As an all female team at purely
PILATES we thought we should take this months blog as an opportunity to remind
our clients that Pilates is not just for us ladies! We often hear comments from
men such as “Isn’t Pilates just for women?”, well…no in fact Pilates was
started by a man. Joseph Pilates trained as a boxer and gymnast and practised
well into his eighties. In recent years we have found a growing number of our clients
are men who love Pilates not only because it is a great workout but also
because it helps them in the following areas:
Increasing their game
in sports such as golf, tennis, swimming and running. Numerous Pilates exercises work and
strengthen the abdominals by deepening them for maximum strength while twisting
with control. The twisting action of
such exercises is key to building a killer golf swing or tennis serve. Pilates
has been a training vehicle for many elite athletes who find it helps fine tune
their performance, it is a well known fact that Tiger Woods has a private
Pilates coach.
Six pack abdominals
can be built by the slow and controlled moving core exercises that sometimes
require the pose to be held for an extended period of time. This makes for a very intense and different
type of contraction for the abdominals than the usual workout men perform in
the gym. When the abdominals are trained
and strengthened to activate at the level Pilates brings them to they make the
body work in proper alignment. This
alignment increases how hard the rest of the body works increasing the overall impact.
Develop often
neglected muscle groups. The muscles that dominate our daily movements can
be stronger than those that don’t.
Pilates helps men to focus on those muscles that don’t typically get a
lot of attention in their usual gym workout.
Pilates requires exacting alignment and core training that goes beyond
the superficial muscles.
Increase flexibility
and prevent injury. Women are
typically 7% more flexible than men in their ligaments and tendons. Pilates’ focus on stretching helps increase
range of motion and prevent injuries and muscle strains. England rugby union star Ugo Monye who used Pilates
to get over a crippling back injury commented in Men’s Fitness “A lot of
athletes and rugby players are doing Pilates for prehab, preventative
exercises, as opposed to rehab work after an injury’.
So the next time anyone suggests that Pilates is just for
women you can now tell them factually why that is not the case!
If you would like to introduce Pilates to a man in your life
don’t forget if you refer a friend you receive a fantastic referral gift. A Pilates flex band if your friend books an
8 week Mat-work course or a Pilates Overball if your friend books a One-to-One. Conditions
apply.
