GYROTONIC® Exercises for Athletes

Whether you are a professional or amateur athlete, GYROTONIC® is one of the most intelligent and valuable cross-training movement systems you have probably never heard of. Long before GYROTONIC® was popular with ordinary exercise enthusiasts, it was catching on with tennis players, golfers, dancers and other elite athletes.

It makes sense that an exercise system developed by a former dancer would appeal to other elite athletes. More GYROTONIC® studios are opening across the United States, so athletes in new cities are finally able to take advantage of the practice. Let’s look at why GYROTONIC exercises are a perfect movement system for athletes (and yes, you, too!).

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Developing technique and learning breathing patterns

Athletic technique involves complex movements recruiting multi-dimensional joint activity. For instance, a dancer assuming an arabesque requires tremendous lumbo-pelvic and leg strength and stability to stand on one leg and externally rotate and lift the other leg up and around in hip extension. A surfer, carving on a wave is simultaneously  in rotation and extension of the spine and using the cores strength, flexibility and explosive potential to maneuver the pelvis underneath and around the torso as they balance against the changing surface and speed of the wave. This total body integration of breath, balance, power and range of motion is essence of all that we focus on in Gyrotonic and in a way that yields palpable and measurable results. And, every athletic technique goes hand in hand with a breathing pattern. In fact, one can’t efficiently and effectively move without proper breathing. Proper breathing leads to proper oxygenation, which helps athletes develop stamina and endurance, regulate physical and mental stress during performance, and sustain energy.

GYROTONIC® also requires a multi-dimensional movement technique, which maximizes mobility, strength and stability. The movement system creates oppositional forces in the body, so that one moves in fluid and dynamic but unbreakable connectedness. It also develops breath control and encourages full use of the diaphragm – the major muscle responsible for respiration. Perfecting the GYROTONIC® technique requires focus and fortitude, what we call mind-body awareness and connection.

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The GYROTONIC® System uses the whole body

Athletes also love GYROTONIC® because more than any other exercise system, it encourages spinal movement. GYROTONIC exercises involves the basic spinal motions of arching and curling, spiraling (rotations), side arch and waves. Often by executing two or more of these movements simultaneously, one is able to create balance, develop a greater range of motion and generate power behind his or her body.

Most other training systems rely on angular patterns of movement. They develop the larger muscles groups such as quadriceps, hamstrings and glutes, traps and lats, biceps and triceps. These muscle groups dominate most movements in sports. Unfortunately, smaller muscle groups are underutilized, such as hip rotators, pelvic floor muscles, multifidi and serratus anterior, to name a few. This leads to muscle compensation, weakness and eventually injuries.

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What is holistic movement?

The GYROTONIC® system is holistic, which means the entirety of the body is called upon to participate in creating and completing a movement. Athletes who are involved in sports that require repetitive, one-sided movements, such as tennis, golf, baseball and boxing benefit from GYROTONIC® since it recalibrates and rebalances the body through symmetrical, low-impact movements.

As any athlete knows, the demands of sport require full body adjustments in every direction. This means that your spinal musculature has to be strong to support dexterous movement and prevent injuries. GYROTONIC® uses the Pulley Tower to encourage a full range of spinal motion. This builds connective tissue, strengthens ligaments, and conditions the whole body. As a result, whatever happens out on the playing field or water, a GYROTONIC® trained athlete will be prepared to respond.

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GYROTONIC® for Athletic Rehab and Recovery

GYROTONIC® was developed by an elite dancer, Juliu Horvath, who found that none of the exercise systems he was familiar with allowed him to fully recover after a devastating injury. Horvath built his first Pulley Towers by hand because he saw a way to gently strengthen and stretch injured muscles, tendons and ligaments. Horvath’s rehabilitative genius is why GYROTONIC® has become popular with physical therapists and fitness enthusiasts alike.

The Pulley Tower system allows a full-range of spinal movement and joint articulation, decompressing the joints that are compressed in high impact sports better than any other exercise equipment. As the joints move and gently stretch it restores blood flow and nourishes the ligaments, which speeds healing. By using the Pulley Tower surfers, golfers, dancers, gymnasts and other elite athletes can recover from injuries and maintain their normal range of flexibility and strength.

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GYROTONIC® for Golfers

GYROTONIC® can improve performance in every sport. In fact, it’s caught on so much with elite golfers that Forbes even ran an article promoting the exercise for serious golf enthusiasts. The reason GYROTONIC® has caught on with golfers is that the muscles it strengthens are crucial to perfecting your swing, something that is difficult to do without targeted exercise.

Speed in the golf swing is created through rotation, but you can’t generate effective power through rotation if your hips are uneven and immobile your spiral begins and ends at your shoulders, rather than continuing down to your spine. Perfecting this movement requires increasing control, strength and endurance in the muscle groups that GYROTONIC® specifically develops.

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Are you ready to train like an athlete?

Even if you aren’t an athlete GYROTONIC® is accessible to and adaptable for people from all walks of life. GYROTONIC® can dramatically increase your strength, flexibility, focus and balance. It can help reduce injuries and it can also stretch and strengthen sore backs and improve posture. Best of all, it’s suitable for beginners as well as fitness enthusiasts. The GYROTONIC® exercises  on the Pulley Tower can be adjusted for each individual’s strengths and weaknesses, delivering a challenging but enjoyable workout.

Non-athletes can also benefit from rehabbing with GYROTONIC® exercises. It can also help those who suffer from chronic degenerative conditions like arthritis, since improving ligament health can counteract the collagen loss in the joints that happens as we age. However, any rehabilitative training you undertake should be approved by your primary physician.

If you’re ready to train like an athlete, check out our private and semi-private session options offered at our unique studio on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawai'i . We’re excited to begin your GYROTONIC® instruction and see you meet your athletic goals.