Benefits of Pilates for Men
Pilates is for women, right? Well, that may be a common perception, but it’s steadily changing. Just as male-dominated sports are opening up to women, men are likewise discovering that activities they always perceived as
inherently feminine may actually offer significant benefits.
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. Think about it. Let’s go through some of the biggest benefits on offer for men taking up Pilates.
This blog outlines some of the biggest reasons why Pilates can be a wonderful workout for men. For personalised health advice, contact our team at Northern Districts Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic today.
Injury Prevention and Recovery
Whether you’re an athlete or an office worker, pain is bound to pose an issue in your life at one point or another. Back pain, especially found in the lower back, is a common problem caused by sitting for hours at a time. Men are also prone to knee and hip injuries as they get older, and the chances of this only increase as an athlete.
Pilates works to stretch the body properly and increase your range of motion. Through this improvement over time, your body is better protected against sports injuries and muscle strains. At the same time, Pilates is a great, low-impact option to help recover from pain or injuries, building back strength and motion. Many men start their Pilates journeys as a necessary treatment plan for injury recovery and never look back!
Improves Exercise Technique
Pilates is all about mind over movement. It’s about making sure that you use the right muscles with exercising and improving core strength. For any athlete or gym junkie, the benefits are obvious. You can learn to be aware of your body and engage correct muscles, improving overall posture and working on an overall core strength that’s invaluable for fitness.
Likewise, Pilates has a keen focus on flexibility, and improved flexibility has countless benefits for runners, cyclists, and other sportsmen. Even if you’re already well established in your exercise routine, Pilates may have benefits on offer that could greatly improve your fitness.
Stress Reduction
Men’s mental health is complicated. Signs show that stress and personal struggles have a large impact on men, and they have the highest statistics in terms of suicide rates. Men need ways to relax, decompress, and handle their stress in healthy ways. For many men, relaxing and responding to progress made during Pilates can be an immensely beneficial journey, as throughout the process of gaining control and strength through the body Pilates encourages deep breathing.
Relaxation is a huge draw for many people who participate in Pilates, and as more men start to try this form of exercise out, they might just find that the chance to decompress is more beneficial than they may have thought.
Improves Posture and Strong Core
Pilates certainly works to build a strong core, but its benefits go so much further than just that. Our spine is the cornerstone of our health, guiding us through our daily lives and acting as an irreplaceable factor in our overall health. A strong, flexible, healthy spine makes life easier. Without solid posture and a comfortable range of movement, we’re incredibly susceptible to injury.
For many men, Pilates is a frustrating experience because it’s slow. Showing impatience for progress is common, but the work being done in a Pilates class can’t happen overnight. By teaching the body new patterns of movement and correcting bad habits, we’re working to undo years of damage and mistreatment of the spine. Dedicating the time to work on a better posture and a stronger core is slow work, but it is a choice that will pay off for the rest of your life.
Start Your Pilates Journey Now with NDPE
Leave your preconceptions in the past. Just because women got there first, doesn’t mean that Pilates isn’t the perfect workout option for men, too. If any of the above benefits have captured your interest, give Pilates a try today! Start your journey to better health, better living, and better well-being now. Contact Northern Districts Physiotherapy and Sports Clinic today to book your very first reformer exercise class.
Give Northern Districts Physiotherapy & Sports Clinic a call on 02 9874 8410 to book your reformer exercise classes today!
