Tag Archives: abdominal muscles

Baseball and Pilates

I’m loving this season at the baseball field 
cheering on my son and his team.  Aren’t they cute???
  I love watching their hard work pay off as the kids improve in their skills.  They throw, bat and catch over and over and over to develop the muscle memory to perfect the form for each skill.  
Sport specific practice on the field is essential, but it’s not the only way to improve as an athlete.  I love that Coach Tim encourages our boys to take gymnastics.  He understands how important core strength, balance, agility and coordination is for these boys. 
 These skills will make them more efficient!

In addition to gymnastics, 
Pilates exercises should be at the foundation of a baseball players workout.
LIVESTRONG talks about how pilates is a great way to improve specific skills for baseball.  

  • Pilates exercises strengthen the hip flexors that assist in rounding bases and catching balls while off balance and on the move.
  • Pilates exercises increase flexibility that will greatly reduce the chance of injury on the field.
  • A specific example is the single straight leg stretch which can improve core endurance and flexibility of the hamstring.  This in-turn will generate torque in baseball specific movement.
Read more at LIVESTRONG.com



Aubrey Huff of the San Francisco Giants gives credit to Pilates for his great shape and how he felt in 2010 when he was one of the best hitters in the major leagues.


Huff’s wife is a Pilates instructor, and before the 2010 season he did it three times a week. His muscles felt better, his back didn’t hurt as much and his general sense of well-being was enhanced.  



Read more about Aubrey Huff’s Pilates testimony here. 



 “I want to be one of THOSE kind of baseball players… a major league player.”

Iver Benson, age 6                   

                                                                                   


SAND WORKOUTS

Now that winter is coming to an end this year  🙂 – we need to ditch those winter blues and get outside!  Being creative with your workouts and changing up your location is rewarding both mentally and physically.
Let’s talk about SAND.  
The benefits from working out in the sand are HUGE!!!  
        During a sand workout, your…
 
 
The unstable surface…
  • burns more calories
  • makes exercises more challenging
  • creates less impact on joints
  • works the stabilizer muscles

 

If you aren’t convinced yet, let me put it this way:
Sand training will improve cardiovascular endurance, muscular endurance, strength, balance, ability, reaction time and coordination!

 

So go find a beach, a lake (with a sandy beach), or a sand volleyball court and get moving!!!
Yup- I get my kids moving with me. 

Taylor’s face!!!  She must be loving the burn!
Exercises to do in the sand:
  • squats
  • lunges
  • plyometric jumps
  • walking
  • jogging
  • pushups
These are just a few ideas!

Caution:  
Because of the unstable surface, the ankles, achilles, and knees are susceptible to injury-
so a good warm-up and stretch is essential!

Finding your “ENGAGED CORE” before Weight Lifting

Being a pilates instructor, my favorite thing to say is, 
ENGAGE YOUR CORE!” 
 I say it all the time, and I have people saying it to themselves throughout their day.


Let’s talk about the CORE:  
It’s made up of both deep and superficial muscles that stabilize, align, and move the trunk of the body.  We are talking our abdominal muscles, our bootylicious muscles (the gluteus), the lower back muscles, along with with the psoas of the hips and the multifidus of the spine.  The multifidus muscles are small, but very powerful in giving support to the spine.  Their function is to take pressure off of the discs in between each vertebra.  Strengthened, they can actually make you a little taller!  They are essential in keeping the spine stable and straight.


A good core workout will hit all of these areas.  It is a good idea to understand and strengthen your core before lifting weights.  Your CORE should ALWAYS be engaged before you lift any weight to protect your back.  This can protect you from back injury.

With my clients, I lead them through a Pilates routine to warm up, stretch out, and activate the CORE before they ever lift a weight.  Then, before they lift the weight above their head for a military press, for example, I say “ENGAGE YOUR CORE!” — and they are easily able to master the perfect form!


How to find your “ENGAGED CORE
Lay on the floor with your knees bent. 
 Relax.  
Stick your hand under your back.  
If there is space between your lower back and the floor, your CORE is relaxed.
 Now, flatten out that space by pressing your abs down toward your spine.
Now the back is flat.
Relax the CORE and engage it a few times noticing how your hips move.  Now get up and try to do that same movement standing.  Remember to keep your chest up.


Practicing the “ENGAGED CORE” position when lifting weights will create muscle memory for that posture and will roll over into everyday activities.


HAPPY ENGAGING!