PILATES & CO RUNNING SERIES
As Part 1 of our 4 Part Running Series, we look at the combination of Pilates and Running.
In search of a great fitness combination? Pilates combined with a running program, go hand in hand to act as a great balance of cardiovascular fitness and low impact strength and conditioning.
RUNNING AND PILATES PROGRAM
Victoria Nicholas, Pilates & Co Instructor and our customer experience manager, has used the combination of Pilates and Running for many years and believes it’s the perfect model for those wanting to work on their overall fitness and weight loss management. We often get asked if Pilates is good for weight loss. Weight loss is generally related to a combination of diet and exercise. Refer to Dave’s recent Blog on Simple Success for Healthy Nutrition.
With exercise it is important to keep things balanced and it’s beneficial if you can add a variety of exercise modalities. These can include strength training, Pilates, HIIT training, running, walking, swimming, cardio etc to your weekly routine. As we know too well, fitting all that into a weekly routine is a tough ask. So, if you can only pick 2, then pick Pilates and Running according to Victoria.
Bringing some running in to compliment your Pilates regime could assist in delivering greater results when it comes to weight loss and management, as well as mood elevation and general fitness. Depending on how often you can add running to your Pilates will determine the cardiovascular and weight benefits for you. This volume can shift up and down depending on your goals and time available to train.
WEEKLY RUNNING PROGRAM
A program that Victoria has followed personally is a combination of 3 Pilates classes per week, combined with 1 or 2 runs. Depending on your running ability there are a number of running options available:
Interval Running
Interval running, combined with timed on/off walking and running intervals.
Couch to 5km App is great to assist this run/walk interval progress
Shorter/faster/higher intensity intervals with rest also work well eg. 50m, 100m, 150m, 200m fast efforts with the same distance walk recovery. Have more rest if needed so intensity of the sprints doesn’t drop. Repeat 3-5 times (warm up well before you start these)
Hill Sprints
Hill sprints or stair running allowing recovery in between each hill or stair set
Currumbin or North Burleigh stairs, Burleigh headland provides a variety of hills
Treadmill Running
Treadmill running gives flexibility to alter as you see fit
Beach or Park Runs
Soft sand instantly increases the intensity and makes more muscles fire up to stabilise in the feet all the way up the legs
Park runs are a great social and repetitive weekly activity run all across the Gold Coast.
MAKE IT ABOUT YOU
Running is not for everyone, so it is important to choose a style of running that is enjoyable for you.
Running is also a great opportunity to clear the mind, increase energy levels, promote circulation and improve sleep. Build into it and gradually increase the time running or distances you choose. If new to running, give yourself time to recover for example start with 1 run a week, then add more volume with each run or by adding another day just ensure these are a couple of days apart.
If you would like to add Pilates to your running regime, come and try a class with Pilates & Co. We have a number of options available from Group Classes to Small Groups (Max 3 People) and Private Sessions. Take a look at our Intro Offers HERE
Thank you to Vic for sharing her personal experience with Pilates and Running. Stay tuned for Part 2 of our Running Series, which will focus on the benefits of Pilates for Runners.