Pilates and Sports Specific
Case Study at The Hundred Pilates Studio Dubai
Client: Aline Raywood – Pilates Instructor : Jeanique Lascar
I cannot imagine the pleasure and the sense of highest accomplishment that one feels when crossing the finish line in a Marathon race, regardless of the time. An observer of any such race finish cannot help but be in awe of the commitment and determination to persevere that this sport requires. I had the privilege to teach Aline Raywood, an experienced marathoner and most recently, a winner in the woman division triathlon race Supersports 2XU championships and Tri-Yas in AbuDhabi.
All endurance races require a tremendous amount of discipline, consistent and rigorous training and diet regime. Especially taxing on the body is the physical exertion that such training demands of athletes which leads to muscular and skeletal imbalances and eventually repetitive injuries.
So here comes Pilates – which acts as a great maintenance for a runner’s rigorous training regimen. How so? By improving the VO max , mental control, sustaining healthy posture and lubricated joints.
Today, pilates is gaining more acceptance among professional world athletes. 2012 Olympians like swimmer Nathalie Couhglin and runner Sanya Richards Ross, who regularly incorporate pilates in their training regimes, clearly understand the importance of restoring structural and muscular balances, and improving and maintaining flexibility in order to protect muscles and joints against injuries and thus ensure long lasting careers.
Aline Rawood’s training regime was a strict schedule of swimming twice a week, running 4 to 5 times a week which includes speed session on track , tempo run, long run and twice a week cycling. Aline recalls the time when she was having a groin pull almost every 2 months, which started to interfere with her training. She was also plateauing in her training as she was feeling that she was lacking oxygen for sustained high level of endurance.
This when she decided to give Pilates a try.
Aline has quickly understood the philosophy behind the pilates method, focusing on detailed training of the core muscles to help improve posture and thus facilitate easier breathing for enhanced oxygen delivery to the working muscles. She has dedicated a good portion of her workouts to mastering breathing techniques in order to economize her breath: “To breathe correctly you must completely inhale and exhale, always trying very hard to squeeze every atom of impure air from your lungs in much the same manner that you would wring every drop of water from a wet cloth” (Joe Pilates)
Aline also understood the importance of deeper muscles and their role in balancing and counter the imbalanced larger muscles which most of us tend to overuse in everyday’s activities. Once she has adopted all the essential movements needed for a balanced workout, Aline’s fitness and endurance continued to improve and today she is running her best times in Marathon for which she is attributing her dedication to the Pilates unique training.
Pilates can also help runners with core strength so they can be more upright in their posture as well as breath control. Below are a few Pilates exercises that can benefit runners.
Mat Work Exercises
- Side lying leg series (strengthen glute medius & stabilize hips)
- Leg circles (stabilize hips and move legs through rotation)
- Swimming (thoracic extension, hip stability)
- Side bend (strengthen abductors, adductors and obliques)
Reformer Exercises
- Feet in Straps; medially and laterally rotated (hip rotation, mobility)
- Footwork; medially and laterally rotated (hip rotation, mobility), heel lower and lift (calf strength and flexibility)
- Side splits (lateral hip strength and stability, abductor and adductor strength)
- Long Box series (thoracic extension, hip stability, core strength)
- Seated twist with or without ring (hip stability, obliques)
Of course there are many other Pilates exercises that can complement a runner’s program.
The benefits runners have by using Pilates
- Increasing core strength and correcting postural imbalances
- Increasing balance in the muscles of the back and hips
- Reduce the risk of injury
- Assist with breath control
Jeanique Lascar Kalodjera – Personal trainer, Pilates and Yoga teacher at The Hundred Pilates Studio, Dubai (www.thehundred.ae)
