Why Men Should do Pilates
It is very often we are asked “is Pilates just for women” but this perception couldn’t be further from the truth! Male figures like Andy Murray, Tiger Woods, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lebron James have all been reported to frequent the Pilates apparatus to seek its benefits.
Created by a beer-drinking, cigar smoking, male boxer, Joseph Pilates, the discipline has been around since the first world war and is growing more and more in popularity for its proven benefits.
The reason it would be great for men? Typically, the male population suffer from poor posture, a compressed spine, heavier waistline and a lack of physical awareness- all of which Pilates can offer a solution for.
If you need further convincing, here is a list of what we consider to be our main benefits for anyone who possesses a Y chromosome…
Core Strengthening - A strong core, underpins everything you do so it goes a long way, particularly as we age. All of our Pilates movements asks you to utilize your core to power through any movement.
Improved posture - The modern man is often contorted over laptops, desks and/or mobile phones leading to more suffering of headaches, back and neck pain and reduced mobility. Pilates strengthen the muscles that supports your neck, spine and joints, helping creating better posture and reducing tension.
Focuses on Neglected muscles - There are ~639 muscles in the male body, so while 100 bicep curls sounds impressive, there is a lot more areas of the body that require a little more work. Pilates has a special talent of recruiting muscles that don’t typically get a lot of attention, and for anyone that has tried Pilates will testify- you’ll feel muscles you didn’t know existed.
Reduced Stress - Pilates is perfectly designed to help with the stressors of modern day life. It’s main principles are breathing, concentration and body awareness which are all effective when dealing with mental tension. It is a great way to relieve stress, as well as to complement your physcial goals and/or sporting hobbies.
