2 September 2025
Why Pilates could be the key to better athletic performance
More than just breath and balance, Pilates helps athletes train smarter, move better, and stay injury-free through focused, functional movement.
If you thought Pilates was just a few stretches and some breath work, think again. Whether it’s mat Pilates or reformer Pilates on Technogym Reform, there’s so much more than meets the eye to this low-impact style of movement.
In fact, Pilates, which focuses on slow, controlled movements, challenging core strength, posture and flexibility, can actually support you in so many other areas of life, including your performance in other sports or exercises. Plus, Pilates could be the secret to recovering faster and staying injury-free, so you can keep training hard and hitting new PBs.
If you’re looking for an edge in your training or sport, one or two Pilates sessions a week might be exactly what your routine is missing.
In fact, Pilates, which focuses on slow, controlled movements, challenging core strength, posture and flexibility, can actually support you in so many other areas of life, including your performance in other sports or exercises. Plus, Pilates could be the secret to recovering faster and staying injury-free, so you can keep training hard and hitting new PBs.
If you’re looking for an edge in your training or sport, one or two Pilates sessions a week might be exactly what your routine is missing.
1. Works the entire core
An attractive six-pack is one thing, but to run, cycle, swim and lift weights efficiently, you need more than just aesthetics; you need strength. In fact, you need every muscle in your core to work together. That’s because a strong core helps you to maintain form under fatigue, it protects the spin and reduces pain, and for lifters, supports a heavy load.
Luckily, Pilates doesn’t just focus on your six-pack muscles. It targets your entire trunk including the deep stabiliser muscles such as the obliques, pelvic floor and transversus abdominis. Slow, controlled moves allow you to activate and strengthen these muscles.
Reformer Pilates on Technogym Reform adds an extra layer of resistance, to work your core even harder and to build even more strength.
Luckily, Pilates doesn’t just focus on your six-pack muscles. It targets your entire trunk including the deep stabiliser muscles such as the obliques, pelvic floor and transversus abdominis. Slow, controlled moves allow you to activate and strengthen these muscles.
Reformer Pilates on Technogym Reform adds an extra layer of resistance, to work your core even harder and to build even more strength.
2. Boosts mobility
Good mobility means having a good range of motion in your joints as well as muscles that move freely. Tight muscles and stiff joints can make exercise harder, impacting performance and making you more prone to pain and injuries.
Hamstrings, hip flexors and shoulders are just three areas that can often become tight, but Pilates can help to encourage mobility and improve flexibility, without overstretching. Pilates is also ideal for helping to maintain good mobility as you age, when joints can naturally start to become stiffer. This in turn can allow you to keep moving comfortably throughout life.
Hamstrings, hip flexors and shoulders are just three areas that can often become tight, but Pilates can help to encourage mobility and improve flexibility, without overstretching. Pilates is also ideal for helping to maintain good mobility as you age, when joints can naturally start to become stiffer. This in turn can allow you to keep moving comfortably throughout life.
3. Strengthens stabilising muscles
In so many sports, there’s a big reliance on the big, powerful muscles such as the glutes and quads, but there are actually so many other smaller muscles which we often neglect. These smaller stabiliser muscles – such as the rotator cuff in your shoulder or your hip stabilisers – help to keep you aligned and balanced, supporting and controlling movement as well as helping to reduce the risk of injury.
Pilates is one of the best activities you can do to help strengthen your stabiliser muscles as it targets them with low-impact, focused movements to improve control, posture and coordination.
Pilates is one of the best activities you can do to help strengthen your stabiliser muscles as it targets them with low-impact, focused movements to improve control, posture and coordination.
4. Supports recovery
All athletes know that recovery is the secret to performing better. But recovery doesn’t mean simply resting and doing nothing. In fact, Pilates is an ideal recovery day exercise as it’s low impact, while helping to reduce stiffness and promote muscular balance, to help you bounce back between training sessions.
Pilates also helps to address weak links, reducing the chance of overuse injuries. These are common in sports such as running.
Pilates also helps to address weak links, reducing the chance of overuse injuries. These are common in sports such as running.
5. Improves focus
It’s thanks to Pilates strong emphasis on breath control, which makes it ideal for helping you to stay composed and collected during times of high pressure. This might be a competition or a particularly brutal training session.
Plus, developing a good breathing technique can help to improve oxygen delivery to support your body and muscles during movement, helping them to function more efficiency.
Plus, developing a good breathing technique can help to improve oxygen delivery to support your body and muscles during movement, helping them to function more efficiency.
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