Pilates aids performance during sport

Jane Kennedy and Wexford Pilates Studio are excited to continue working with this year’s Hope and Dream Leaders as they prepare for the Run in 2020.

‘I have practiced and taught pilates for over 14 years and I can say without a doubt that pilates has improved my performance in every sport and fitness activity I have engaged in—running, swimming, hiking and more.’ Here’s how:

Increase core strength: The word “core” refers to your entire torso, including your hips, abdominals, back, shoulders and neck.

Pilates works to strengthen and balance these muscles allowing the core to act as a powerful stabilizer when running.

Maintain better running posture: With the torso more balanced and stronger the spine is better protected from injury during movement. Pilates encourages more efficient movement patterns and better posture, resulting in less injuries.

Improved endurance and speed: Pilates improves flexibility in hip flexors and hamstrings offering greater range of movement improving running technique and increases endurance for runners.

Quicker and more comprehensive recovery: Pilates decreases your recovery time after injury or a strenuous run by increasing joint mobility and improving flexibility. With a regular pilates routine, your muscles are in better condition, you feel less fatigued, and less sore or tight after a run.

Breath control: Breathing patterns are essential to performing pilates movements correctly, and this practice translates easily into running. Pilates teaches you to fill the lower lobes of your lungs more fully and engage your diaphragm more consciously resulting in increased breath awareness and movement patterns.

Improved balance: A regular practice of pilates will see dramatic gains in balance.

If you’ve ever tripped or stumbled on a uneven surface while running, you understand how crucial it is for your core muscles to come to the rescue in keeping you upright.