"58G→102G→82G" KBO's representative steel king, if he was desperate, he said, "I've never been so sick... I started Pilates, too" [Okinawa Station]

*This content was translated by AI.

KIA Tigers captain Na Sung-bum (37) dreamed of a turnaround in anticipation of the 2026 season without being sick.

"In addition to preparing the same every year, I started Pilates that I didn't personally do," Na Sung-bum said at the 2026 KIA Spring Camp at Kin Town Baseball Stadium in Kin, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan on the 25th.

"I wanted to do something different to make up for the shortcomings. I invested my time because I thought I needed endurance and flexibility rather than muscle strength or power. I think I can stretch well through Pilates," he added.

It's because of the nightmare of the past three years that I've been doing Pilates in my 15th year as a professional. Na Sung-bum signed a six-year contract worth 15 billion won and joined KIA ahead of the 2022 season.

In his first year at KIA, he showed his expected performance with a batting average of 0.320 in 144 games and 21 home runs and 97 RBIs. But then it collapsed like a lie. He has not been able to play at-bats for three consecutive years due to frequent hamstring injuries with 58 games in 2023, 102 games in 2024 and 82 games in 2025.

A number of things have been mentioned as the cause. Some suggested that the cause was found at the age of 40 or that the muscle mass was excessive, and the flexibility was insufficient. Na Sung-beom also accepted that point and focused on lower body exercises last offseason. KIA team also made every effort for healthy Na Sung-bum's full season.

Na said, "I've been hurt since 2023. I thought I prepared well every year, but I wanted to make a change because I get injured every time. Then, our team invited a Pilates teacher during the final training, and from then on, I continued to do it," he said.

He said, "It was very difficult at first because I had movements and postures that I hadn't done before. I did it for an hour a day, but it was much harder than I thought. It was completely different from the muscles I used before, he said. "I did it for a little more than a month. To be honest, I didn't do it for a long time, so it didn't really touch my body. But it seems that flexibility has improved. "Before I started, it was helpful to focus on my hamstring or calf or core muscles."

It may be hard to believe now, but Na was once one of the steel kings representing the KBO. He played more than 120 games in eight seasons except for 2019, with five trips to all 144 games. The reason why KIA gave a huge amount of 15 billion won to the 33-year-old player was its consistency.

As a result, the player himself suffered a lot. Na Sung-bum said, "Honestly, I've rarely been this sick. I played full season a lot and knew that I was a player who wasn't sick before. However, I have been injured recently, so there are some areas of anxiety," he confessed honestly.

"Every time I ran, I thought a little bit that I didn't know when (the hamstring) would come. However, considering that now, I may not be able to concentrate on the game. So I think we should trust what we prepared without thinking about that. I will try not to get hurt as much as possible this year, but I don't know what will happen. But I'm going to prepare for this season with a good idea. I hope I get off to a good start," he said, expressing his eagerness.

This year's KIA is not classified as a cold favorite. Kim Do-young and Na Sung-beom were not constant due to injuries for several years, and Choi Hyung-woo and Park Chan-ho, who were steady, left KIA as FA this winter.

Na Sung-bum's shoulders have become heavier this year as well. However, Na Sung-beom said, "There is no pressure at all. Rather, there were more juniors, so I became a little more responsible. I'm not the type to bear any burden in this area," he shook his head.

"I heard that people around us think of our team as a weak team rather than a strong team. I've seen a lot of articles. But I think our team can be on par with other teams enough. Everyone is preparing well, so I hope the fans look forward to it a lot. I will always do my best in one game and show my best performance like the KIA Tigers," he said, expressing his strong ambition.

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*This content was translated by AI.