Yoga Pilates for Men

They say real men pump iron; they are too macho for the likes of pilates.



But try telling that to the New Zealand All Blacks or to Aussie rugby league clubs with names like the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Melbourne Storm and you’ll get a different answer. They include pilates as part of their fitness program and have compulsory weekly pilates classes to help prevent injuries.

You don't have to go to the other side of the world either to find professional sportsmen who use pilates as part of their injury recovery, fitness and wellbeing programs.



Premier League footballers, the England cricket team, Olympic athletes to name a few are well versed in the benefits of Yoga pilates.

Although dancers were among the first converts to the benefits of the Pilates Method, it's interesting to note that legendary German heavyweight boxer, Max Schmelling, was also a regular at his New York studio.



The founder of this system of physical fitness, Joseph Pilates himself was a boxer and self-defense instructor and the best part is that men don’t have to be sportsmen, professional or otherwise, to enjoy the benefits of pilates.

Pilates and Men

Joe Pilates developed this series of exercises for both men and women. Today around 25% of those attending Yoga pilates classes today are men. Yoga pilates are an effective form of exercise as they develop core strength and improves posture. That's something men can benefit from, just as much as women.

The best way for men to improve posture and develop muscle strength is to attack the body's core muscles – those around the trunk area. Exercises that will have the most positive effect without strain are Yoga pilates and Swiss ball exercises.

The core muscles that fitness fanatics keep talking about act like a corset around the trunk, take pressure off the back and pull all the other abdominal muscles into the right place. Those core muscles that Yoga pilates targets so perfectly can help alleviate back problems and help develop a flat stomach. These are two things that top the list of many men's health and fitness wish list.

Most Yoga pilates studios offer mixed classes. An increasing number offer only male classes. Nowadays, in most places, one to one classes are also available.

Yoga pilates can also be performed at home either with a DVD or a book as your guide. But if you can you ought to go to a class so that a professional instructor can see that you are doing the movements correctly.