Cross-Training.

What is cross-training? If you look it up, you will find that, for once, Wikipedia provides the most comprehensive definition :

‘Cross-training is athletic training in sports other than the athlete’s usual sport. The goal is improving overall performance. It takes advantage of the particular effectiveness of one training method to negate the shortcomings of another’.

Put simply, you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket. If you are training for the marathon, you need to do more than just run. If you like to don Lycra and cycle to hills at the weekend, you should incorporate a contrasting form of exercise during the week.

Pilates offers the perfect contrast to many sports. It can be weight bearing or non-weight bearing. It strengthens the core, the muscles that protect us from deep inside. It works the postural muscles, counteracting the flexion associated with many sports like hockey, cycling, rowing. It is symmetrical, unlike many sports such as tennis, cricket, golf. It will stretch and strengthen the muscles through full range of motion, so that when we return to the repeated mid-range movements of our sport (think jogging, cycling, horse riding) we will be less prone to repetitive strain injuries.

The world’s top professional sports people are religious about incorporating Pilates into their training regimes. At a talk some years ago given by a Sports Physio to one of the soccer teams in the Premier League he told us that it is common place for soccer players to make provision to bring their Pilates Instructor with them when they transfer.

So, mix it up! Run, swim, do Pilates and keep moving well and for longer.