A regular pilates routine can provide great benefit for the modern athlete. Whereas traditional methods of training tend to wear heavily on the joints and promote a “no pain no gain” attitude towards fitness, pilates provides a gentler-although rigorous- and holistic mind-body approach.
A regular routine could potentially improve the quality of an athlete’s performance, while extending the life of his or her career.
Athletic Benefits
Since the workout can be tailored to individuals, and what fitness goals they hope to attain, it is the ideal counterpart to regular cardiovascular exercise for body sculpting.
Pilates combines strength training, flexibility training and balance control while improving the mind-body connection and relieving joint pain.
The workout has also been credited with improving posture, circulation, endurance and speed.
In many cases, you can even find pilates classes tailored to specific sports.
Some athletes opt for a more bulky physique-i.e. American football players and wrestlers—and perhaps, weight lifting is best for them.
Pilates, however, caters to those who prefer lean muscle and dexterity.
Soccer players, dancers and gymnasts are obvious examples of athletes who benefit from lean muscle, but the truth is, most athletes-from golfers to martial artists-benefit just as well.
Rehabilitation
Pilates routines may also be structured around the rehabilitation of sports-related injuries, and are ideal for restoring strength and flexibility without incurring further damage. Since the routines are low-impact and based on relaxation and concentration, they provide an ideal framework for healing.
Celebrity Athletes Embrace Pilates
Recently, numerous male professional athletes from different backgrounds have gone public in support of training with pilates. Champion golfers Tiger Woods and Rich Beem have both reported pilates-related benefits to their game, as well as Professional Basketball player, Jason Kidd.
Pitcher Curt Schilling has reported that it has provided great benefits for him, as an aging professional athlete, and NFL quarterback Carson Palmer has reported that he can’t imagine his life, or game, without his regular pilates routine.