Strength-training, cycling and running can neglect the deep lower abdominals and over-train the quadriceps, hip flexors and chest. For men with tight hamstrings and lower backs, these exercises can worsen asymmetries. Pilates strengthens the core lower abdominals, the gluteal and hamstring muscles, retraining the body to rely less on the back, quadriceps and chest. At the same time, Pilates builds flexibility, helping men avoid injuries resulting from muscular imbalance.
Misconceptions
Pilates is not only for ballet dancers. The flowing movements and emphasis on lengthening the limbs might lead you to believe that Pilates is not demanding. Many celebrity Pilates followers and the start trainers are female, and more often than not, Pilates demonstrators are young, lithe women. However, according to USA Today, Tiger Woods, Jason Kidd and Curt Schilling have done Pilates. Kidd told USA Today that "Pilates has made me quicker, more explosive."
History
Joseph Pilates, founder of the Pilates method, was an asthmatic and turned to exercise for relief. He became a bodybuilder, gymnast, boxer and circus performer. At the outbreak of World War I, while teaching a self-defense system to Scotland Yard, he was interned as an enemy citizen along with other German nationals. Imprisoned on the Isle of Man, Pilates built an exercise apparatus from a hospital bed frame, mattress springs, rope and pulleys to rehabilitate bedridden soldiers. This "bednasium" was an early version of the Pilates Reformer. Joseph Pilates was exacting in his instruction, and his series of exercises on the mat and various equipment pieces remains true to his principles of concentration, precision, centering, stabilizing, breathing, alignment, fluidity and integration.
Function
According to the Pilates principle of centering, all movement originates from the lower abdominals, buttocks and hamstrings—the "powerhouse." Pilates works to strengthen these areas so they, rather than the lumbar spine, can support the upper body. Many of the exercises on the equipment position the body to exert the powerhouse at the point of extension—or during eccentric contraction—as opposed to conventional weightlifting exercises that repeatedly contract isolated muscles. In each Pilates exercise, all muscles play a role. Hamstrings, hip flexors, and the back receive a good stretch. Men can learn to move with greater efficiency.
Equipment
Pilates equipment has not changed much since the method came to the United States in 1928. Pieces like the Cadillac, the Reformer, the Wunda Chair and the Electric Chair use springs to generate resistance and support. For example, the Cadillac resembles a sturdy massage table with a tall metal frame above. A male Pilates client could use the support of the springs for the roll back exercise, allowing him to release his hip flexor muscles and instead work the transversus abdominis, the deepest layer of abdominal muscles, and stretch the low back.
Warnings
Many male-dominated sports have a "no pain, no gain" mentality. Because the first several sessions of Pilates involve learning to access smaller muscles, male clients may not feel they are progressing if they do not feel a lactic acid burn. However, once a client learns to draw in his deep lower stomach muscles for the entire workout, the pace can increase, and the workout will become more physically challenging. According to a study conducted by the American Council on Exercise, the advanced Pilates mat workout raised the heart rate of test subjects sufficiently to qualify as a cardiovascular workout as well as a strength-building and stretching exercise.
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