The Athlete’s Secret for a Resilient, High-Performance Body

Most runners think that getting a PB is all about running further, or adding different running strategies such as interval runs to their training programme. But there is a law of diminishing returns when it comes to adding more miles to your training plan. When you increase your mileage without addressing your movement patterns, you are increasing injury risk and wasting an opportunity to improve your running economy. Perhaps you've heard that Pilates can help with running, because it helps with core strength. However, over the last decade, scientific interest in Pilates for runners has shown that it also helps with improvements in running efficiency and biomechanical alignment. 

The Myth of Junk Miles

There is a common misconception that more volume equals more progress. However, adding high mileage to a body with faulty biomechanics is like putting a high-performance engine in a car with misaligned wheels. You won't get the results you were expecting, and eventually, something will snap.

Repetitive strain injuries such as Achilles tendinopathy or runner's knee rarely happen because of one bad step. They happen because of thousands of "okay" steps taken with poor mechanics. If your pelvis drops or your foot over-pronates, your body has to work harder to stabilise. Over time, those tiny compensations can add up to real aches and pains. Pilates significantly improved movement scores associated with a lower risk of overuse injuries (Laws et al., 2017).

Addressing mechanical efficiency

Efficiency is the holy grail of endurance. In sports science, this is known as running economy.

Every time your knee collapses inward or your trunk sways laterally, your body creates a compensatory drag. This is kinetic energy that should be propelling you forward, but is instead being wasted on stabilisation. Research into muscle energetics (Fletcher & MacIntosh, 2017) shows that running economy is determined in part by the energy required for muscle contraction. When your biomechanics are faulty, your muscles have to produce more force simply to stabilise your frame, stealing the power that you would otherwise use for speed.

Pilates, when taught correctly, is designed to develop a balanced musculature and strong powerhouse (or core) so that the effort that you put in translates into forward momentum.

Strength Training

It is well-established that to run at your peak, you need to be strong. Heavy resistance training, such as squats and deadlifts, have been shown to improve running economy (Beattie et al., 2014).  Pilates is the perfect partner for strength training. By refining your movement foundation, you ensure that every heavy lift or high-mileage week is distributed efficiently across your joints.

For the intelligent athlete, Pilates provides the biomechanical framework to train harder and heavier elsewhere.

Why Pilates is the Athlete’s Secret

1. Biomechanical Integrity: Research (Finatto et al., 2018) demonstrates that runners who integrate Pilates see significant improvements in 5km times. 

2. Deceleration Control: Most injuries happen during the "landing" phase. Pilates focuses on eccentric control—teaching your body to absorb impact forces (often 3x your body weight) without collapsing.

3. The Foundation for Load: By identifying and correcting "micro-compensations," Pilates allows you to progress your gym work and your mileage with greater confidence and consistency.

Train smarter.

If you are plagued by injury or feeling that you've plateaued at a certain pace, Pilates could be the answer you could be looking for. By improving your movement, you will reduce the drag in your stride and build resilience against injury.

Why Choose Ease Pilates?

At Ease, you will move beyond generic core exercises to experience a movement education to support your athletic goals. As specialists in intelligent movement, we use a fully equipped studio to provide the tactile feedback and eccentric loading that home videos simply cannot replicate. By working with us either 1:1 of our small group classes, we will identify your specific mechanical inefficiencies and provide the expert coaching needed to strip away compensatory tension. You’ll leave not just feeling stronger, but moving with the fluid, effortless power that comes when your body is finally in total alignment with your ambition. 

Ready to transform your movement? Contact us and mention your running club affiliation! Bring your C&C Fixtures booklet with you for a free Pilates  fundamentals class to see why we are different to your average Pilates class.

Beattie, K., Carson, B. P., Lyons, M., Rossiter, A., & Kenny, I. C. (2017). The effect of strength training on performance indicators in distance runners. The Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research, 31(1), 9-23.

Finatto, P., Silva, E. S. D., Okamura, A. B., Almada, B. P., Oliveira, H. B., & Peyre-Tartaruga, L. A. (2018). Pilates training improves 5-km run performance by changing metabolic cost and muscle activity in trained runners. PloS one, 13(3), e0194057. 

Fletcher, J. R., & MacIntosh, B. R. (2017). Running economy from a muscle energetics perspective. Frontiers in physiology, 8, 433. 

Laws, A., Williams, S., & Wilson, C. (2017). The effect of clinical pilates on functional movement in recreational runners. International journal of sports medicine, 38(10), 776-780.