Did you know that Pilates can help your rowing performance?

Pilates can help your rowing

If we take at the list of all the muscles being used when rowing, we have pretty much the entire body working.  From muscles that allow you to plantar flex your ankles (point your toes) to the muscles along your spine to help extend your spine.  Small, deep stabilizing muscles to help protect your lower back, to big powerful muscles of your quadriceps to get the movements started.  Learn more how Pilates can help your rowing.

Pilates Mat Work for Rowing

Matwork is great for getting the abs working and those core muscles.  The “c” curve in Pilates is this curve in your spine, like a “c”, that is created through contracting the abdominals to cause flexion in the spine. The stronger your abdominals, the greater the flexion or the “c” curve, and the longer you can maintain it.  Exercises like rolling like a ball, half roll back, obliques roll back, seal among others work on the “c curve” of the spine.  Exercises like ab prep, roll up, neck pull work on the upper part of the abdominals.  Exercises like hundred, single leg stretch, double leg stretch, work both the upper and lower abdominals.  Exercises like roll over, jack knife focus on the lower part of the abdominals.  Exercises such as obliques, obliques roll back, side bend, spine twist work incorporate the obliques.  Exercises such as breast stroke, swimming, swan dive get the erector spinae (spine extensors) working.  Scapular and pelvic stabilization and spinal alignment is always incorporated into every exercise. 

Reformer Exercise for Rowing

Reformer work is an excellent way to get the legs and arms working, along with the rest of the body.  The reformer adds a dynamic component to Pilates which is a great way to challenge stabilizing muscles and spinal alignment.  Exercises that work the legs and lower body are plentiful on the reformer.  Lying on the reformer performing footwork to get the quadriecps, glutes, hamstrings, hip flexors and calves working; lying on the reformer with feet in the straps to get the lower body working including stabilizing muscles, lateral (external) and medial (internal) rotators of the legs and flexibility in particular in the hamstrings, adductors (inner thighs) and lower back (lumbar spine).  Exercises standing, side splits, working the gluteus medius and/or adductors, front and back splits challenging the muscles of the legs while incorporating balance and stability.  The upper body can be challenged on the reformer, everything from the chest, shoulders with the front rowing exercises and the back (trapezius) , triceps, biceps through back rowing exercises.  Rotator cuff can also be worked.  All the upper body exercises may be modified to add the additional challenge of stability and balance thus incorporating the abdominals, obliques and erector spinae.  The back, upper, mid and lower including spine extensors may be worked on the long box.  The “c curve” can again be worked on using the reformer through exercises such as elephant, knee stretches, stomach massage, round back on the short box and more.  Scapular and pelvic stability and spinal alignment are again continually incorporated into each and every exercise. 

This is just a brief list of exercises on both the mat and reformer that are available to challenge the predominant muscles used when rowing.  There are many more exercises and modifications of exercises to continue to challenge the muscles.

Note:  Names of exercises may vary from style to style of Pilates but the essence of the exercises remains the same.