While women (young and old) dominate my classes, the occasional fella finds his way into class. Some have become “regulars,” while others are never to be seen again. While I’ll never know what makes one bloke pursue Pilates and another try it only once.
Pilates does benefit men just as it does women. Here’s why
In case you haven’t noticed, men are physically different from women in lots ways. Obviously, men are built differently, but they also move differently. They are generally more muscular and less flexible than women. Most men are extremely tight in the low back and hamstrings, owing to posture-related issues. Most obvious among these is increased thoracic kyphosis (rounded upper back), characterised by a forward-leaning head and rounded shoulders; this issue can be caused by sitting over a computer for long periods or the over training of certain muscle groups. In many men, the hamstrings, and butt are all tight and weak—which contributes to low-back pain.
What I hear from the ladies who attend class, is that their fellas think that Pilates is an easy work out just for women.
How wrong can they be??
In fact, Pilates was not only created by a man, but originally intended as an exercise program for men as well.
Pilates can be VERY challenging, and while it doesn’t burn many calories, it IS a great workout and can benefit the other types of exercises such as running, biking even weight lifting. You get out of it what you put in. I like the fact that several people of varying degrees of fitness can all be doing the same class, and still get a challenging workout, simply by modifying or advancing the exercises to their level.”
Come on Guys give it a go