Running is a fantastic exercise, it’s free, you can do it anywhere, get outside and enjoy the fresh air and people of different fitness levels can get involved (sprints, jog, intervals). However, it’s really important that runners do adequate stretching and also strengthen their body by training in other forms. One of the best way to balance your body in between your runs is reformer Pilates.
1. Balance all that lower body work with upper body work.
Ensure your upper body gets the attention it deserves! In Pilates, the arm, back and abdominal work we do will ensure your body has overall balance.
2. Stretch out those tight runners muscles in an active way.
Runners often have tight and shortened quads, hamstrings, calves and IT bands. The active stretches that we do in Pilates balance out this tightness in an active way, so you are still working out but you are giving your body what it needs to achieve balance.
3. Prevent injury by adding in rotation.
Running [while an excellent workout] keeps your body moving only in the sagittal plane and can cause imbalance and injury. It is very important to practice moving in every plane of movement and that’s what we do in Pilates! Flexion, extension and rotation of the legs ensure that the muscles are strengthened in a balanced way.
4. Strengthen our body.
Running is high impact and can cause injury to knees, ankles and hips. In contrast, reformer Pilates offers a low impact way to strengthen our body without placing stress on our bodies shock absorbers and joints.
Come on in and do a reformer Pilates class this week to balance out your body in between your runs
