Even though celebrities and professional athletes sing the praises of Pilates, the “aging athlete” is another sub-group of Pilates’ participants that have found Pilates to be an invaluable addition to their lives. The “aging athlete” includes those individuals between the ages of 40-60 who have either continuously been involved in sports activities or are seeking a way to incorporate everyday exercise into their schedules. After the age of 30, muscle mass is lost. As the 40’s are surmounted, bone density is affected. Not to mention that tendons and ligaments lose elasticity as each individual ages. With these changes it makes it more and more difficult to even maintain previous workouts or activities, let alone add to them. Body preservation must be attempted in alternative ways once our bodies achieve a certain level of maturity.

This group of “aging athletes” has been broken down into 3 different groups. These 3 groups include the “older athlete”, the “prematurely mature athlete” and the “former athlete”. The “older athlete” is one who has maintained a consistent fitness schedule for most of his/her life, however a nagging injury may be preventing the continuation of those workouts. The “former athlete” is predisposed to muscle degradation from their involvement in a low aerobic conditioning sport like golf. The “prematurely aging athlete” is one that has injuries. These injuries are oftentimes significantly serious, but are still ignored. Usually the injury is neglected on the basis of “playing through” the pain. This type of injury will result in a shorter athletic lifetime for that individual.

Pilates based rehab is the perfect addition to these types of situations. The healing components of the mind-body combination found in Pilates’ movements can begin the gentle reintroduction of strength training and rotary motion. Its kind and gentle approach can correct an injured system in an effective yet concise manner. Instead of walking through numerous different exercises, the entire Pilates based rehab circuit can be achieved centrally and with ease. The principle behind Pilates, reinstating harmony within the body and the mind, is the crux behind why Pilates based rehab is so successful for its clients.

Whether you play sports professionally or just play softball for a local charity, Pilates can transform an average performance, recovery, or endurance threshold into that of a highly trained athlete. Nearly a dozen professional sports team have instated Pilates as a part of their training regime, not to mention that more than 10 million people worldwide are participants as well. The strain of heavy lifting or the risk of highly elevated heart rates has no place in any Pilates studio. Pilates is considered one of the safest and worthwhile ways to produce a highly effective body in any phase of an athletic career.

Every athlete wants to be able to hit further, throw harder, or run faster. Pilates has gained enormous support and popularity from the professional, as well the recreational athletic community throughout the years. From athletes in the NBA, NFL, and MLB to bicyclists, mountain climbers, tennis players, swimmers, skiers, golfers, runners, aging athletes, recovering athletes or body builders, Pilates offers optimum physical benefits, injury prevention and aids recovery.

The gentle gliding, found in most of Pilates’ poses and exercises, lengthens tight muscles and increases flexibility within the joints. It also emphasizes correct posture and stability. Proper alignment ensures better balance-control and agility. When the body begins expending the correct amount of energy, the muscles are protected from overtraining and an increase in stamina will quickly follow.

Most athletes train extremely hard to prepare and maintain their athleticism. Heavily relying on the “no pain, no gain” theory, a typical workout may center itself on anaerobic and aerobic forms of exercise that are very high-impact. Pilates’ holistic approach to physical exertion isn’t the usual strenuous regime in which they are used to pushing their bodies. Some athletes are taken by surprise, because Pilates yields similar results as the “harder” forms of training but without the risk of injury.

Curt Schilling who is a Major League Baseball pitcher, currently with the Boston Red Sox, was quoted in USA Today saying, “The first three weeks, I was really disappointed…I wasn’t sweating. I wasn’t winded, which is what I associate with true exercise. Then in the fourth week I started to understand the Pilates terminology, the idea of working from your center. By the third month I was more powerful and flexible than ever before. And I’d lost 15 pounds.”

When Pilates is introduced to any athlete’s training regime, a flurry of counterbalancing affects take place. “Total body” conditioning makes Pilates exercise unique among its peers. Instead of focusing on one body part at a time, which attributes to muscular imbalance, Pilates works all parts of the body together. This process begins within the “core” of the body. The core muscles include: the pelvic floor, the back, shoulder girdle, and the abdomen. When all of these parts work together simultaneously, a newfound functionality of the body is discovered and developed.

Pilates jumpstarts the circulatory system by enlisting blood flow to every muscle within the body. This increases alertness, speed, and energy. The USA Today article goes on to quote Jason Kidd, the Dallas Mavericks superstar point guard as saying, “After one session I was energized. From that point on I was convinced it was a great workout… Pilates has made me quicker, more explosive.” It was Kidd’s wife who had encouraged him to try Pilates, but he had balked at the thought of enrolling in a class thinking it was ‘just for women”. However, after trying it for him self it was obvious that Pilates had just the right blend of training that he needed. Even one of the most competitive sports figures in basketball was persuaded by the aftereffects of Pilates.

Since most sports involve repetitive movement, muscular imbalances develop which increase the risk of injury. Injury is by far the biggest fear for most athletes since it inhibits them for progressing in their career or it can impede their commitment to personal health and fitness. For athletes, Pilates is essential to the recovery process and is one of the most productive forms of rehabilitation.