When we hear the word Pilates we think of a workout that has been designed for women.This is just not rue. If we go back in the history of Pilates we learn right away that Joesph Pilates, a man, designed the Pilates method, in 1926. Joseph Pilates has also written two books’ Return to Contrology' in 1945 and 'Your Health' in 1934. As a gymnast, a boxer and a martial artist Joseph Pilates was a very fine athlete. He also was a nurse in the internment camps in World War I. While working in these camps Joesph Pilates gathered statistics that supported his ideas about health including exercise for the United States Army, Navy, and Marine Services. The workout style was much like calisthenics. It was and still is an abdominal based workout that develops postural muscles or backs stability, and also increases flexibilty. This information alone supports the fact that a man designed Pilates, for men, as well as women.
Increasing the strength of the abdominals will not only improve our appearance but is a large part of correct posturing. In men, the abdominals tend to be a real problem area. Without the help of our abdominals to support our spine, the muscles and skeletal structure of the back and hip become over used, creating an imbalance. Thus, there are a countless number of different spinal pathologies that can and will occur. At the same time you strengthen the abdominals you need to increase the strength and flexibility of the back muscles and include the muscle of the hips.
If you were building a house you would certainly include the supports to the main structure. This would help with balancing the load so the main structure does not have to bare the entire weight of the house. Your body is very similar in it’s structural design and should be approached in a similar manner when building muscle strength.
Increasing flexibility in the entire body is very important. Flexibility is the component to our physical wellness that keeps us from toppling over. We have to be able to bend to and fro, with ease, in order, to catch ourselves from falling. Flexibility is also the other property of the muscle function. Muscles are made to contract and they are made to be elastic. In order to have a healthy muscle you must have both properties elasticity and contractibility. It is much like a house that is built to stand in an earthquake. It cannot be completely stiff. It has to be able to bend slightly to and fro. Even to withstand normal ground shifting, the house has to be able to give a little. Again our bodies are not too much different.There is no better exercise to address the above issues than Pilates and they are issues that apply to men, as well as women.