How adding pilates to your cross training routine can make you a better athlete.
Looking to elevate your game? Take a cue from the latest Super Bowl Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, who have incorporated Pilates into their cross training routines. This strategic addition has helped them achieve peak performance on and off the field. Whether you’re a professional athlete, competitive weightlifter, occasional runner, or someone who just enjoys a fun game of pickle ball now and then, Pilates could be your key to optimizing your performance and giving you the competitive edge you’ve been looking for.
What is cross training and why is it important?
Cross-training is a training method designed to help athletes develop a well-rounded skill set to better handle the diverse demands of their sport. Regularly performing the same type of exercise can lead your body to becoming accustomed to those repetitive movements. By incorporating cross-training, you introduce new challenges, pushing your body to adapt and become a more resilient and versatile athlete.
While traditional strength training and cardio workouts are an essential part of reaching optimizing performance, there is growing evidence that Pilates can help bring your athletic potential to a new level. Incorporating Pilates into your routine can lead to significant improvements in strength, mobility and endurance. Pilates exercises are designed to target stabilizing muscles and create mobility in ways that are often neglected in traditional training. By strengthening muscles and increasing mobility, athletes can achieve better alignment, reduce risk of injury and enhance ability to perform complex movements with greater ease and efficiency. Read this blog post if you want to find out why you should add cross training with pilates to your routine!
Why use pilates for cross-training?
Here are five reasons you should try adding in Pilates to the cross-training regimen:
Uses the principle of Dynamic Alignment: Pilates focuses its exercises on a principle called dynamic alignment. Dynamic alignment facilitates proper posture and joint mobility that will help the body learn to perform healthy movement more efficiently. This is a transferable skill that will enable you to perform better in different forms of sport by allowing you to have increased agility, reaction time, and speed.
Increases lumbopelvic stability: Many Pilates exercises require the engagement of the core to help build strength in your deep core musculature. Stronger core muscles are an essential part of performing optimally no matter what type of sport you play!
Helps you develop healthy breathing patterns: Pilates teaches breath patterns during movement, which increase lung capacity, improve gas exchange efficiency and support thoracic posture. Healthy breathing patterns can elevate your sports performance by enhancing respiratory function.
Reduces the risk of injury: Pilates can help prevent injuries that may happen during sport by improving posture, increasing mobility for greater range of motion, and addressing muscle imbalances. By incorporating dynamic full-body movements, Pilates strengthens opposing muscle groups, reducing imbalance issues.
Increases eccentric and concentric strength: Excelling in sports requires both eccentric and concentric strength for superior control and agility. Pilates effectively trains these muscle contractions by incorporating both types of exercises to boost overall athletic performance.
How to successfully cross train with pilates:
So now you know why pilates is such a great way to supplement your training! Here are some ways you can add cross training with pilates in your routine!
Start with the basics: Choose a beginners pilates class to learn the basics and build a strong foundation. We highly recommend our program The Movement, to take a deep dive into pilates and perfect your form.
Schedule regular sessions: Schedule at least 2 Pilates sessions into your week for optimal results, just like our program The Movement.
Integration: Apply Pilates principles such as control, breath, and dynamic alignment to your other workouts and activities.
If you’d like to see if The Movement is a good fit for you, sign up for your free discovery call today!