It is a myth that pilates is only fruitful for women but it can also be beneficial for athletes. In contrary to the belief that Pilates is a very gentle exercise, this form can be very athletic and challenging. Doing pilates exercises would amp up strength, performance and concentration of people of all fitness levels. Thus, expert suggest athletes to practice Pilates on a regular basis to improve their fitness and yield better results. Pilates is popular as an advanced system of exercises for athletes. In this article, we will be talking about 5 advanced pilates exercises for athletes.
1. Mermaid
This is one of the most beautiful and equally powerful exercise in Pilates. It is based on side plank but with a more grace and more dynamic as a movement.
- So, you start on the side with fingers away from the body.
- Your shoulders should be away from the ear and the top arm in in front.
- Legs are one in front of another.
- As you breathe in, you connect to the core, engage your core and lift yourself up.
- Go high as much as you can creating a side stretch while at the same time working on the oblique muscles.
- Breathe in and go back to the starting position.
- Repeat this 5-10 times and then switch sides.
2. Boomerang
This is a combination of two exercises.
- Lie down on the mat with legs straight.
- Now, you start with one leg crossed on top of another.
- Slowly raise your legs and hands in parallel at 45 degrees angle while inhaling
- As you exhale, come back to the starting position.
- Now, put on leg crossed on the top of the other legs and hands on the side.
- Slowly lift your crossed legs and take them all over your head in parallel to the ground.
- Try to touch the ground behind your head with your toes.
- Stay in this position for 10-15 seconds and then return to starting position.
- Do this 5- 10 times.
3. Scissors
- First, lie on the ground.
- Now you lift your bottom up as high as you can
- Place your hands under your hips to support your lower body in lifting up.
- In a swift movement, move one leg crossed above the other
- This should mimic the movement of the scissors.
4. Around the world
- You sit upright with your arms stretched behind you
- Lift your legs up in the air
- Your body should create the letter ‘N’in this position
- If you bend your knees, your body would look like letter ‘M’.
- Now, lower down the legs while keeping them stretched and straight
- Make circles using your legs clockwise and anticlockwise.
- This may look like as if you are tracing a circular shape using your legs.
5. Jackknife
- The beginning of this exercise looks similar to boomerang.
- Lie on the back and stretch your legs while hands are placed on the sides.
- Roll over all the way back to the head.
- Hold this position.
- On the way down, instead of going down, you have to stretch your legs upwards while lifting the body upwards.
These are five advanced pilates exercises that are great for athletes. This would strengthen their core to enhance endurance and performance.
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