Last September I started working with a pilates instructor once a week for and hour. It has been a really great addition to my training schedule. A great private instructor can help you strengthen your imbalances and improve your overall functional movement and core strength.

In a series of video's I would like to bring to you some movements that will help everyone but especially help endurance athletes strengthen those deep core muscles. This will help us hold our swimming, cycling and running form longer and also remain healthy through all the hours of training and racing.

I have two videos that I would like to share with you on this blog post. The first is a series of movements that will help us with our shoulder mobility as well as help loosen up our chest and scapula. In oder to do these movements you will need a long foam roller, either soft or hard. If your scapula/ spine are sore, tight or sensitive you might want to start with a softer foam roller. Make sure you always keep your core engaged when doing these movements. This series would be great before or after a swim workout.

This second video is series of movements that will help strengthen those deep core muscles as as well as all those spine stabilizers. Remember to keep your core engaged during all movements and your feet flat and planted on the floor. It would be a great idea to watch the whole video before attempting any of the movements.

I hope you enjoyed these videos and found them helpful. The best thing about these movements is that they are very low impact and can be added into your weekly training without affecting your swim, bike, run sessions in a negative way.

I would like to thank my pilates instructor Britt Connors for agreeing to take these videos and talk about the movements. Britt has a home studio in Concord, MA and also has a studio in Winchester, MA If you'd like to get in touch with her for a session let me know.

Stay healthy!