Why NFL Pros Use Pilates
Pilates is not just popular among the general population. It’s also a staple for most pro athletes.
Turns out that Pilates uniquely builds strength while increasing mobility like no other form of exercise. As an added bonus, it also decreasing the risk of injury. For pro athletes, Pilates is not just another exercise program. It improves performance and extends careers!
Here 7 elite NFL receivers talk about why Pilates is essential to their game.
Escaping the “that’s just for girls” mentality, Pilates has become popular among professional football players looking for an edge. The Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers have both incorporated Pilates into their training regimens. Like yoga, Pilates can improve flexibility, balance and strength.
Also like yoga, Pilates emphasizes elongating the muscles and creating space between the joints, while simultaneously building stability. Increased range of motion can help prevent injury and promote career longevity. Especially for those in highly mobile positions, like wide receivers, Pilates can facilitate more efficient movement on the field.
Leading by example, the following NFL receivers are using Pilates to their advantage, some as a complement to their weight training, and some as their primary method of strength training.
Antonio Brown
For Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, Pilates is an integral part of his training routine. Brown’s regimen is designed to enhance core strength and develop explosive power in his hips and glutes. He is focused on improving his flexibility with dynamic stretches. “It’s not like weight training . . . it’s all about control and body position, which receivers like myself need the most,” Brown told STACK last year.
“What Pilates does best is it creates muscle balance, so it works on strength and length at the same time,” said Brown’s instructor Christine Ruby. “Ideally, to keep him from getting injured, we need to make sure the muscles on one side of his body match in length and strength the muscles on the other side of the body.”
Ruby has Brown perform functional movements that work multiple muscle groups. Since Brown’s style of running “uses the hip flexors a lot,” his hip flexors are a main area of focus.
In addition to his upper legs and torso, Ruby also works with Brown on strength and alignment in his calves, ankles and feet, all of which usually receive little attention in a traditional gym setting.
Brown said that this whole-body approach, including the feet, has helped him become more “elusive.” In other words, the exercises have benefited his overall balance control, and “knowing how to get my feet where [I want] to go.”
For more including Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson go to http://www.stack.com/2015/04/17/wide-receivers-pilates.