Pilates can help athletes reduce their chance of injury by:
- Building a solid core, which helps support the back. When we have a weak core, our back will always be there to help out, and it takes the brunt of exercises. This can lead to many types of back injuries. Pilates involves the core in almost all exercises. The body’s “powerhouse,” which consists of the abs, low back, hips, and glutes, are used in many of the exercises and help the body build stability, strength, and control during a Pilates or CrossFit class.
- Pilates is low-impact, and exercises are done slowly (especially compared to CrossFit movements which are fast and explosive). Moving slowly allows you to work on proper alignment. The minor adjustments in a Pilates class can significantly impact how it feels in your body. For example, rotating your hip back slightly, bringing your waist back a little, trying to curl up a millimeter more by just using your abs, or placing your weight in your heels can be so tricky, but when you don’t think about it you miss the work and it becomes easy.
- Pilates improves flexibility. While working on form and proper alignment, flexibility enters, and you learn how to get the best stretch in the exercise without compromising form. You’re to build flexibility without your hip hiking up and being compromised. Sometimes we think we’re flexible only to find out other parts of our body go into misalignment to make it look good; a hip hiking up, a shoulder lifting off the ground, not being able to keep your butt on the floor. Pilates continues to work on your form to get your true flexibility without other body parts compromising your form.
- Focusing on core strength, flexibility, and proper alignment in a Pilates class can lead to better body awareness in a CrossFit class. Adding Pilates into your routine can help you lift heavier (the core is so, so important if you want to lift heavy safely), have better mobility/flexibility for your explosive exercises and reduce, the chance of injury because you are working on your alignment.
All that said Pilates isn’t magic. It works with your body and its abilities. Cross-training with Pilates can help you get a stronger core, find your most flexible self, and get into your best alignment so YOU can do CrossFit at your best.
Join Coach Nadine on Sundays at 9:15 for Pilates at EverProven! Class is free for all current members, $25 for non-members.