Chicago Bears training camp is still a few weeks away, but for players, taking care of their bodies is a full-time job.<\/p>\n
A handful of guys have been doing Pilates \u2014 and have found that like in any sport, practice makes perfect. But it’s a workout that pays off.<\/p>\n
For nearly a decade, Kristen Wolf has been helping Bears players perform at their best, through teaching Pilates.<\/p>\n
“I started in the city with Matt Forte, and he said, ‘Trust me, these guys can’t do this core work.’ And I was like, I felt the same way. And then seeing them work out and get so much out of it is so gratifying.” said Kristen Wolf.<\/p>\n
Her current studio is a short distance from Halas Hall in Lake Forest, Illinois, and it has become a bit of a Bears den. Safety Elijah Hicks and defensive end Dominique Robinson are a few players who are incorporating Pilates into their routines.<\/p>\n
“Some days after games, I’m like, I need a lot more stretching, a lot more flexibility \u2014 like, I’m sore, I’m hurt, I’m bruised everywhere,” said Hicks.<\/p>\n
“The first time I did it I could not \u2014 it was like V-ups with the straps \u2014 I could not get up, and my wife’s laughing at me.” said Robinson.<\/p>\n
Hicks and Robinson were both introduced to Pilates through their wives, and quickly got hooked on the workouts that help improve strength and flexibility.<\/p>\n
“To be able to move \u2014 especially what I do as a DB \u2014 you need to have strong hips, you need to be able to have strong core, obliques, all that to be able to, you know, make moves and cuts.” said Elijah.<\/p>\n
Wolf noted that athletes were the first to practice Pilates.<\/p>\n
“A lot of people don’t know it was a man who invented it, and his first clients were boxers. So he was actually training athletes. So that’s kind of what I’m trying to bring it back to was the original intention of it,” said Wolf. “The story was that he would try to get them to be able to put their coat on by themselves because they were so tight and musclebound; that he was working mobility.”<\/p>\n
Hicks has been doing Pilates since his rookie season in 2022, while Robinson is now a little over a year into his p{lates journey \u2014 and has enjoyed the challenges of each session.<\/p>\n
Is it harder than he thought it would be?<\/p>\n
“Yes. Yes. See how quickly I answered that? You get an ankle weight \u2014 little one-pound ankle weight \u2014 put it around your ankle, and you do the series that she does with that ankle weight, you’ll see what I’m getting at,” said Robinson. “Your hips will be burning.”<\/p>\n
“These workouts, I’m looking at Kristen like there’s something wrong with this lady \u2014 she’s trying to kill me in here! Fell in love with it,” said Hicks. “As an athlete, as a competitor, it’s like one of those things I just wanted to get better at. And so I don’t know if I ever mastered it. It’s always a hard workout. But I’ll always leave feeling better.”<\/p>\n
The results have been felt on the football field too.<\/p>\n
“I’ve noticed a big difference \u2014 especially with like the breathing aspect,” said Robinson. “You don’t think about breathing sometimes, you know? It’s kind of crazy, but that helps kind of calm things down; gets your body in a position where it can work and function the correct way.”<\/p>\n
“I’ve seen what it’s done for my performance on the field, how I stay healthy during the season and stuff \u2014 so yeah, it’s really beneficial.” said Elijah.<\/p>\n
The message on the benefits of Pilates have been shared and received by nearly 20 different Bears, so far.<\/p>\n
“Don’t be intimidated by it, because everybody feels that way, and you’ll get better and better, and it’ll really be a fun workout too,” said Wolf.<\/p>\n
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