JONNY Lomax, who was today named Saints' Player of the Month for April, has explained one of the secrets behind his top quality performances....pilates.

The England international revealed his new training and conditioning technique when picking up his award at the club this morning.

It is certainly paying off - Lomax was outstanding in tearing Hull FC apart on Easter Monday and was key on both sides of the ball in Sunday's win at Hull KR.

Lomax said: “Bizarrely I have taken up pilates.

“Ryan Giggs played until he is 40 so it must work! I am seeing the benefits and I am also meditating as well and I am seeing the benefits of that too.

"I am a firm believer that if your head is in the right place you will go into the games in the right place and be able to perform.”

Coach Justin Holbrook earlier this week paid tribute to the team focus of his experienced stand-off, and that was something Lomax underlined.

“Things have been going pretty well. It has been made a lot easier with the way that the team has been going.

"It is nice to get personal accolades, but everything we do at Saints is based on the team. That is what we have done and everyone is working hard and doing their own job.

"Off the back of that, your wingers and your half-backs get the credit.”

The Super League leaders switch focus to Sunday's Challenge Cup tie now - a competition thery will be keen to progress in after last year's semi-final disaster.

“It is something we have been looking forward to after a bit of a wake up call last week. I know we won , but we were probably a bit off so this gives us a chance to roll into this week and have a different stimulus to look forward to and it is something that I am relishing because it is one month on and one month off and for some teams it is a fresh start.

“Catalans showed last season what can be done.

"They didn’t go particularly well in the league, but targeted one game every four weeks in the cup and it is a different competition.

"It does have a different feel to it and it is something that we have to rise too.”