Is Reformer Pilates good for men?
Just because Reformer Pilates is popular with women, it doesn’t mean to say that it’s not suitable for men. Quite the opposite in fact! There are plenty of reasons why Reformer Pilates for men is beneficial, especially if you play a lot of sports or spend a lot of time in the gym.
When you’re doing Reformer Pilates, you may not sweat as much as when you’re strength training at the gym, but it’s a fantastic way of building up your core strength. Reformer classes work on your deeper abdominal muscles which are vital for strength training. A strong core provides the stability your body needs to help you safely build muscles in the rest of your body.
One of the most important benefits of doing Reformer Pilates is improved flexibility. As men get older, they suffer from poorer mobility in the hips and hamstrings which has a knock-on effect on overall fitness. By working on improving your flexibility through a low impact exercise like Reformer Pilates, you will find other forms of exercise easier and more successful.
The resistance springs support your workout in many different ways. Whether you’re using the Pilates reformer to aid with strengthening, stretching or toning, you have the ability to adjust the resistance to work better for you. The springs are the main reason why beginners can do the exercises alongside people who are experienced – you adjust the springs to challenge yourself, meaning that the person who’s on the highest spring resistance can workout next to someone on the lowest and both will benefit from it.
Reformer exercises can help improve your posture and correct muscular imbalance which can cause injury. Many people spend their days slumped over a computer at work and the resulting poor posture can cause many problems, including neck and back pain. A major advantage is that good posture which, in combination with the improved core strength and increased flexibility, will help prevent injury.
Did you know that Reformer Pilates was originally a form of physiotherapy? Joseph Pilates created the technique during the First World War as a way of giving physiotherapy to people whose injuries meant they were confined to their beds. He attached springs and pulleys to the bed to create resistance exercise to help patients improve their fitness. He discovered that the sooner patients were able to exercise, the better their recovery, and over the years went on to develop this equipment into what we now call the Reformer Bed. Reformer Pilates aids recovery from injury because the reformer bed is a low impact exercise that supports the body while you’re exercising.
The professionals know how beneficial it is
If you’re still asking yourself ‘is Reformer Pilates good for men?’ then it might be worth considering that Pilates is used by many professional sportsmen. This is because it’s a great way to improve their fitness, flexibility and helps protect them against injury. Famous names in the sporting arena who do Pilates as part of their training are the England squad, Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham and Andy Murray to name but a few. Male celebrities also do Pilates to help them keep fit, including Sylvester Stallone, Justin Bieber and Harry Styles.
No matter what your gender, age or current fitness levels, Reformer Pilates can benefit everyone, so why not give it a go? Book a taster class for just £10 and find out how it can help you improve your strength, flexibility and fitness today.
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