SPORTS TRAINING AND PILATES

Sarah has worked with soccer players, crew teams, marathon runners, swimmers and football players.  Most recently, she has been working with Tom Shaw's   training to give his NFL draft hopefuls an edge.  This year Sarah worked with current and future NFL stars like #1 draft pick, Calvin Johnson, Laron Landry, Chris Leak, and Jarvis Moss - to name a few.  She also worked with Pittsburgh Steeler's Ike Taylor and Ricardo Colclough as well as Ryan Hoag of the Redskins. 

Sarah was interviewed for her work with Calvin Johnson on Sportsillustrated.com and will be featured on NBC in Pittsburgh with Ike Taylor this May.

If you would like Sarah to work with your team or athlete, please email her at sarah@picotpilates.com  

WHY DOES PILATES WORK FOR PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES?

Whether it's football, soccer, hockey or basketball, all professional athletes need:

• power
• flexibility
• longevity
• balance
• stamina

Pilates can give it all to you.  Pilates is known for it's amazing core strengthening abitlities.  Without core strength there can be no power, stability, speed or optimal use of the arms and legs.  If you need to change directions quickly and with speed, you need your core to control you.  The freedom and range of motion your arms and legs need is only possible through core strength.  If not, when you move your leg your whole body moves and distorts you.

Joseph Pilates saw his Method as a way of life not just an exercise program.  He believed in uniform development and flexibility of the body.  Without it, injury is inevitable.  He saw the breath, the spine and the core as the root to perfect fitness and health.

Pilates changes the way you breath so that each breath is deep and useful without allowing the abdomin to relax.  No atlete can afford to relax their source of power.  The Pilates breath provides greater circulation and stamina.  Most athletes take short quick breaths that wind and fatigue the muscles.  Pilates breathing oxygenates the blood most efficiently.

Even though every exercise is in some way an abdominal exercise, most increase the flexibility of the legs, spine and shoulders.  Golfers have already discovered that their spinal rotation is increased through Pilates.  That coupled with the core strength, have given golfers more power behind their swing. 

The more flexibilty your legs have the greater your stride and more distance you can cover when running.  If flexibility for improved performance wasn't enough incentive to do Pilates, how is injury prevention?  The more flexible, the less likely you are to pull muscles during quick changes of direction or unexpected extensions.

Soccer players tend to have abdominal strains, while football and basketball players suffer from leg and knee injuries.  Flexibility, core strength and uniform development of the body will alleviate all of those injuries.  Athletes tend to overdevelop 1 or 2 larger group of muscles while neglecting their opposite and supporting muscles.  Pilates challenges your body to work from the inside out to give you a strong foundation and to find weaknesses and correct them.