Pilates for Professional Athletes: Why Seattle's Pros Are Adding It to Their Training
Professional athletes carry a version of the same list. The hip that needs twenty minutes of prep before practice. The shoulder that speaks up on long flights. The hamstring you manage instead of trust.
Your team's strength program builds power. Handling that list takes something more individual.
At Emerald City Pilates, a private one-on-one studio in Belltown, downtown Seattle, studio owner Jessica Notman has spent 20+ years helping bodies under serious load, including Seattle Seahawks players, perform without the asterisks.
What does Pilates do for a professional athlete?
Pilates gives professional athletes individualized core and stability training at a level of precision that team programs can be too general to provide.
Working one-on-one on resistance equipment, you correct side-to-side imbalances, strengthen the deep stabilizing muscles heavy lifting skips, and restore range of motion your sport has reduced, which supports durability and career longevity.
Think of it as the complement to your strength and conditioning work, with the resolution turned up. Your S&C program is written for a roster. A private Pilates program is specifically written for the pain you're feeling in your left hip.
What the research shows
Studies on Pilates in athletes point to specific, measurable gains:
A randomized trial in PLOS ONE reported that after 12 weeks of Pilates, trained runners cut 5-km times by 2.4 minutes and ran more efficiently.
A 2025 study found that soccer players doing reformer Pilates improved jump height, sprint speed, balance, agility, and passing and dribbling skills.
British Journal of Sports Medicine (26,610 participants) reported that strength-based exercise programs cut sports injury risk to less than a third.
Pilates applies those same principles, with every session assessed and adjusted for your body.
Why Seattle athletes work with Jessica Notman
Your body is your livelihood, so the person working on it should understand what professional sport demands. Jessica does, from three angles:
She has worked with Seattle Seahawks players on mobility, recovery, and injury prevention.
She has competed at the elite end herself, at the age-group Triathlon World Championships, so she understands training loads.
She has taught movement since 2006 and is currently pursuing a master's degree in Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, while holding a certification as a Franklin Method Educator.
Jessica teaches from the anatomy up. Expect 3D anatomy apps, props, and clear answers to questions like why your right hip loses rotation every October. You leave each session understanding your body better, with take-home work that fits hotel rooms and team trips.
Ready to talk it through? Contact us and we'll find time that works around your training schedule and season.
Football players: get ahead of training camp
Linemen load the hips and lower back every snap. Receivers and defensive backs depend on their hamstrings. Quarterbacks put a thousand throws a week on one shoulder. The shape you bring into camp decides how your body feels by week ten.
Jessica worked with Seahawks players on what football stresses hardest: hip mobility, recovery, and stopping small issues from becoming missed practices.
If camp is on your horizon, the weeks before it are the best window to address what you've been playing through. Visiting Seattle for camp or a road series? Short-term Pilates blocks also work.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pilates good for professional athletes?
Yes. Core and stability training improves balance, power output, and injury resistance, and Pilates delivers that work one-on-one on specialized resistance equipment, tailored to your sport and position.
How often should a professional athlete do Pilates?
Most athletes we work with come once or twice a week: heavier programs in the off-season, maintenance and recovery work in-season, with take-home exercises for travel.
Does Pilates replace strength training?
Pilates works alongside your S&C program. Keep building power with your team; use Pilates for the stability, mobility, and imbalance work that sits outside a team program's scope.
In-season, off-season, or in town for camp: we'll make it work
Jessica's schedule is often full, and she makes room for professional athletes. Email info@emeraldcitypilates.com or call 206-992-4814 with your sport and schedule. We'll do our best to accommodate it, early sessions included.
Want to train the way professional athletes do?
The same methods serve marathoners, cyclists, and weekend racers. Start with our New Client Special with Deborah Swan, which includes a goal-setting call, three private sessions, and personalized at-home exercises
References
Finatto, P., Silva, E. S. D., Okamura, A. B., Almada, B. P., Oliveira, H. B., & Peyré-Tartaruga, L. A. (2018). Pilates training improves 5-km run performance by changing metabolic cost and muscle activity in trained runners. PLOS ONE, 13(3), e0194057. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0194057
Randomised controlled study on the effects of pilates exercises in soccer: Comparing mat and reformer methods on physical and technical performance. (2025). PLOS ONE. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40397911/
Lauersen, J. B., Bertelsen, D. M., & Andersen, L. B. (2014). The effectiveness of exercise interventions to prevent sports injuries: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 48(11), 871–877. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2013-092538
