For years, dancers and mothers alike have been drawn to Pilates, giving the myth that this exercise is only for women. The push and pull of a special piece of equipment called a reformer makes Pilates look tiring. But today, more men are turning to exercise because it is. an exercise Pilates makes you sweat.
Currently, 20% to 25% of the studio’s clients are men, said Dawn Friedman, 60, co-owner of Pilates Connection at 1609 Oak Ave.
Pilates gives people more balance, better breathing and more flexibility. This can be crucial for any type of athlete, professional or non-professional.
Helping him with his golf game
For Gaurav Isar, 57, a technology consultant originally from Kenya, Pilates was the solution to improving his golf game. His back problems made it difficult for him to play sports, so his friend, who suffered from the same problem, recommended him to try Pilates.
“When I tell my friends I do Pilates, they are often surprised and assume it’s not exercise. It is more difficult for me to convince them to come,” Isar said.
Scott Brady, 70, a retired information systems consultant, has been doing Pilates for six years. He wants to dispel the myth that if you don’t know what you’re doing you shouldn’t come, because in Pilates you learn as you go.
“I don’t consider this a women’s workout because of how much it benefits me outside of the Pilates studio,” Brady said.
Man and method
Discovered by Pilates Joseph Pilates. He immigrated to the United States in the 1920s and opened a studio in New York City, naming the practice Controlology. Being a German, he began developing drills and equipment while held in a British prison camp during World War I. After his death in 1967, his system became known as Pilates.
Most of his clients were men, but soon female dancers in New York City discovered him. According to a Wall Street Journal article, men are returning to Pilates, making up 25% of participants, compared with 16% in 2017, said Dan DeBaun, a spokesman for the athletic training club Life Time.
Owner Friedman is a mentor to Izar and Brady. The men at Pilates Connection range from middle-aged to 80, she said. More men keep coming in and it’s becoming more normalized, especially since professional athletes are talking about it.
Jake Arrieta, a former star pitcher for the Cubs, credited Pilates with helping his pitching game. Business Insider Letter.
Luke Dreiling, 45, of 710 Church St., Evanston; Used by the instructor and owner of BodyBar.
To live in Atlanta, where he taught professional athletes. He said if more men recognize the cross-training aspect of Pilates, it will help them find benefits.
A different extension
“I used to teach a lot of Atlanta Falcons, where they did it during their season, because they wanted something that was gentle but stretched in a different way,” Dreiling said.
“As a guy, this kind of work sometimes just focuses on those stabilizing muscles,” Dreiling said. Traditionally most women like that but when I cross fit or lift, it gives me better form.
Dreiling added that taking Pilates with male instructors can help women become more comfortable with the exercise.
“There’s
There has been an increase in social media coverage of Pilates as there are professional athletes talking about the benefits of such training.
“People have this narrative that ‘I can’t do Pilates because I’m inflexible,’ and they don’t realize that Joseph Pilates meant it for everyone,” Friedman said.
Emerson Leger lives in Plains, Virginia and wrote this story as part of the Mid-Northwest Summer Journalism in Evanston. She loves getting to know people and telling their stories.
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