Side leg lifts.
Clamshells. Bridges. Wait, is this physical therapy or a barre class?
The answer: both! "There's crossover between physical therapy exercises
and barre classes," says Rachel Scrementi, DPT, OCS, a physical
therapist at Cherry Creek Wellness Center in Denver.
Female runners typically end up in physical therapy due to weak hip
abductors and hip rotators—the very muscles worked throughout barre
class, says Scrementi. Building up these muscles helps you learn to
control your hips and prevent your knees from caving when you're out for
a run. As a result, you'll protect yourself from common running
injuries like hip impingement, ITB syndrome, and hip, knee, and ankle
pain.
Physical therapy moves for injured runners also tend to focus on the
trunk—specifically the deepest layer of belly muscle called the
transverse abdominals.
"This is your natural weight belt and is vital to back and pelvic
stability," says Scrementi. A strong, solid center helps propel you
forward while keeping your middle relatively still so you're not
rotating side to side, which can increase the wear and tear on your
joints and tendons. That focus on the core comes up in barre class, too—
when the instructor reminds you to tuck your tailbone and pull your
belly button back toward your spine. (Related: What the Eff Is a Barre Tuck?)
So,
should you blow off your PT sessions and just hit the barre studio
instead? Depends. If you're near the end of your PT treatment and have
perfected the exercises, then you're in the clear to swap, says
Scrementi. But if you're recently injured and a PT newbie, you'll get a
lot more from one-on-one sessions with a physical therapist.
Healthy runners, on the other hand, are encouraged to attend barre
classes on days when they're not hitting the pavement. "Barre classes
can be a great way to cross train and focus on core strength and
stability," says Scrementi. Most importantly, runners should focus on
core and hip-strengthening exercises. "It doesn't matter what type of
cross training you are doing—weights or barre—but that you are sticking
with a program that you enjoy."
If pain ever enters the picture, pause on barre classes altogether.
Muscle burn isn't the same thing as soreness or pain. "Most of us
compensate without even realizing, especially if we have weakness," says
Scrementi. "Strengthening should never be painful." When other muscles
step up to deflect the pain, it can worsen the injury and might put you
back in physical therapy. As with any exercise: pay attention to what
your body is telling you.
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