We love when pilates can play a role with other exercises. Pilates’ main objective is to help your body work as a complete unit, wholistic movements to push your body to operate at its strongest. In this Blog, we are going to talk about a few different Pilates moves that can help your running and protect you from common injuries.
Running is a fun way to burn calories, increase energy levels and let’s be honest… get you outside of the house and exploring the beautiful Sunshine Coast! But running can also take a toll on your joints and muscles. If you already love running or if you are only just getting into it, doing strength training alongside your running has a ton of benefits! Push yourself and your running to the next level with movements that will increase your fitness, help prevent injury and renew your motivation. Sounds like all wins to us!
So here are 6 moves that you can do anywhere that will help your running:
1. PLANK
Your whole body will be activated while doing the plank. We love this for runners because it strengthens your hips, back, core, glutes and arms. So simple it can be done anywhere and it works your overall body strength!
2. SQUATS
Building powerhouse legs! Squats help stabilise your knees, strengthen your thighs, and prevent common running injuries. Remember to look after those knees!
3. BACK EXTENSIONS
Your lower back is involved in every step you take while running and plays an integral part in your stride. If strengthening the lower back for running is overlooked it can lead to extra pressure on the hamstring, ankles and hips.
4. SINGLE LEG STRETCH
An amazing Pilates exercise that activates your core and builds abdominal strength, which is your secret weapon to becoming a strong runner!
5. LEG CIRCLES
This movement develops stabilisation in the hips and torso while moving your legs and activating your core. Running takes a huge toll on your hips and it’s so important to look after them by building the muscles which support your hips.
6. CLAM
The clam tones (and nails!) your glutes. Strong glutes increases pelvic stability which protects and strengthens the integrity of your hips! When they’re strong, your lower back doesn’t bear the brunt of your motion. This is really important if you are a long distance runner.
We hope to help keep you in the best shape possible by maintaining a flexible, strong and healthy body! If you have any questions or want to know more, don’t hesitate to get in touch, we love being apart of your fitness journey!
