Clinical Pilates and Sport Performance
Clinical Pilates is becoming increasingly popular amongst both recreational and elite athletes, of varying ages and different sports, to aid in the optimisation of their performance.
Efficiency of Movement
Clinical Pilates is designed to teach the body to move in an optimal way. This benefit is advantageous in most sports, especially those that require a level of endurance. Some multi-event sports, like Triathlons, require athletes to have efficient movement to be able to perform in three different consecutive events (swim, bike, run). Clinical Pilates focus on optimal biomechanics and efficiency of movement will assist in managing overuse and potential injury to certain muscles. Clinical Pilates emphasises functional strength which can also help with energy conservation during performance.
Core Strength & Stability, and Posture
Clinical Pilates improves core strength and stability by focusing on building strength in the deeper layer of abdominal muscles, the deep supportive spinal muscles, and the hip and pelvic musculature. Clinical Pilates also strengthens and mobilises the primary stabilizer and mover muscles in the hips, shoulders, and ankles which corrects overall posture and movement patterns. Posture in particular plays a significant role in overall health, strength, flexibility, balance, and injury resistance.
Balances the Body
Many sports involve repetitive movements requiring the use of the same muscles in the same way repeatedly. This results in the body being strong in one plane (i.e. moving straight ahead), but weak when it comes to movements in other planes (i.e. bending and side-stepping) which can lead to imbalances in the body that leave it more susceptible to injury.
Clinical Pilates focuses on moving the body in all planes and orientations, strengthening any underused muscles and stretching any overused muscles. Clinical Pilates also includes many unilateral movements (movements that work each side of the body separately) to ensure that muscles are strengthened evenly.
Improves Power
Clinical Pilates creates strength and stability in the hips, trunk and targets the deep stabiliser muscles. This helps athletes to find stability and generate power, even when they are thrown off-balance. Maintaining a core, primary stabilizer and mover muscles can also help with energy transference which allows an athlete to generate more power and that in turn allows them to move faster, to jump further, to push harder, to throw further.
Injury Prevention and Recovery
Injuries are a common and although some causes are unavoidable (like in sports that involve tackling) other contributing factors can be managed through Clinical Pilates, such as imbalances, inflexibility, weaknesses, and overuse of certain muscles. Incorporating Clinical Pilates into a regular training week is a great way of prehabbing the body. For those unavoidable injuries, Clinical Pilates provided by an exercise physiologist or physiotherapist is also an effective way of rehabbing the body back to full health.
Clinical Pilates benefits both elite athletes and recreational athletes. Our increasing sedentary lifestyles and days spent looking at our computers have our bodies becoming stiffer, weaker and more imbalanced. Clinical Pilates can make have us striding, throwing and jumping further and faster, and more efficiently no matter our level of sporting endeavour.
Embody Movement offers Clinical Pilates classes from both our Currimundi and Forest Glen locations!