A Pilates program has helped Annika Sorenstam dominate women's golf. By Alastair Grant, AP

"Pilates is about focus, and so is golf," Sundberg says. "Pilates is also about movement from the centre of the body, using all of the muscles of the body, and so is golf. Pilates allows golfers to move differently."

Sarah Christensen, owner of the Orchid Pagoda Studio in Fairfax, Va., has seen Pilates have a profound impact on her clients who golf. So she has created a golf-specific Pilates exercise program for every level of golfer that's taught in resorts and golf clubs throughout the country. She also has written a manual with golf-specific Pilates exercises that can be done at home and on the course.

"Your golf pro can say, 'Swing this way.' But you won't be able to do that if your body can't do that," she says. "By doing Pilates, you can make corrections to your body — strengthen the core, increase flexibility, build stability in the pelvis and shoulder girdles, balance both sides of the body, which will allow you to hit it farther, straighter and more accurately."

She is so sold on this training method that Christensen has filed a trademark application for the term "Pilates for Golf" and certifies instructors in her program.

Christensen says there's another reason Pilates for golf works so well, especially for the pros.

"I hate to say this, but a lot of pro golfers get a lot out of Pilates because they probably aren't in as good a shape as pro football, basketball or baseball players," Christensen says. "Only in the last few years have pro golfers found fitness."

Of all the professional athletes doing Pilates, golfers have adapted to it the fastest. Pilates disciples include David Duval, Annika Sorenstam and Kelli Kuehne. Other devotees are Andrew McGee, Carin Koch, Grace Park and Betsy King, who have been trained by Angela Sundberg, owner of Bodyscapes in Scottsdale, Ariz.

A Pilates program has helped Annika Sorenstam dominate women's golf. By Alastair Grant, AP

"Pilates is about focus, and so is golf," Sundberg says. "Pilates is also about movement from the centre of the body, using all of the muscles of the body, and so is golf. Pilates allows golfers to move differently."

Sarah Christensen, owner of the Orchid Pagoda Studio in Fairfax, Va., has seen Pilates have a profound impact on her clients who golf. So she has created a golf-specific Pilates exercise program for every level of golfer that's taught in resorts and golf clubs throughout the country. She also has written a manual with golf-specific Pilates exercises that can be done at home and on the course.

"Your golf pro can say, 'Swing this way.' But you won't be able to do that if your body can't do that," she says. "By doing Pilates, you can make corrections to your body — strengthen the core, increase flexibility, build stability in the pelvis and shoulder girdles, balance both sides of the body, which will allow you to hit it farther, straighter and more accurately."

She is so sold on this training method that Christensen has filed a trademark application for the term "Pilates for Golf" and certifies instructors in her program.

Christensen says there's another reason Pilates for golf works so well, especially for the pros.

"I hate to say this, but a lot of pro golfers get a lot out of Pilates because they probably aren't in as good a shape as pro football, basketball or baseball players," Christensen says. "Only in the last few years have pro golfers found fitness."

Of all the professional athletes doing Pilates, golfers have adapted to it the fastest. Pilates disciples include David Duval, Annika Sorenstam and Kelli Kuehne. Other devotees are Andrew McGee, Carin Koch, Grace Park and Betsy King, who have been trained by Angela Sundberg, owner of Bodyscapes in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Pilates - No longer just for women

As mainstream as the Pilates method of developing core muscle groups has become, male professional athletes interested in adding it to their training programs still must get past the stigma that this is largely a women's exercise.

Kidd, the Nets superstar point guard, gave his wife, Joumana, a longtime Pilates devotee, a hard time when she told him it might help in his rehabilitation of a broken ankle a few years ago. After weeks of making fun of Pilates, Kidd finally tried it.

"I immediately discovered how tight I was," Kidd recalls. "After one session I was energized. From that point on I was convinced it was a great workout."

For Kidd, Pilates is all about finding the edge. He estimates 30% of his strength and flexibility training comes from Pilates. "Pilates has made me quicker, more explosive," he says.

Rich Dalatri, the Nets strength coach, has been instrumental in introducing the exercise method to the entire team.

"Pilates is rejuvenating, restorative, invigorating," he says, "maybe because it gets the blood flowing through every inch of the muscles. It's so internal. It puts you in tune with your body. It puts you in a different state."

The Nets have invested in Pilates equipment for their weight room. The players are so dependent that throughout the NBA playoffs in 2002, a leading Pilates company shipped special equipment to the team's hotel on road trips.

Patience pays off

Pilates' founding father always proclaimed, "In 10 sessions, you will feel the difference. In 20, you will see the difference. And in 30, you'll have a whole new body."

Schilling, the Arizona Diamondbacks star pitcher, agrees. "The first three weeks, I was really disappointed," says Schilling, who incorporated Pilates into his off season training program last winter. "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 centre. By the third month I was more powerful and flexible than ever before. And I'd lost 15 pounds."

Hannah Gallagher, Schilling's Pilates instructor, says, "He's a man. He's used to hard-core workouts, where you throw up afterward. Pilates is not that. It is an equal balance of stretch and strength."

After years of the no-pain, no-gain school of thought, male professional athletes say they appreciate the kinder, gentler, holistic aspect of Pilates.

For Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl offensive guard Ruben Brown, Pilates is all about preventing injury.

"I'm a big guy with a gut," the 6-0, 300-pound Brown says. "I was always battling back strain. Plus, I'm 30 years old now. I'm tired of lifting weights, taking the pounding."

The last two off seasons Brown has done Pilates three times a week.

"My first session, it shook me up," Brown says. "It shook everything up. It still does."

"And man, those Pilates women are competitive. They want to see if they can get the big, strong football player to wimp out. I told myself, 'Hey, ladies, I can do that, too.' "

How has his body responded to Pilates?

"I came out of the season injury-free," he says. "I used to feel like crap after practice and games but not since Pilates.

"I learned how to breathe through my muscles. My posture is better. I can run more fluidly. And I increased my bench workouts."

'Profound impact' on Mediate

For PGA Tour pro Rocco Mediate, Pilates is all about strengthening his back — and prolonging his career. After major back surgery in 1994, Mediate says he wasn't the same. He couldn't bend over for long periods of time to practice his putting, and his back always went out after lengthy plane trips.

Enter Pilates in November 2001

"After a week I was turned around," he says. "After two I felt like I'd never felt before."

Mediate has since sold his weights and has completely outfitted the workout room in his Ponte Vedra, Fla., home with several pieces of Pilates equipment. "Pilates never compromises your back," he says. "I've got more motion in my shoulders, midsection and legs. I can repeat my basic swing more often. Pilates is going to add five, six, seven ... years to my career."

Caroline Schmid, Mediate's Pilates instructor, says, "The golf swing is a little one-sided, which can create imbalance in the body. Pilates helps to balance out the body against the forces of the swing. It helps to create less torque in the spine because you learn to swing from your centre and not from your limbs."

Mediate's wife, Linda, also has had success with Pilates. She has overcome injuries suffered in three car accidents as well as giving birth to three children: "I couldn't walk unless I put my hand on my back."

She gives Pilates credit for major improvements in her husband's game.

"He used to avoid putting, and now he's a putting machine," she says. "I want to hug Caroline because she has had such a profound impact on Rocco."

Celebrities Madonna, Julia Roberts and Sharon Stone have done it. So have golfer Tiger Woods, basketball star Jason Kidd, pitcher Curt Schilling and offensive lineman Ruben Brown. What they all have in common is Pilates, one of the fastest growing fitness activities in America, according to SGMA International, the trade association for sports equipment manufacturers.

Golfer Charles Nardiello works on a knee mobility, a Pilates exercise intended to improve his game.
By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

Designed to increase flexibility and improve posture, balance and coordination, Pilates focuses on strengthening the body's core or midsection.

Once favoured by rock divas, actresses and super-models, the stretching and strengthening exercise method developed by Joseph Pilates (pih-LAH-teez) has become the latest training rage for male professional athletes.

"Since I've done Pilates, I'm much better looking and 4 feet taller," says Rich Beem, winner of the 2002 PGA Championship. "Seriously, I'm now so stretched out and have such great posture that I look and feel like a different person."

Developed in the early 1900s, Pilates consists of 500 exercises, all initiating from the muscles in the abdomen, lower back, hips or buttocks. The cost of a private Pilates session with a properly licensed instructor is comparable to or slightly more expensive than a personal training session.

For athletes, the benefits include more efficient movement as well as better endurance, speed and quickness.

Pilates - No longer just for women

As mainstream as the Pilates method of developing core muscle groups has become, male professional athletes interested in adding it to their training programs still must get past the stigma that this is largely a women's exercise.

Kidd, the Nets superstar point guard, gave his wife, Joumana, a longtime Pilates devotee, a hard time when she told him it might help in his rehabilitation of a broken ankle a few years ago. After weeks of making fun of Pilates, Kidd finally tried it.

"I immediately discovered how tight I was," Kidd recalls. "After one session I was energized. From that point on I was convinced it was a great workout."

For Kidd, Pilates is all about finding the edge. He estimates 30% of his strength and flexibility training comes from Pilates. "Pilates has made me quicker, more explosive," he says.

Rich Dalatri, the Nets strength coach, has been instrumental in introducing the exercise method to the entire team.

"Pilates is rejuvenating, restorative, invigorating," he says, "maybe because it gets the blood flowing through every inch of the muscles. It's so internal. It puts you in tune with your body. It puts you in a different state."

The Nets have invested in Pilates equipment for their weight room. The players are so dependent that throughout the NBA playoffs in 2002, a leading Pilates company shipped special equipment to the team's hotel on road trips.

Patience pays off

Pilates' founding father always proclaimed, "In 10 sessions, you will feel the difference. In 20, you will see the difference. And in 30, you'll have a whole new body."

Schilling, the Arizona Diamondbacks star pitcher, agrees. "The first three weeks, I was really disappointed," says Schilling, who incorporated Pilates into his off season training program last winter. "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 centre. By the third month I was more powerful and flexible than ever before. And I'd lost 15 pounds."

Hannah Gallagher, Schilling's Pilates instructor, says, "He's a man. He's used to hard-core workouts, where you throw up afterward. Pilates is not that. It is an equal balance of stretch and strength."

After years of the no-pain, no-gain school of thought, male professional athletes say they appreciate the kinder, gentler, holistic aspect of Pilates.

For Buffalo Bills Pro Bowl offensive guard Ruben Brown, Pilates is all about preventing injury.

"I'm a big guy with a gut," the 6-0, 300-pound Brown says. "I was always battling back strain. Plus, I'm 30 years old now. I'm tired of lifting weights, taking the pounding."

The last two off seasons Brown has done Pilates three times a week.

"My first session, it shook me up," Brown says. "It shook everything up. It still does."

"And man, those Pilates women are competitive. They want to see if they can get the big, strong football player to wimp out. I told myself, 'Hey, ladies, I can do that, too.' "

How has his body responded to Pilates?

"I came out of the season injury-free," he says. "I used to feel like crap after practice and games but not since Pilates.

"I learned how to breathe through my muscles. My posture is better. I can run more fluidly. And I increased my bench workouts."

'Profound impact' on Mediate

For PGA Tour pro Rocco Mediate, Pilates is all about strengthening his back — and prolonging his career. After major back surgery in 1994, Mediate says he wasn't the same. He couldn't bend over for long periods of time to practice his putting, and his back always went out after lengthy plane trips.

Enter Pilates in November 2001

"After a week I was turned around," he says. "After two I felt like I'd never felt before."

Mediate has since sold his weights and has completely outfitted the workout room in his Ponte Vedra, Fla., home with several pieces of Pilates equipment. "Pilates never compromises your back," he says. "I've got more motion in my shoulders, midsection and legs. I can repeat my basic swing more often. Pilates is going to add five, six, seven ... years to my career."

Caroline Schmid, Mediate's Pilates instructor, says, "The golf swing is a little one-sided, which can create imbalance in the body. Pilates helps to balance out the body against the forces of the swing. It helps to create less torque in the spine because you learn to swing from your centre and not from your limbs."

Mediate's wife, Linda, also has had success with Pilates. She has overcome injuries suffered in three car accidents as well as giving birth to three children: "I couldn't walk unless I put my hand on my back."

She gives Pilates credit for major improvements in her husband's game.

"He used to avoid putting, and now he's a putting machine," she says. "I want to hug Caroline because she has had such a profound impact on Rocco."

Celebrities Madonna, Julia Roberts and Sharon Stone have done it. So have golfer Tiger Woods, basketball star Jason Kidd, pitcher Curt Schilling and offensive lineman Ruben Brown. What they all have in common is Pilates, one of the fastest growing fitness activities in America, according to SGMA International, the trade association for sports equipment manufacturers.

Golfer Charles Nardiello works on a knee mobility, a Pilates exercise intended to improve his game.
By H. Darr Beiser, USA TODAY

Designed to increase flexibility and improve posture, balance and coordination, Pilates focuses on strengthening the body's core or midsection.

Once favoured by rock divas, actresses and super-models, the stretching and strengthening exercise method developed by Joseph Pilates (pih-LAH-teez) has become the latest training rage for male professional athletes.

"Since I've done Pilates, I'm much better looking and 4 feet taller," says Rich Beem, winner of the 2002 PGA Championship. "Seriously, I'm now so stretched out and have such great posture that I look and feel like a different person."

Developed in the early 1900s, Pilates consists of 500 exercises, all initiating from the muscles in the abdomen, lower back, hips or buttocks. The cost of a private Pilates session with a properly licensed instructor is comparable to or slightly more expensive than a personal training session.

For athletes, the benefits include more efficient movement as well as better endurance, speed and quickness.