PILATES FOR MEN

Pilates 

A Man’s Workout

BY CECIL ELIAS

     Recently, I attended a workshop led by a Pilates elder (one of the few existing teachers who have learned the method from Joseph Pilates himself).  She looked around the room and asked, "Where is the token male?" There wasn't one!  In the present day, it is a common misconception that Pilates is for women.  This is a relatively new phenomenon; until the early 1980's, the original Pilates studio in New York had a predominately male clientele and staff!  What happened? 

The truth is that while Pilates is beneficial for EVERYONE, the method was developed by a man (a manly man at that!), while working with men, to benefit men.  Pilates (originally called "Contrology") was created by German-born Joseph Pilates (1883-1967).  In his early years, he was active in gymnastics and wrestling and fascinated by the ancient Greeks and the circus.  In 1914, he moved to London with the intention of developing his skills as an amateur boxer.  There, he observed Chinese acrobats training with a wooden box and developed the idea for his famous "Wunda Chair".  At the start of WWI, Joseph, being German, was arrested and spent 5 years in 5 different detention camps.  During his detention he kept fit and trained some of his fellow inmates. During this experience, he began to develop his unique exercises and ideas for some of his apparatus.  Note: These camps were void of women! 

     In 1922, Joseph moved to Hamburg where he was training the police and using early versions of his apparatus.  In 1925 applied for the first patent of the "Universal Reformer" in Germany.  Note: This is another predominately male environment in which Joseph was training.  He eventually received a patent for this machine in 5 other countries, including the United States.  According to Joseph, he was invited to train the New German Army.  Joseph did not agree with the political path his country was taking and moved to New York in 1926.  In 1927, with the help of his boxer buddy, Nat Fleischer, the first Pilates studio opened on 8th Avenue (strategically located near Madison Square Garden).  So far, Pilates was a man's sport!

There are many quotes of Joe saying in one way or another that dancers had ruined his method.  In 1929, two years after beginning business in the United States, famous dancer Ruth St. Denis was referred to the studio to work through a career threatening injury.  After Ruth's introduction to the method, her husband and fellow dancer Ted Shawn and dancer/ choreographer George Balanchine became good friends of Mr. Pilates and before long the studio became something of a hub for broken dancers.  After Joe's death in 1967, many of those still teaching the method were dancers.  If you were to have heard of Pilates in the 1990's, you likely would have read a headline such as this: "Ladies: Do you want a dancer's body? Do Pilates!" 

     The method has remained the same; only the audience has changed.   Ironically, classical Pilates is more challenging for men than it is for women! This is because it was designed to challenge and correct imbalances in a man's body.  Women have a lower center of gravity, are naturally more aware of their core, and are generally more flexible and smaller than men.  In general, these attributes make the movements more achievable when executed by a woman.   

     Pilates builds stability, strength, stamina, and flexibility and has been a secret weapon for many pro athletes and teams, including the New Jersey Nets, Orlando Magic, Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Tiger Woods, Andre Ward (Olympic Boxer), LeBron James...the list goes on.  Along with athletes and dancers, men of various occupations were clients of the original studio including George Gershwin (along with many other composers) and later Anthony Hopkins was one of the many actors to frequent the original studio.  Located in Manhattan, the studio attracted many directors, producers and various visual and performing artists as well as several doctors, lawyers, members of the NYPD and young men preparing for the armed services.  Pilates is great on its own or as a compliment to any other activity as it is a "corrective" method and is adapted for the individual.   In my opinion, everyone can benefit from Pilates!  Gentlemen, this method was made for you.  Try it today and experience all that you've been missing!