5 Essential Pilates Exercises for Athletes
Have you ever considered Pilates in conjunction with your strength training, soccer, or swimming? Pilates can support athletes across various sports by improving:
posture
core strength and endurance
spinal flexibility
body awareness
Mind-body connection
Injury prevention
It can be a perfect complement to an athlete's regular training routine, helping them improve performance, reduce injury risk, and enhance their overall athletic experience. It can help them move intentionally and mindfully, similar to the focus required for game day. Unlike traditional strength training that isolates specific muscle groups, Pilates works your body as a whole to build up to complex sport-related motions. Incorporating pilates in your training can create a strong foundation for all athletic levels and balance throughout the whole body. Try these few reformer-free exercises for your next workout!
1. The Hundreds
Setup: Start with hands behind your head and legs in a tabletop position.
Movement: Lift your chest with your hands, extend the legs, and squeeze the legs together. Place your arms by your sides. Pump your arms by your side. With every pump, inhale for 5 pumps, exhale for 5 pumps
Reps: 5 pumps each for inhale + exhale, up to 10x for a total for 100 reps!
Benefits: Improves core stability and endurance, shoulder posture
Key points: keep the back of neck long, pull ribs down/behind you
Modifications: bending knees, bringing legs higher
2. Roll Up
Setup: Lay on your back.
Movement: Inhale to prepare, exhale as your reach fingers up towards ceiling. Peel up one vertebrae at a time.
Reps: 10x
Benefits: Enhances spinal flexibility and abdominal strength
Modifications: work on just the roll down vs roll up, use a band to support, or a towel roll under your low back back
3. Single Leg Circles
Setup: Start on your back
Movement: Lift one leg up and circle the leg 10x in both directions. Back should stay quiet throughout the movement
Reps: 10 circles in both directions
Benefits: Improves hip flexibility and strengthens lower abdominals
Key points: maintaining pelvic stability
Modifications: doing it with a bent knee, decreasing range of motion
4. Swimming
Setup: Lay on your stomach, arms outstretched.
Movement: Lift your chest, raise your opposite arm and leg and alternate arms and legs
Reps: 15-20 reps each side
Benefits: Improves posture, shoulder stability, and core endurance
Key cues: keeping the chest lifted
Modifications: legs only, arms only, resting your head down
5. Side Kick Series
Setup: Lay on your side, arm, or pillow under your head. Lift the waist a tiny bit.
Movement: Keeping the spine quiet - inhale as you swing the leg forward and back
Reps: 10x on each side
Benefits: Improves hip lateral stability and core, and hip strength
Key points: maintaining a neutral spine
Modifications: bent knee, decreasing range of motion
Variations: circles, abduction/adduction, tapping front and back, lifting both legs up
Jonie demonstrates all five exercises in the video above. Try incorporating them into your next workout and feel the difference in your movement and recovery. If you're curious about how Pilates can be integrated into your physical therapy treatment, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us by clicking the contact us button below. We're here to support your rehabilitation and overall well-being.