Pilates: Why Every Guy Should Try It at He's Fit

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Pilates: Why Every Guy Should Try It

Posted January 7, 2008 at 12:00 PM by James Flesher

Section: His Fitness, Alt. Therapies, His Health, Physical Health

pilates man2 Pilates is a fitness craze taking the world by storm. Classes are popping up in gyms, home fitness gurus like Denise Austin have put out video tapes, and Pilates mats are being sold everywhere from Target to health food stores. More and more men are practicing Pilates by the day.

Developed by Joseph H Pilates in the early twentieth century, Pilates is a method of exercise to strength, strengthen and balance the body and focuses on using core abdominal muscles to guide movement. Most Pilates classes are taught using only mat work, although some studios also use a common Pilates machine known as the Reformer in addition to other simple equipment to assist in the exercises.

According to the non-profit Pilates Method Alliance, Joseph Pilates was a performer and a boxer living in England and, at the outbreak of WWI, was placed under forced internment along with other German nationals in Lancaster, England.

There he taught fellow camp members the concepts and exercises developed over 20 years of self-study and apprenticeship in yoga, Zen, and ancient Greek and Roman physical regimens. Interestingly, he did not name the method after himself, but rather referred to it as “Contrololgy.” He developed his original machines when he was transferred to another camp where he acted as a nurse and caretaker for bedridden patients who could not perform his exercises lying on the ground.

For those who enjoy the pace of a yoga class, Pilates is a great choice. However, unlike yoga, in which poses may be held for considerable amounts of time while breathing is used to move deeper into the poses, Pilates focuses on the slow repetition of exercises to build core strength and increase flexibility and balance.

pilates man For any given exercise, the movement may be repeated as few as four to eight times, but because all of the exercises focus on the abdominal muscles, the cumulative effect is quite powerful.

From personal experience I can tell you that you will likely be one of the few men in any given Pilates class, but please don’t take that to mean that you don’t belong or that the class won’t be incredibly challenging.

In fact, be prepared not only for the sorest abs of your life, but for an impossibly lithe, 95 pound ballerina to put you to shame. She will be stronger than you, far more flexible and coordinated than you, and she won’t even break a sweat. However, if Herschel Walker can admit to the New York Times that ballet is the hardest thing he’s ever done then you can get over it and go back to the next class; this is an unbelievable workout not to be missed.

As I’ve only done mat work, I can’t speak for the Reformer or other equipment, but one Pilates instructor, given all options, told me that she vastly preferred mat work for her clients. Given that mat work classes can be found at any gym while the Reformer is likely found only in spas or Pilates studios, I recommend trying the mat work first, and if you fall head over heals in love and want to explore further, then by all means go for it.

Additionally, I recommend going to classes over an at-home video by about 100 to 1. A video can never correct your form, so at best you will have poor form and at worst you are setting yourself up for a nasty low back injury. You wouldn’t do a heavy chest press without a spotter, would you? You shouldn’t be doing Pilates in your living room without professional instruction, either.

To find a Pilates class near you, consult the group workout schedule at your local fitness center.

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