The benefits of Pilates for Men

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’.

Better posture.  Many men spend numerous working hours behind a desk or at the wheel of their car leading to slouching and poor posture.  Pilates can help correct this problem and give relief to those suffering from back, neck or shoulder pain.

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.