Pilates without Glen

You may recall that I've complained about my pilates instructor, Glen, several times. Perhaps the most notable time was this entry here. But you know, I've been attending these classes almost weekly for about 6 months now...I'm kinda used to his drill sargent tactics of shaming everyone into doing the right thing. I mean, if you take me as an example, I may not have shifted that layer of fat on my gut, but when I tense them, those abs of mine are like a rock! *snicker*

Anyway, the degree to which I have been indoctrinated by Glen became horridly apparent today when Ange (who takes the Fitball class before us) had to fill in as instructor for whatever reason. Ange is a nice woman and her teaching methods are more relaxed. Instead of barking at us, she tells us when to breathe, how to do the exercise etc. She also plays relaxing kinda new-age music in the background and gently adjusts us with her hands when we get the exercise wrong - i.e. NO KICKING. And while she was marvelling at what a great class we were and exclaiming over our wonderful technique...I was lying there thinking *This isn't right, it's not the same without someone barking at you!*

There I was, with an instructor who I was the type I was expecting when I started, and I felt totally dissatisfied with her teaching technique, thinking that the use of music was kinda silly, and knowing that it was Glen's indiscriminate use of fear tactics that had changed us from soft, squishy everypeople to the obediently tensing drones we had become. Kinda like in Full Metal Jacket without all the guns or the swearing.

But I think he's back next week so I better practise my 100's and leg extensions.