8 Reasons Why Men Should Do Pilates

Men can often be deterred from trying Pilates because it seems like a female-dominated practice, but, in reality, many professional athletes use it as a form of cross-training to improve their overall performance. Even if you are not involved in any regular sporting activity, Pilates can still be a vital component to your exercise routine and serve as a fountain of youth for your overall physical well-being.

So what are the key 8 benefits of Pilates for men?

Restore balance to the body: Pilates works both sides the same way. This draws attention to any of your imbalances. If you favor one side of your body over the other, if an arm, leg, or group of abdominal muscles is weaker, Pilates will demonstrate the difference. It will allow you to strengthen your weaker side.
Improve posture: Our posture can get out of alignment easily these days with our daily diet of desk sitting, car driving and endless hours spent generally on our devices. Pilates corrects poor posture by strengthening the muscles in your core and back which essentially help you to sit and walk taller and more upright. Good posture is not just for your appearance, it’s also for your health. Correct posture reduces the wear and tear on your spine and improves your balance, which, can decrease in quality as you age. If balance degrades, you’re more prone to injury by tripping and/or falling.
Become stronger in your smaller, stabilizing muscles: If you have an exercise routine, you probably work the same larger muscle groups all the time. Pilates exercises work local stabilizing muscle groups which are often a neglected muscle group in gym and sports activities. These stabilizing muscles in your stomach, back, hips and shoulders are essential for healthy movement patters and assisting your larger global muscles to perform.
Improved breathing patterns: Incorrect breathing patterns such as shallow breathing overuses our breathing accessory muscles in our neck which can lead to neck strain and chronic pain. Pilates focuses on diaphragmic breathing, which oxygenates your muscles and your entire body, so that they can perform better. Deep, quality breath helps your heart with blood circulation, reduce stress, and increases overall mental clarity.
Injury prevention: Three of the main principles of Pilates are precision, centering, and control. Making these the basis of any physical activity allows your muscles to be more stable, in better form, and enables you to have more control over your movements. One of the most common causes of injury is improper form. With Pilates, you are restoring balance to the body and correcting the alignment of skeletal and muscular structure. This will carry proper alignment through your every day life and in any other sporting activities you are involved in.
Improve injury recovery: Pilates can be tailored to any condition and injury which makes it a great addition to a physical therapy program. Pilates will aid your recovery from injury in a safe and controlled way, targeting strength building and restoring function and range of movement.
Back pain reduction: Pilates has proven to be just as effective as, if not more than, massage therapy for alleviating lower back pain. Pilates movements which focus on mobilizing the spine and creating space between the vertebrae in the spine help to relieve back tightness and pain, while core strengthening exercises support the lower back so it’s not doing all the hard work on it’s own.
Increased range of motion: Pilates exercises focus on active lengthening of muscles which results in increased flexibility and joint range of motion. This increase in mobility improves everyday movements and activities, creating an overall greater sense of wellness and fitness.