Rams center Coleman Shelton started doing pilates last offseason with trainer Nicky Lal. According to a 2024 article in The Athletic, Lal has worked with 50-65 athletes, most of which play in the NFL.
Shelton was recommended to Lal by his personal strength and conditioning coach. Although he left Los Angeles last season after signing a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears, Shelton stayed in L.A. to train with her.
"I always like doing different stuff in the offseason to try to stay healthy and just to work different muscles because (when) you do the same thing, you work the same muscles," Shelton said. "So I wanted to try something new, and I ended up really enjoying it, and I felt like it was good work, so I kept going."
Shelton returned to L.A. this offseason, signing a one-year deal with the Rams, where he spent the first five years of his NFL career. He also returned to work with Lal, whose pilates training has helped keep him healthy and nimble.
Shelton started in all 17 games last season for just the second time in his career after an offseason full of workouts with Lal. He started off at two times a week and then moved up to three towards the end of the summer, which he plans to do again this year.
"I'm not trying to make my clients shake," Lal told The Athletic. "I'm not trying to push them to a limit that they're going to break. My goal is to make them feel better and rejuvenated once they leave.
"I try to create a lot of different movements that they don't get in the gym and in their workouts with their teams."
The muscles Shelton works in pilates are ones that he doesn't often exercise on the field or in the weight room. They "work on the muscles that help the bigger muscles work," Shelton said.
He focuses on the glutes, hips and shoulders, but he said it's hard to describe the workouts because everything they do is distinct. It involves machines such as the reformer, cadillac, wheel and more.
Shelton can be seen on Lal’s instagram training movement patterns "that directly translate" to the field, Lal said in one of her posts. All of his exercises leverage his own body weight to support the muscles that will be tested weekly come football season through balance and stability.
"You're kind of just using every different machine to your advantage," Shelton said. "So, a lot of spring work and different stuff to counter your body weight."
Controlling body weight is important for linemen on both sides of the ball, as their weight helps produce the speed and power that enables them to do their jobs. Rams outside linebacker Byron Young also took up pilates this offseason, and fellow offensive linemen like the Giants' Andrew Thomas have benefitted from Lal's training in particular.
"A lot of times we get put in compromised positions just because of the nature of going backwards (as an offensive lineman)," Andrew Thomas told The Athletic. "So, I think pilates just helps with your flexibility and your core strength and it helps you sit down rushers and be athletic on the field."
At the end of the day, Shelton said his goal is to "try to keep all the main joints healthy and all the muscles rounded," and Lal has helped him do that.
