Pilates is often not taken seriously by athletes as it appears to be nothing more than simple stretching and deep breathing. However, whether you are a professional athlete, an aspiring one, or simply someone who really enjoys regular workouts, adding Pilates to your routine can be surprisingly beneficial. Here are six reasons why Pilates can be your secret weapon:
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Full Body and Low Impact
Pilates is a low-impact workout that works your entire body. This makes it a great secondary workout for athletes who usually perform workouts or sports of higher intensity, such as running, basketball, or netball. It is also a good workout for athletes recovering from injuries as it does not put too much strain on the body but allows you to regain strength.
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Core Focus
A strong core is beneficial to any athlete as it aids in balance and better posture in both your daily routine and workouts. Though there are many ways to build core strength Pilates uses repetitive moves that are specifically designed to lengthen and strengthen muscles. These moves do more than strengthen the muscles worked in moves like sit-ups or crunches and instead target all of the muscles involved in your core as well as the supporting muscles of your back. Therefore, you are more likely to see quicker results and experience more overall strength over time.
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Alignment and Correction
Many popular sports – such as tennis, golf, or cricket – are one-sided. This means that you work one side of your body more than the other and this can cause injury and discomfort in the long run.
Pilates workouts are designed to improve body alignment and muscular symmetry, and therefore – by adding Pilates to your workout routine – you can prevent further injuries while improving your overall strength.
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Flexibility and Mobility
For any athlete who spends a lot of time on their chosen sport Pilates will be a challenge, and this is a positive thing. If you play a particular sport and perform the same types of workouts over and over again you are making use of the same muscles every time. Pilates forces you to make use of and become aware of new muscle groups and will aid in your flexibility.
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Improved Breathing
Though many athletes will know that correct breathing is a crucial part of improving your workout results and performance, it can be easy to become too comfortable in a familiar sport and forget to breath properly or with awareness. Pilates uses a method of breathing, known as diaphragmatic breathing, which places focus on being aware of breath and focusing that breath into the muscles that you are working.
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Body connection
Lastly, Pilates can offer a unique insight into your personal fitness journey and mental connection with your body. During other workouts, you are not necessarily focused on the exact muscles and tiny movements of your body, but during Pilates movements, you are encouraged to do just that. Building this connection with your body can help in a lot of ways in your preferred sport or other workouts, including being more aware of the way that you move and allowing you to make small adjustments to your movements that can improve your game.
Contact Trifocus Fitness Academy
If you would like to become a Pilates Instructor then the ONLY way to make this happen is if you study our Pilates Instructor Course. For more information, please follow this link.
