Spring Training vs. Opening Day
The Major League Season officially opened on March 31, 2022, and the first home game for the Toronto Blue Jays is scheduled for Friday, April 8th. Things are looking good for the Jays, a young and talented team of heavy hitters from around the globe that has approached each season with incredible joy and a genuine love of the game. During the 2021 MLB season, the Blue Jays brought a lot of happiness to the fans with their late season surge and league leading depth at the plate.
More and more frequently, we see professional athletes turning to Pilates to improve their conditioning. From Lebron James to Cristiano Ronaldo to Serena Williams, high profile athletes are incorporating Pilates into their conditioning routines to strengthen their powerhouse, increase overall flexibility, and up their mental game. Former Jays’ pitcher, Aaron Sanchez, convinced Atlanta Braves’ right-hander, Toukki Toussaint, to take up Pilates in the off season. In an interview with Parker Johnson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Toussaint said: “Aaron Sanchez told me to do Pilates last year, and I was like, ‘What?! I’m not taking Pilates.’ But he told me to trust it, so I did it, and it has made a huge difference. So I go work out, then I do Pilates every day. You learn about your body. Small things you didn’t realize you need like balance and core, you need that. It makes workouts easier.”
Pilates as cross training for soccer, hockey, and baseball is a viable option for young athletes and weekend warriors, too. One of Retrofit’s youngest clients incorporates Pilates into his training to help build more strength and lengthen short, tight muscles. Pilates once or twice a week supports his quickly growing body, reduces his injury time, and keeps him playing competitive hockey and baseball.
Retrofit’s studio is home to many golfers and tennis players, too, because Pilates training can improve grip strength, reflexes, lateral mobility, obliques strength, and balance. For athletes that rely on repetitive motions in one direction, Pilates can increase body awareness and help build strength and mobility in greater symmetry.
Watch our social media this April for sport specific training tips, or book a private Pilates session with one of our instructors to kick your workouts up a notch. Opening Day lasts just 24 hours, but thinking of your Pilates routine as part of Spring Training can yield a season’s worth of benefits.
See you in class! ~Pam
