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5 ways that Pilates Reformer workouts can help improve your running speed:

Athletic Pilates reformer workouts are an effective cross-training method to improve a runner’s race time.

 

  1. Strengthen Core Muscles – Pilates Reformer workouts focus on strengthening the core muscles – muscle that lay deep in the body closer to the spine. It also helps strengthen bigger muscle groups including the abdominals, lower back, hips and glutes. Strong core muscle help to improve a runner’s posture, stability and balance, leading to a more efficient running form and less energy wasted.
  2. Improve Flexibility and Range of Motion – Pilates reformer exercises can improve flexibility and range of motion, which can reduce the risk of injury and improve running efficiency. By increasing the range of motion in the hips, for example, a runner can take longer strides and cover more ground with each step.
  3. Enhance Breathing – Athletic Pilates reformer workouts emphasize breathing techniques that can improve lung capacity and oxygen intake. This is particularly important for runners, as increased oxygen uptake allows the body to use energy more efficiently, improving endurance.
  4. Develop Muscular Endurance – Reformer Pilates exercises can be performed with high reps and low weights, which can develop muscular endurance without adding bulk. This type of training can help runners maintain good form through a race and reduce fatigue.
  5. Improve Mind-Body Connection – Pilates emphasizes the mind-body connection, which can help runners to tune into their bodies and identify areas of tension or weakness. This awareness can be used to improve running form and prevent injury.

Incorporating Athletic Pilates Reformer workouts into a runner’s training regimen can provide a well-rounded approach to training, improving strength, flexibility, and endurance, leading to a better race time.

3 Ways to Crush Your Next Race

3 Ways to Improve Imbalances From Running – Crush Your Next Race

It’s hard to beat the benefits of running. It’s an awesome cardio and endurance activity. The feeling you get from a good run is addicting. Unfortunately, the wear and tear on joints and musculature imbalances that this high-impact sport can bring often become problematic.

Some great news is that there are 3 things you can do to improve imbalances from running and crush your next race, setting a new PR:

1.     Pinpoint your imbalances

2.     Strengthen your glutes

3.     Strengthen your deep core muscles

Improve Imbalances From Running

Common Imbalances for Runners

  • Quadriceps become more developed than the hamstrings
  • Lower back muscles become stronger than abdominal muscles
  • Hip flexors become stronger than the gluteus muscles – and weak glutes are one of the worst precursors for injuries in runners.

Many runners feel the results of their imbalances and gluteal weakness in the form of back pain and believe their backs are to blame. The truth is that strong glutes equal strong backs! Your back pain will lesson and often go away entirely when you strengthen your glutes and deep core muscles.

When your glutes are weak, you’ll lose mobility in the hips, and your body will over-compensate to compensate for the glutes not functioning properly. This over-compensation leads to overuse of the rest of the muscles and joints and ultimately shows up in injuries.

Improve your imbalances from running and you’ll see a change in the way you feel and move. You may even hit a new PR and crush your next race!

Improve Imbalances from Running

Test Your Glute Strength to Improve Your Running

  1. Squat Stand on one leg (with the other leg lifted to 90 degrees in the front of the hip and knee) and try to hold your pelvis level. Gluteal weakness shows itself when the pelvis tips to one side or the other.
  2. Lay on your side with hips and bottom leg straight. Bend the top leg forward at the knee, hovering toward the floor. Slowly lift the top leg diagonally up and backward away from your body 10 times, keeping your toes forward or slightly down. If there’s pain, it may be a sign of weak glutes.

Strengthening Your Glutes at Home?

You probably won’t be surprised to hear this, but you need to start doing squats and lunges, stat.

Other Exercises That Will Help Tremendously:

  • Single Leg Squats and Lunges
  • Deadlifts
  • Lunge Walks
  • Side Lying Leg Lifts
  • Step Ups
  • Reverse Planks
Pilates Reformer Classes at Core10 Pilates

If you live in eastern Nebraska and are looking for the best Pilates studio in Omaha, book a class at Core10 Pilates. They specialize in athletic group fitness Pilates reformer classes. Every workout is designed to strengthen members’ backs while incorporating exercises targeting the glutes and core muscles.

 

Strengthen, Lengthen, and Tone at home.

TAP HERE for a short video of 5 minutes to do daily to increase mobility in the areas that matter most.

Look for an athletic Pilates studio near you that is a challenging, core-focused Pilates reformer workout. These high-intensity Pilates reformer classes blend heart-pumping cardio and total body strength training – not your average Pilates class. It’s better and gives faster results because of the higher level of intensity and is less complicated than traditional Pilates.

Athletic Pilates studios like Core10 Pilates blend traditional strength training concepts (i.e…muscle fatigue and endurance) with the precision of Pilates for better results faster.

This kind of workout eliminates or minimizes rest periods, keeping the muscle tension constant. At the same time, your Athletic Pilates Trainers coach you to the optimal level of fatigue to fire up your fat-burning, slow-twitch muscle fibers in each exercise.

Core10 Pilates, like many high-intensity Pilates workouts, is the most effective, fun, and complete workout you can get in just 50 minutes. Then you can run, increase your speed, and make new PRs.

 

Core10 Pilates works with runners (half and full marathons) and runners who just run to run (not to race). Sign up HERE to try an Athletic Pilates Reformer class at Core10 Pilates in Omaha, Nebraska, or HERE to find one like it in your area.


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