LASplash.com editor Stephan Martin came to Atomic Pilates twice to workout with AJGpr client Nika Eshetu, Master Pilates and Sports Fitness instructor.
Here’s what he said in his article Atomic Pilates and Fitness – The Workout That Your Body Needs.
Pilates and golf might seem like worlds apart, but that is where Nika Eshetu and her Atomic Pilates and Fitness come in to play. Nika has perfected both worlds and can put you through a workout like you have never experienced with her Pilates class. She can also use her expertise in golf to have your body perfectly aligned on every swing.
Atomic Pilates and Fitness, located in North Hollywood, is far more than Pilates and Nika is far more than a Pilates instructor. Nika is the instructor who never stops learning and thus you are the beneficiary. The list of what she has knowledge of is always growing and includes; Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) Certified Instructor as well as a Master Instructor for the Evidence Based Fitness Academy (EBFA). Additional certifications include: National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) Certified Personal Trainer, Functional Movement Taping (FMT) 1 and 2 as well as her expertise in golf. Those are a lot of names that might not mean a lot to you, but needless to say if you visit Atomic Pilates, there isn’t much that Nika couldn’t help you with, but it all begins with Pilates.
Atomic Pilates is the Pilates studio for everyone. From the beginner to the person who has been doing Pilates for years, Nika has a class for you and the equipment to challenge you as well. If you are looking to improve your core, posture, flexibility, and endurance, Pilates is for you. Pilates is truly something you have to try to get a true understanding of what it is all about. It will challenge you by working muscles you thought were working, but really weren’t. The workout will leave your body feeling sore, in a new way. But it will also open up your eyes to a new way of exercising and Nika and her staff always make sure that you are using proper technique and getting the most out of every class.
In addition to Pilates, Atomic offers Bodhi Suspension classes. These are ropes that offer you multiple points of suspension. Most suspension systems out there are only two points of suspension. With the Bodhi Suspension System you can have up to four points of suspension. What this means for your workout is that you will have the benefit of being challenged by gravity in more variations and ways that your body has never encountered. Two points can be a workout, four is almost a work of art and will seemingly work every muscle in your body. Again, this is a workout that is different than anything you have ever done before.
Pilates Class
A great way to get introduced to Nika and to see how prepared you are to take her classes, the movement screening is an amazing start. Nika measures your range of motion in a wide variety of areas as well as some other tests to see where you are at physically and what you might improve in. With this test and her knowledge, Nika has a great ability to point you in the right direction and provide you with tips to improve. She can also tape you as you walk and tell you if you are walking correctly and how you can improve in that area. This test alone is worth a visit to Atomic. If you continue with Nika, you can retest down the road and see how you have improved.
Advanced Pilates Movement
“That is why I started doing the screenings and assessments, once they see it in something measurable, then they can say wait things are really changing,” Nika said.
While fitness has become more prevalent in golf, who knew Pilates could be the secret to fixing your golf swing? I would venture not many golfers, but the real key to fixing your golf swing is Nika. While an amazing Pilates instructor, she also is a Titleist Performance Institute Certified Fitness Professional as well as being K-Vest Certified. What does all of that mean? It means even though she isn’t a golfer, she knows more about how to correct a golf swing than almost any golfer out there.
“Golf is not about being super athletic and putting on a lot of muscle, it’s about being fit to play golf and your body having the proper movements and proper range of motion and strength where you need it for the game of golf and it’s about fixing those areas,” Nika said. “The simplest thing is posture it will make the biggest difference, with the mechanics there is a lot going on, the posture is an easy fix for the most part a few exercises a day and almost everyone has something going on with their posture.”
Nika gets you set up in a K-Vest so that your swing is recorded and then she can look at how your body as well as your hands are moving throughout your entire swing motion. This allows her to see if your posture is off or there are any adjustments that need to be made in your stance. Once she has you perfectly aligned, then you can test out your new stance and new swing and you will find out if you are doing it correctly.
Posture is not only important in Pilates as well as any form of exercise and of course golf, but it impacts people in everyday life.
“Now we are starting with kids in elementary school with these heavy backpacks, then reinforced with cell phones and iPad, so they are starting younger and they get older it just gets worse, I see people in their 20’s and 30’s hunched over, that shouldn’t be so, Pilates can make a huge difference,” Nika said.
There are so many reasons to visit Atomic Pilates and Fitness, but the main two are for your own well-being and for Nika. While an amazing instructor, you will always leave a class or session not only feeling a little better but you will always leave with some extra knowledge that will help whether you are simply walking or sitting at your desk and you will feel better for it.