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 offseason 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 center. 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 offseasons 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 center 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."
