Pilates for Men? You bet!
1. Golfer, Runner, Cyclist or Weekend Warrior? Fitness is great, but unfortunately participating in sports can create major imbalances in the body. Think of rotating and swinging the same way repeatedly, or the impact and injuries caused by overuse. Doing Pilates in addition to other sports and activities can not only increase flexibility and range of motion, it can improve your game and make you better at your sport. Almost every top athlete works Pilates into their training methods.
2. Sitting for most of the day? The car, the bus, the office… way too much time spent sitting. It’s a fact that sedentary behavior can lead to an increased risk of many diseases. It slows metabolism, compresses the spinal column, and stiffens muscles. Pilates can help to reverse the effects of all that sitting around. Strengthen, lengthen, stretch and tone!
3. Gym rat or weightlifter past his prime? While it’s probably not necessary to give up weights completely, it is beneficial to balance it out with some Pilates. Usually the bulkier the muscle – the less flexibility it has. Combining weight training with Pilates will increase flexibility and mobility so that the risk of getting an injury from lifting lessens. Also, although you may be spending hours building muscle in the major body parts, chances are your core is still pretty weak. Nothing gives your core a good workout like Pilates!
4. Slouching and Shrinking? Poor posture is the cause of a lot of bad things, like chronic back and neck pain. It also can make you appear heavier and older. Pilates can help to decompress the spine by strengthening and lengthening muscles and proper alignment. After some good Pilates workouts, you can be back to your original height in no time. This is true, we see it all the time!
5. Stress, stress and more stress? Everyday life is a challenge, and we all know how stress can negatively affect almost everything within and around us. Pilates can help. During a Pilates session, you are forced to pay attention and concentrate on breathing while working through each movement with control and proper form. Afterwards, you feel refreshed and energized, which can carry over into your everyday life, if you keep Pilates as a routine.
So here’s the take away; Pilates is not a women’s only workout. It was developed by a man, Joseph Pilates, who initially refused to train women, feeling they were not strong enough to handle it.
Of course today we know this is not true, but Pilates can benefit the men just as much as the ladies. All of these benefits can be applied to everyone, regardless of sex, age, and fitness level.
