Pilates Popularity with Professional Sportsmen influences Reformer Design

 

From the turn of the new millennium Pilates has increasingly featured in men’s exercise and sports training regimes in the UK.

When practicing Pilates, the resultant enhanced strength, balance, flexibility and control provide increased performance whilst offering reduced chance of injuries.  In particular the use of a Pilates Reformer for sportsmen has grown because the multi directional forces offered from springs, pulleys and cables can increase strength, control and balance through incremental increases in resistance.  Compared to Pilates Matwork using only bodyweight and practiced on a fixed surface, the moving carriage on a reformer will also force the user to exercise the correct or minor muscles that are needed when their competitive sport requires an under-utilised muscle movement.  This helps prevent injuries.

Equipment resistance may be adjusted according to the requirement to increase strength and performance, or to proactively protect from injury by moderating the exercise in case of weakness, injury or rehabilitation

These advantages of Pilates Apparatus Training are being exploited by professional sportsmen, particularly in Rugby, Tennis, Cricket and Football.  The physical size of many of the players in these sports is often above that of the average man.  Most Pilates equipment was originally designed with women or male dancers in mind, therefore the new popularity in men’s sport has highlighted some unsuitability in traditional design and hence, a requirement for larger and stronger apparatus. As a result, some Pilates Apparatus manufacturing companies have introduced equipment models to cater for the larger physique and weight of these sportsmen.

The overall benefits of Pilates for Men

Although it was a man, Joseph Pilates, that actually developed the exercise system in the first instance, Pilates has generally been popularised as applicable to Women. However, when realising the broad range of performance benefits that Pilates reformer exercises can offer, all while providing protection or recovery from injury, it becomes obvious why its popularity has recently increased in Men.  The following are some major benefits:

• Increased flexibility and range of motion – stretching out muscles and improving joint movement.  Pilates' focus on flexibility and lengthening to increase your range of motion.
• Increased strength – Overall core strength and fitness are increased by precise, focused movements enhancing the musculature around the lower back, hips, pelvis, and abs. The muscles working in synergy spread the load, and otherwise neglected muscles are then highlighted for attention, supporting your larger muscles for stronger performance, with fewer injuries.
• Balancing the body: Pilates works both sides of the body equally, avoiding asymmetry by highlighting any imbalances and allowing you to concentrate on strengthening the weaker side.
• Prevention and recovery from injuries:  The precision and control principles of Pilates allow your muscles greater stability and better form, enabling you to have more control over your movements preventing over-use. Since Pilates, and in particular, apparatus resistance can be tailored to any level and for any injury, it is excellent for physiotherapy.
• Reduces back pain: Pilates has proven to be highly effective for alleviating lower back pain safely.
• Better breathing: Pilates focuses on diaphragmic breathing, oxygenating your muscles so that they can perform better. The concentration on correct breathing also has great benefits to mental health, both reducing stress, and increasing mental clarity. 

Specific benefits for Men's Sports

Pilates in Rugby

Increasingly, Rugby players practice Pilates as a way of improving their coordination, mobility, and flexibility, as well as for prevention and recovery from injuries.  Rugby Players are very obviously large men requiring appropriately proportioned apparatus.

Pilates Apparatus installations in modern professional Rugby include:

• The Welsh Rugby Union  
• Worcester Warriors Rugby Club
• Twickenham National stadium has a gym studio with apparatus for the national England team to use. 
• Northampton Saints Rugby Union 
• Leeds Rhino Rugby League
• Tom Curry from the English National Team used a reformer to train for the 2022 Six Nations Championship

Pilates in Tennis

Tennis is a high-speed, high-impact, and power-based sport that requires rotation and extension of the spine and creates stress on the shoulders, knees and hips.

Tennis players often have imbalances through their joints and muscles as a result of the racquet predominantly being held in one hand. Pilates helps to develop balanced muscles, strengthening the body uniformly, and correcting muscular weaknesses and imbalances created as a result of unilateral muscular conditioning from only playing this sport.

By practicing Pilates, a Tennis player can strengthen the weaker side of the body and thus generate more power through their strokes and at the same time loosen tight muscles in the chest, shoulders, and upper back. Pilates also strengthens muscles responsible for rotation and for protecting the spine.  A lot of stroke power in tennis comes from rotation and extension of the spine.

Pilates also helps improve flexibility in the lower back and hips allowing the player to get down low, or up high for hard-to-reach shots.

The mobility and strength your body gained by practicing Pilates can help with post-match recovery and injury prevention.

Thanks to the likes of Wimbledon Champions Andy Murray and Pat Cash as high-profile advocates, the benefits of Pilates for all tennis players are widely known.  As many male (and Female) Tennis Players are Tall (the average height for a man is now 6ft 2”,) larger sized Pilates equipment is requisite to cater for this sport.

The British Tennis Association has installed large-sized Pilates Reformers at Wimbledon itself.

Pilates in Cricket

Pilates provides key benefits for both batsmen and bowlers, and many top cricketers now use it. Pilates is particularly beneficial to cricketers because it helps them to recover faster from injuries and has a strong focus on the abdominal muscles and back that are heavily utilised.

Batting for a long innings is the aim when playing Cricket and it necessitates standing with the spine flexed forward for long periods. In this unnatural stance, there is a greater susceptibility to develop back injuries. Pilates can help with the prevention and recovery from back problems by providing specific back pain focused stretches to protect and balance muscles in support.

Bowlers need a large variety of technical coordination and flexibility to propel the ball at high speed, to create swing by the angle of the body, or to use the shoulders and wrist to influence spin. All of the bowling actions demand balance, smoothness, economy, and rhythm. The body also needs to withstand the force of landing on the front foot and rotating through the spine and this requires accurate alignment.  Pilates is especially employed by bowlers to achieve this ‘alignment’ keeping the hips and shoulders in line and avoiding any dangerous twisting of the back.

Cricketers Using Pilates

• In mid-2005 Paul Collingwood, needed to have a custom-made Pilates Reformer manufactured specially with a longer carriage.  This was one of the first instances highlighting a design shortcoming of reformers for larger men in sport. 
• The Australian fast-bowling attack uses Pilates to strengthen the area between the hip and shoulders, as part of injury prevention conditioning.
• Mike Atherton, the former England captain, was one of the first to use Pilates as a way both to prevent and recover from injuries. 
• Andrew Flintoff (Fast Bowler) adopted Pilates to help with back issues.
• Graham Thorpe, England batsman, has also used Pilates for back issues.

 

Pilates in Football

Thanks to big teams such as Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan and to football stars such as David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and goalkeeper Brad Friedel, Pilates has become universally accepted as greatly beneficial for footballers.

Pilates stretches muscles improving any player’s posture, stability and joint movements and focuses breathing, assisting in maintaining stamina. It engages and strengthens core muscles, improves flexibility and reduces risk of injury.

Recently Pilates Apparatus has been employed increasingly for goalkeeper training.  Goalkeepers can specifically work on all-round flexibility and target the trunk and spine.

Pilates is practiced in these Football clubs:

Arsenal FC, Reading FC, Derby County, Manchester City Goalies, Aston Villa Goalies, Chelsea FC 

Manufacturers design appropriate Reformer models for men in sport

With this continually increasing interest in Pilates Apparatus training and rehabilitation for professional sportsmen, the general public interest is also increasing for men by example.  With the great benefits derived from the participation of sportsmen who are physically large, the requirement for an ‘off the shelf’ larger and stronger design Pilates Reformer has become obvious and implemented by some leading equipment manufacturers.

Align Pilates, BASI Systems and Balanced Body are three companies now making larger beds, longer and stronger reformers. Further details and comparison are as follows:

Align Pilates A8 Pro

Align Pilates has Introduced its A8-Pro Reformer suitable for the taller, wider, and heavier sportsman.

257cm long, 75cm wide, £2,400

For more information visit Align Pilates

Balanced Body Allegro Stretch

Balanced Body has designed its stretch reformer model for tall users.

Allegro® Stretch Reformer Perfect for users over 6’4″ (195cm)

282cm Long, 62cm Wide, £3,750

 For more information visit Balanced Body

Basi Systems Standard Reformer

BASI Systems have made their standard reformer with both longer travel and a wider bed.

234cm Long, 72cm Wide, £4,700

For more information visit BASI systems

Author:  Adrian Baughan - Digital content and marketing for Mbodies Training Academy

For information about Mbodies Training Academy visit: https://www.mbodiesacademy.com/

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