Finding Fitness - Pilates

Pilates.....a real man's workout!! Try this exercise out. #coretraining http://t.co/sc2eSOmCbT
— GIUSEPPE ROSSI (@GiuseppeRossi22) March 17, 2015

So, yeah, if Rossi can use Pilates for rehab, I should probably give it a try in my finding fitness series. 

My local Pilates spot is Eagle Rock Pilates, although when I look up the site, they apparently call their place Pilates Eagle Rock.   This gives me the same vague embarrassment/stubborness I sometimes get whenever I pronounce a player's name wrong in an interview, but still prefer my version. (Yeah, it's your name, but have you thought about changing?)

I once took a Pilates class at my local gym and thought that was pretty cake, but it turns out, that was at best what is known as a 'mat Pilates' session. The more intense versions follow closely the teachings of Joseph Pilates and make use of specific Pilates equipment like the Reformer. (Cue my reflex reaction to get Snow's Informer ditty stuck in my head for the rest of the day.)

Me on Reformer - As if!

Pilates focuses a lot on slow controlled movements that seem simple at first, but really give muscles a workout. I'm trembling by the time I have to repeat most any movement. The core muscles especially get exhausted. Just try Rossi's sideplank circle walk - it's not easy.

Fitness: 8/10 It's an amazing way to strengthen muscles and build body control, but I felt it was missing a cardio element. 

Fun: 6/10 Pilates is cool way of getting in touch with what one's body is capable of and the exercises are almost like a body experiment - this looks easy, but damn, it's not! - and a good instructor really makes each session an educational experience. Lose-yourself-in-the-moment fun, though? Not so much. 

Sociability: 4/10 For private sessions, the only socialization is with the Pilates trainer. Group sessions are still quite small, and everyone seems serious about the exercises, so there's not much interaction or conversation.

Convenience: 7/10 Pilates is very popular in California, and there are studios all over the South Bay for retiring and rehabbing soccer players. 

Cost: 3/10 Private sessions are more expensive, of course, but even group sessions are pretty pricey. 

Pilates is an excellent workout, especially ideal for athletes who need precise body control, like dancers and soccer players, but it's not a terribly entertaining exercise. I'll probably do it some, like I try to eat some vegetables because I know they're good for me and I should, but not because I wouldn't rather have something else. 

Finding Fitness Results - Spinning

I feel like I can almost say that SoulCycle, beloved spin studio of David Beckham and family, is for chumps, because what I did for my spin experience was a class at the Sweat Shoppe, which specializes in heated spin sessions. 

Yes, it's like hot yoga but with bikes, more cardio and more suffering! Whee! 

I am hiding in the second row.

I realized as soon as I got to the studio (free class courtesy of Racked Fit Club) that I had severely underestimated the seriousness of this exercise enterprise. For one thing, normal shoes will not do. You have to take part using bike shoes (I think clipping people in helps them continue even on wobbly legs, perhaps) and the studio had to provide me with a pair. Secondly, I realized as soon as I sat down that I should have worn padded bike shorts as well. 

But it turned out that the hardness of the seat didn't matter too much - we spent so much time out of the saddle, following the instructions of Naomi, the superfit (she won an award, seriously) instructor. 

With her cheerful Australian accent, she urged us on through the session. "Nice job, Andrea," she encouraged me at one point. I blinked sweat away, in my addled brain thinking she was saying, "Don't die, Andrea!"  

Finding Fitness Results - Running

There's something so basic and simple about running - it was probably the first exercise regime ever. One foot in front of another, again and again, to the increased heartbeat and release of endorphins. 

Of course, soccer players run a lot on the field during a game. Many supplement their workouts in the off-season with running. So that's why I've chosen to focus on this activity in my continuing Finding Fitness series.

Landon Donovan, for example, credited cross-country running with a lot of his development and endurance in the game. 

So running and soccer have a strong connection, making it an ideal post-retirement fitness regime in many ways. It's simpler than capoeira, for sure. 

Running on the treadmill isn't a bad deal while watching a soccer game, but really experiencing the outdoors is a great part of running as well. So I headed out to a popular local running spot - the Silverlake Reservoir. 

Finding Fitness Results, Capoeira

As promised, here's my report of my capoeira experience. 

It's hard. There's a reason why MMA fighters like Connor McGregor and others crosstrain in capoeira. It combines kicks, dynamic movement and acrobatics, all to the beat of the bateria playing music while everyone sings along. For the beginner class I took, there was a lot of time spent training the basic movements and practicing to improve technique.

I liked it, even though my muscles are very sore now. I'm not very acrobatic, but I can do a cartwheel (called an aú), and I kicked pretty well. Other aspects were tricky. At one point, I was trying to do a rasteira (a type of sweep) to catch the instructor's leg as directed. I struggled.

"Don't kick out like it's soccer," he suggested. "Try to control the move." 

Finding Fitness

Now that Landon Donovan is retired, it won't be easy for him to stay in shape. There's no more constant running like in practice and for matches. Most soccer players do have an offseason workout set up, though. That helps them as they ease into retirement, to do whatever they usually did in the offseason when they didn't practice and play regularly. 

For some retired players, staying fit means to do freely what they liked anyway. In Frankie Hejduk's case, that was surfing.

Others take up a new athletic pursuit. David Beckham has gotten into SoulCycle. 

Thomas Dooley is a soccer tennis devotee, and he's gotten other former pros into regular matches and competition as well. 

Keeping fit is important for everyone, though, not just former athletes. I'm going to give different fitness programs a try and report here which I personally find most effective and would recommend, not just for soccer players, but anybody. 

First up is capoeira. LD's own teammate, Juninho, practices the Brazilian martial art. 

 One of the capoeiristas featured in the video here is giving a free class in Glendale at Jewel City Yoga tomorrow at noon, so I'm going to check that out.