Chinese Character - Back in the saddle Pilates

CITYLIFE / Hip & New






Back in the saddle Pilates

By Pam LeBlanc (Shanghai Daily)
Updated: 2007-06-20 10:56


Dancers were among the first to exercise on Pilates machines - which look
suspiciously like torture racks - to strengthen and balance their core
muscles.

Eventually, golfers, swimmers and cyclists realized Pilates could improve
their performances, too. In Austin, Texas, you can now add equestrians to
the list of athletes who cross-train with core-buffing Pilates routines.



Riders say it keeps them more stable in the saddle, improves flexibility
and helps them connect with their horses, all skills that can be thrown
out of whack by crouching over a keyboard or slouching in a chair too
long.

"In a sense, you are blending with what the horse is doing," said Maggie
Parker, a Pilates instructor who works with all types of equestrians,
from polo players to dressage riders.

"A rider is on another living flesh-and-blood being. You really have to
connect, blend the musculature, yet keep it separate."

Pilates teaches athletes to rely on their body's deepest muscles and
relax the big overworked extrinsic muscles such as the quadriceps and
glutes. For riders, building inner strength can mean moving with the
horse instead of bouncing against it.

A rider's upper body essentially floats in space when he's on a horse. If
his core muscles are strong, he is less likely to yank on the reins or
grip with his glutes to stay in the saddle. He also can better maintain a
"neutral pelvis," or home base that his pelvis moves from and returns to
while riding.


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