A challenging pilates workout.

Is Pilates useful for men? Pilates has been a training vehicle for athletes, both men, and women, for over 50 years. Men have figured prominently as instructors and promoters of the Pilates method throughout its history.

Core strength, flexibility, balance, and efficient movement patterns — are hallmarks of Pilates training and highly relevant to men’s fitness. 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 occurs in weightlifting.

Pilates, by contrast, emphasizes moving from the center of the body, the powerhouse, and developing core strength in the deep muscles of the center to stabilise the trunk and protect the back. This kind of core training makes Pilates an excellent technique for whole-body fitness, as well as a foundation for cross training with other kinds of sports and exercise.

Increasing flexibility is a goal that Pilates addresses in a way that men often feel comfortable with. Pilates works toward functional fitness. That is, the ability to have the strength, balance, and flexibility that allows one to move through daily-life tasks with grace and ease.