Last week, I experienced Pilates for the first time. Those of you who follow me on Instagram or Twitter probably know that I’ve been training regularly at Equinox – in London mostly, but NY, Toronto and LA when I am away. The Equinox experience is somewhat unparalleled – from a cultural or even pop cultural standpoint, Equinox has established itself as the most desirable luxury fitness destination worldwide. With campaigns from Rankin to a world class fitness enthusiast offering that is like no other. On a personal level, the energy that the team at Equinox collectively put out there is incredibly inspiring and is truly helping its members including myself achieve our personal goals.
So when I was invited to try Pilates and understand the value of what Pilates can achieve, particularly from the perspective of a man, I couldn’t say no. Granted, I already have a strong core from years (albeit infrequent) of yoga and working out, I knew there was still massive scope to improve. World leading Pilates expert Oliver James helped me put this into action. I caught up with Oliver after our class on some tips and the history of Pilates.
NT: Hey Oliver, thank you for such an incredible class. In your expert opinion, why has there has been a resurgence in Pilates for men?
OJ: Currently it is a fact that much larger percentage of women do Pilates than men – this is interesting particularly since men have been prime movers and shakers within the Pilates world since the beginning – none the least of which was Joseph Pilates. In his younger years Joseph was a boxer and circus performer. Early video archives show Joseph teaching whole rooms of men with in fact fewer women.
The large variance is changing as an increasing number of men recognise the benefits of Pilates for their physical and mental development as one of a few trusted and well proven methods to develop both strength and flexibility at the same time, missing from many mainstream exercises.
I believe it is making a resurgence among men for a number of reasons.
1. Pilates has had a historical image of being quite easy and mainly practiced by women which has put men off. I know many men still think this! Professional male athletes have been using Pilates as a cross training tool for a few decades and this number is increasing. It is popular with this opinion forming group as it gets results and improves performance in ways that standard training finds difficult to achieve. A good instructor can ensure anyone from a beginner to an athlete is challenged to a level of their choosing.
2. Men are becoming increasingly comfortable to try things out of their normal gym comfort zone. Structuring a workout with variety encourages powerful results by keeping the body guessing and avoids over developing parts which can lead to tightness and in some cases injury. Pilates is finding a natural place to support this as each session encourages a powerful, full body vigorous workout combined with moving the body in all physical planes. The integrative component of Pilates can be especially beneficial for men, whose workouts often emphasize a part-by-part approach to muscular development, such as with weightlifting.
3. The Pilates industry has been working to encourage men back into the studio. A number of teachers have focused on some of the more challenging upper body exercises that really get male physiques fired up. Equipment Pilates (rather than just mat work) has become increasingly accessible as centers open up across the world. Equipment Pilates is particularly good for men as it enables feedback and something to work against enabling them to feel and experience results quickly, not forgetting spring resisted equipment which stretches and strengthens at the same time, no other exercise does this to date.
4. Proven results – Pilates has worked incredibly effectively for over 80 years and has proven itself to still be relevant with the help of science. For men in particular, Pilates will increase a body’s flexibility in a way that men feel comfortable as it works towards functional fitness. This is the ability to have the strength, balance, and flexibility that allows one to move through the stresses and strains that ‘life’ brings with sophisticated precision. It is a leading method to help develop the weaker and smaller muscles whilst releasing the dominance of the larger, easier to use muscles.
NT: Incredible. Talk me through some of the advantages…
OJ: Some of the advantages include core strength, muscular uniform development, flexibility, balance and efficient movement patterns. After a thorough work out men (and women) report feeling more energised, increased fitness, larger lung capacity and the natural endorphin high from a full body workout.
NT: What is your advice for maintaining a strong core day to day?
1. Breath – observe how you breathe and learn to breathe bigger. After a big inhale exhale until all the air is squeezed out (whilst keeping a healthy posture) and feel how all the abdominal muscles squeeze the whole torso into a slimmer you! Breath in again and Repeat at least 15-20 times when ever you have a spare moment. Try to do this without tensing the rest of the body (in particular neck and shoulders). The strong exhale will not only fire up your core but increase your inhale as your body demands more air this way.
2. Watch for abdominal ‘punch out’. When you stand up, sit up in bed, get up from the sofa or even exercise, watch what your stomach and back do. If the belly punches outwards or your lower back slumps then you could cause an injury and are doing yourself no long term good. Draw your waist narrow and slimmer as you make these moves. This action with help to develop stronger and healthier core muscles.
3. Do Pilates! In the very least give it a go – when looking for where to practice make sure you find fully qualified instructor that has done a minimum of 500 hours certification course. You will notice the difference compared to a lesser trained instructor (and there are many of them out there!). Once found you can trust that they have the experience to make sure you are safe and get what you need out of a session. Lastly, when choosing an instructor don’t be afraid ask them questions and get to know them better. Each teacher will have a different style so find the one that suits you and avoid the larger classes if you want to get a good amount of attention to make sure you are working at an optimal level.
Learn more about Oliver’s techniques via Equinox and Oliver’s site.