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In an interview with Pilates Style<\/a>, Bennett, a tight end, noted that the demands of his position take a toll on his joints and his lower back. After his first session, Bennett was hooked, and now he does Pilates up to five times a week. He said, \u201cI can lift 500 pounds, but in a Pilates session, there\u2019s always some different type of motion that\u2019s hard for me to do. That\u2019s what is so great about it.”Bennett believes his Pilates work has improved his ability to change directions on the field, largely due to increased flexibility in his hip flexors. He said, \u201cTo counteract the joint compression caused by weightlifting, I go straight from weights to Pilates as often as possible. [It] helps me work on rebalancing and activating my muscles . . . supporting muscles that hold up the bigger ones.\u201dChicago Bears tight end Martellus Bennett 26, enjoys #MensPilates as often as he can<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n For Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown, Pilates is an integral part of his training routine. Brown\u2019s regimen is designed to enhance core strength and develop explosive power in his hips and glutes. He is focused on improving his flexibility with dynamic stretches. \u201cIt\u2019s not like weight training . . . it\u2019s all about control and body position, which receivers like myself need the most,\u201d Brown told STACK last year.\u201cWhat Pilates does best is it creates muscle balance, so it works on strength and length at the same time,\u201d said Brown\u2019s instructor Christine Ruby. \u201cIdeally, to keep him from getting injured, we need to make sure the muscles on one side of his body match in length and strength the muscles on the other side of the body.”Ruby has Brown perform functional movements that work multiple muscle groups. Since Brown\u2019s style of running \u201cuses the hip flexors a lot,\u201d his hip flexors are a main area of focus.In addition to his upper legs and torso, Ruby also works with Brown on strength and alignment in his calves, ankles and feet, all of which usually receive little attention in a traditional gym setting.Brown said that this whole-body approach, including the feet, has helped him become more \u201celusive.\u201d In other words, the exercises have benefited his overall balance control, and \u201cknowing how to get my feet where [I want] to go.\u201dRead more about Brown’s Pilates workouts:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Back in 2007, performance coach Tom Shaw recruited Pilates instructor Sarah Picot to work with his NFL Draft hopefuls, including 6-foot-5, 240-pound receiver Calvin Johnson. He wanted to supplement all of the hard work they\u2019d been doing on the field with something that might relieve muscle tension and tightness.\u201c[Picot] knew more about flexibility than we did, and we learned the more flexible you are, the faster you\u2019re going to be,\u201d Johnson told Sports Illustrated at the time.Johnson was among the players who were very receptive to Pilates. He worked with Picot primarily on core strength, muscle efficiency and balance, and hip and hamstring flexibility.\u201cPeople look at Pilates as sort of a girls’ exercise,\u201d Picot told SI<\/em>, \u201cYou can ask one of those men I worked with . . . how much we kicked their butts. They were shaking, they were sweating, they were uncomfortable. And then afterwards they felt calm, relaxed, loose.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Back when Nate Burleson was with the Detroit Lions, he got hooked on Pilates as a way to counteract all the tightness he was experiencing from lifting weights. From his very first session, he felt a \u201ctremendous\u201d difference in the way his body was feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cLifting just makes you tight,\u201d Burleson told CBS Detroit. He also said that Pilates had not only made his muscles more flexible, it also benefited his ligaments and tendons with more \u201cgive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat most guys are doing now, they\u2019re using it as a preventative measure, so it\u2019s almost like \u2018prehab\u2019 in a sense,\u201d Burleson continued. \u201cMost guys, especially if you\u2019ve been in the league for a while, your off day is a subtle work day. You\u2019re doing some type of work to keep your body as loose and limber as possible.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Coming off his NFL rookie season, New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks posted a photo to his Instagram of himself suspended upside down on a Pilates reformer machine.Cooks was enthusiastic about his Pilates workout, captioning the post \u201cGreat session today! Working on all aspects of the body!\u201d Rest assured, he\u2019ll be back for more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Two former wide receiver teammates at Wake Forest University, Chris Givens (now with the St. Louis Rams) and Michael Campanaro (with the Baltimore Ravens) recently had an early morning Pilates session together.With his rookie season behind him, Campanaro is making sure to include Pilates in his off-season workouts. He recently told Brian Bower of the\u00a0Russell Street Report that his receivers coach has been giving him helpful advice \u201con getting the hamstrings right,\u201d to get him into \u201cincredible running shape.\u201d As long as your hamstrings are tight, your movement will be restricted, but relaxed hamstrings promote full-range of running motion, as well as postural alignment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Read more… <\/p>\n
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\nBenefits of Pilates<\/a>
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\n5 Reasons why Smart Men do Pilates<\/a><\/p>\n