntered into On Core in Broadacres with my 6 pack, thinking that they would be so impressed with my body…
I literally crawled out of there with my tail between my legs after I realised how I had absolutely no core strength what so ever. Ego bruised, I didn’t return, until the inevitable happened. I jumped out of the shower and couldn’t bend down to pick up my towel, my back gave in.

I was advised by my physio to get myself back to Pilates. I went back a year ago with a different attitude. Not only have I developed my core strength but I have discovered so much about my body, and am now mindful of what I need to do to best accommodate my body type (aka back like a PLANK !!! ) There is no better way to preserve and look after your body so that it will in turn, look after you as you age.

I have learnt that there is so much more to resistance training than lifting heavy weights, Pilates is by far, more challenging and rewarding. I have changed my body and mind set and will never stop practising and learning Pilates.

I love the vibe at On Core and combined with a professional, knowledgeable and committed team, feel that my body is in great hands. Thank you girls for all you have done for me, I so appreciate it.

As a Physio who specialises in the treatment of back, neck, sports injuries and orthopaedics, I am constantly encouraging my patients to start Pilates, and very specifically to go to the instructors at On-Core Pilates. The patients of mine who train at On-Core Pilates regularly -well some of them I have to see at the studio, to hear that they are so much better, and fully recovered and so much stronger! If I do continue to treat them they recover so much faster following an injury or following surgery; or they manage their chronic conditions so much better than most people….

On-Core offer personalised one-on-one classes for people ranging from grannies who want to be able to play with, and cope with the physical demands of small grand kids; to pregnant woman; people wanting to look lean and beautiful and toned; people wanting to manage their chronic conditions or rehab an injury; to sportsmen and women who want to maximise their sporting performance. Core strengthening benefits almost every individual. And On-Core do it superbly. The benefits of doing one-on-one sessions cannot be underestimated. Pilates is a whole new language, its about a mind-body connection that your body has to develop, its about movement patterns that have to become natural…

I have been training with the instructors at On-Core for the past 8 years. I have never been stronger, looked or felt better in my life – even though my body has been through two pregnancies. Every session is different. Every session is a challenge. Every session leaves me feeling energised, positive, happy. If you do start Pilates at On – Core it will be the best thing you will ever do. It has been for me.

Carron Howard , Broadacres Physio,
www.baphysio.co.za

The Power of Pilates ?..

I started Pilates three years ago on the insistence of my Physio as part of my rehab for a knee repair. Here is the picture , I fancy myself a part time extreme “athlete “…
OffRoad Motorbikes, wake boarding, kitesurfing and mountain biking being my passions . At the time I was attempting the toughest extreme enduros the world had to offer.

Naturally being a male , Pilates was for girls. For results I needed weights, blood, sweat and tears. Not a soft Matt and a towel under my head. Well at least, so I thought. Reality dawned in my third class.. Obviously by this time the “patient” sympathy had worn off…

The exercise as a ” girly push-up” against the wall , the Pilates way, with strict form isolating the required muscle group. My first experience of the ” And Again ” uniquely delivered by each instructor in their own sweet drill master from hell, tone. Needless to say tough guy couldn’t complete the require reps.

With in a few weeks the results were astoundingly obvious and I started to understand the importance of core strength. There were improvements across the board with every activity I partake in. On the mountain bike I was able to deliver more power to my legs , I have better balance on my motorbike in technical sections and my endurance has increased from a stronger core.

Pilates has made me far more aware of my bodies abilities and taught me to tap into the power of my core muscles. It is for these reasons that Pilates has become the foundation of all my

training and I can attest to its benefits from the results I have still been able to achieve with less time available for other forms of training.

At On Core you will find friendly caring and engaged instructors. They are passionate about what they do and how it will benefit you in whatever it is you are trying to achieve.

This combined with the variety of personalized “AGAINS’ ” has given me, fitness and strength that will be hard to match.

I have been coming to OnCore forabout 5 years now. And every time I leave feeling better and happier than when I arrived.

For many years I trained hard in the pool and thought that I was strong and fit. But yet I kept picking up injuries and was not getting any faster and put it down to just getting older. My Physio and Chiro kept nagging me to stretch and to strengthen my core. They had both mentioned the benefits of Pilates but I naively thought that it was for a bunch of bored housewives looking for some low impact training and high impact gossiping…

I eventually gave in and booked in for my first session with the girls of Oncore. I walked into the studio to be greeted with great enthusiasm by a bunch of gorgeous babes. I thought to myself that if I was going to do this “silly” exercise that I would at least have the pleasure of some decent eye candy while doing it – oh how wrong was I!!!! Once inside, the sweet, gorgeous babes, turned into evil, wicked, torturous witches! I was being told to squash my egg, lift my bum, breath, all while this cackling witch next to me plotted my downfall and SLOWLY counted to ten and then back to zero. The pain and the suffering was immense. I kept hoping that this, the longest hour of my life, would end so that I could run home with my tail between my legs. But as a male with an ego, I went back the next week after spending much of the last week hobbling around very slowly, so that the sharp pain I was experiencing, in places in my body that I didn’t know existed, would not bring tears to my eyes. After just a few weeks, I started seeing a change in my recovery time when I was swimming. My stroke was feeling stronger and I was starting to notice how much more balanced I was in the water. The big test was at National Masters Swimming champs that year, and I walked away with 8 medals and personal bests in all six of my individual events.

The girls at Oncore are brilliant at what they do and have become an integral part of my preparation for my next big adventure, the English Channel swim. The strength and stability I now have in the water is incredible and the only thing that I regret is that I had not been doing Pilates with them from an early age. The personal attention that they give towards training and preparation is excellent and whether you are looking to do something extreme or are just looking for a great way to stay fit and strong, this bunch of “witches” are the best out there.