Pilates and Dragon Boaters

Below is extracted from Polestar quarterly newsletter, hope my fellow dragonboaters will find this useful :)

Kate Hodge from Iso Fit (HK) recently wrote an article in the "Ask the Experts" section of Fit! HK magazine.

During dragon boat season, I always seem to strain the muscle that goes across my back and under my shoulder blade. Can Pilates help to prevent straining these muscles?

Dragon boating is a challenging sport and can be very physically demanding on the body, particularly the spine. Rowers often find themselves sitting on the same side of the boat for all training sessions and races. This may be advantageous for building a winning team but it can also be detrimental to your body. Significant muscle imbalance may occur within your spine and upper body from the overuse of one particular side into the forward bending and twisting position. This muscle imbalance can lead to pain, discomfort and strain of some muscles.

Pilates can be effective at reducing muscle imbalance within your entire body and can be of great benefit to dragon boaters to minimize the effects of the asymmetrical exercise. Pilates works to strengthen the abdomen, back and buttocks to provide stabilization to the body and enable it to move more freely. One of the key focuses of Pilates is alignment and organization of your head, neck and shoulders. By exercising in a well aligned position with assistance, or further, against resistance, the tighter muscles can relax and the weaker muscles can become more active. Improving strength, flexibility, posture and alignment of your spine and upper body musculature can therefore help prevent muscle strains and alleviate pain.