A million Americans can’t be wrong.
Pilates is for women, right? Well that may be a common perception, but it’s changing. Just as male dominated sports are opening up to women—the AFL claims that more than 300,000 girls and women are playing its game—so men are discovering that sports they had always perceived as predominately played by women, actually offer significant benefits.
According to Sports Marketing Surveys in the USA, about 12% of the 8.9 million Americans who practiced Pilates in 2009, were men. And that number is growing.
It’s time to forget what you think you know about Pilates and go back to basics. No matter what kind of exercise you do at the moment, if someone introduced you to a workout that increased flexibility, improved posture and core strength, you’d be interested, wouldn’t you? Think about it. Improved flexibility has obvious benefits for runners, cyclists and other sportsmen. Stretching the body properly and increasing your range of motion helps to prevent sports injuries and muscle strains.
And Pilates is all about mind over movement. It’s about making sure that you use the right muscles when exercising, and improving their core strength. For any athlete or gym junkie, the benefits in that are obvious. Focusing on the technique of moving can prevent injury and be the perfect addition to your training schedule.
Pilates is perfect if you’re an office worker too. Learning to hold yourself properly will mean you no longer suffer those same aches and pains from sitting—or slouching—at your desk all day. So get over your preconceptions. Just because women got there first, doesn’t mean that Pilates isn’t the perfect workout for men too.
To find our more about Pilates for men, call Relinque Sports and Spinal Group on 03 9499 9644