Yep, Guys Can (and Should) Do Pilates

A look around any Pilates studio or class reveals a not-so-surprising truth: In general, more women gravitate toward Pilates than men. Perhaps one reason is that more men might prefer the weight room and don't understand the core-strengthening benefits of Pilates.

But it's time that changes. It's an effective workout that help can help everyone, regardless of gender, improve cardiovascular fitness, flexibility and core strength.

And lest we forget: Pilates was developed by a man. Joseph Pilates created the original Pilates system in the early 1900s, combining principles from dance and yoga and focusing on full-body movements controlled by the core, an area of the body also known as the "powerhouse."

While the benefits men get from Pilates are the same as they are for women, the main reason guys should sign up for a class is that the things the workout emphasizes are generally ones men put less focus on, says Stephanie Manning, certified Pilates teacher and owner of Pilates Barre Studio.

"Pilates increases flexibility and mobility in the shoulders, hips, spine and legs," she tells LIVESTRONG.com. Men tend to be a lot tighter in general than women due to increased muscle mass, and Pilates can help to release and stretch the tightness.

Pilates also evens out men's muscular strength. "Because men's strength is typically in their upper body, they can get really overdeveloped in their mid to upper back," she says. "Pilates retrains the way we use the body, so they can balance out their muscle structure and use their core more than their back."

And that added core strength can help prevent back pain. A January 2019 study in the ‌Postgraduate Medical Journal‌ found that Pilates-based exercise sessions two to three times a week were an effective therapeutic option to reduce chronic back pain. With about 80 percent of adults experiencing back pain at some point in their lives (according to the National Institutes of Health) that kind of protection is essential.

Pilates is also great for strengthening the pelvic floor. While women tend to pay more attention to this benefit, it's important for men, too, as they can experience similar bladder, bowel and sexual issues, according to the Mayo Clinic. A March 2015 study in ‌Neurourology and Urodynamics‌ of 85 men found Pilates to be as effective as conventional pelvic floor muscle exercise for improving incontinence.

To get started, Manning recommends five Pilates movements that are great for anyone, but especially beneficial for men, as they focus on the areas that are often tight or underdeveloped in men.

1. Lie on your back with your legs extended and your arms overhead, palms up.
2. Point your feet and press your lower back into the ground.
3. Exhale to begin, then inhale and raise your arms up so your fingers point at the ceiling.
4. Contract your abdominal muscles and gradually curl your spine off the mat, keeping your chin tucked into your chest.
5. Lift slowly into a sitting position and reach toward your toes.
6. Inhale and slowly unwind to the starting position while maintaining the C-curve in your spine.
7. Repeat three to six times.

1. Lie on your back with your arms holding the straps directly perpendicular to your body. (You can also do this exercise off the reformer with just a mat — more on this below.)
2. Bring your legs up and over your head while rolling your hips off the mat.
3. Keep the legs together and the hips extended so they are on the same diagonal.
4. Use the backs of the upper arms for support and keep the chest open.
5. Hold and, with control, return to start.
6. Repeat four to six times.

1. Lie face down on the mat and stack your hands underneath your forehead.
2. Press your pubic bone into the mat and lift your elbows.
3. Press your hands into your head and keep your forehead connected to your hands as you lift.
4. Slide your shoulders away from your ears as you lift.
5. Hold for five seconds and lower down.
6. Repeat four to six times.

1. Step onto the reformer facing away from the footbar and place the back foot on the footbar.
2. Use your hands to stabilize yourself and lift the other foot into place on the headpiece. Lower the body.
3. Step the front foot off the headpiece and the back foot off the footbar.
4. Switch legs and repeat.
5. You can also do this on a mat.

1. Kneeling on the carriage of a Pilates reformer, hold onto the straps with a closed fist and palms facing the wall behind you.
2. Pull the abdominals toward the spine and maintain a straight line from the neck to the knees.
3. With straight arms slightly in front of you, and without moving anything else, press both arms straight back.
4. Repeat four to six times.