Does Pilates Have a Gender Bias?

It’s a plain fact that the majority of people who practice Pilates identify as female. We’ve spent more than a few words debunking the myth that Pilates is a “girl thing,” for the fitness system extends a multitude of benefits to male bodies as well. [See “PILATES MYTHBUSTERS 2: IT’S A GIRL THING” https://www.pilates-sarasota.com/blog/item/id/28, and “PILATES BENEFITS MEN, TOO” https://www.pilates-sarasota.com/blog/item/id/26] Just look at the method’s founder, Joseph Pilates: a wrestler, professional boxer, beer-lover, and quite the physical portrait of a “man’s man.”

That said, when someone decides to add Pilates to their lifestyle, it can be a very different experience for men versus women. The Dynamic Fitness studio has been in business long enough for our instructors to notice the challenges that men face due to general differences in morphology. We stress the word “general,” here, as every body is unique and responds to an introduction to Pilates in kind.

Many aspects of Pilates are completely gender agnostic — let’s not forget that in Pilates one’s mind and breath are equal players with one’s musculature. The main difference that we see affecting men and women’s Pilates practice is flexibility, particularly in the hamstrings, hips, and lower back. As a result, our male clients can have a harder time with certain exercises on the Reformer, such as the Tree, the Elephant, and the Stomach Massage series.

Challenges for men extend to work on the mat, too. For women, the body’s center of gravity is typically lower than that in men, due to having (again, in general) a longer trunk, wider pelvis, and shorter legs. By comparison, men possess a heavier trunk with denser musculature. Picture the Neck Pull mat exercise: Performed with the legs straight and hands placed behind neck, keeping the elbows open wide, this variation of a Roll Up is easier for women to perform. The weight ratio of the average woman’s torso is lighter than that of a male, making it harder for men to lift their heavy trunks up while keeping the elbows open wide in the proper form.

In addition, exercises such as the Saw and Spine Stretch Forward often require men to sit with their hips elevated higher than their heels, which are placed on the mat, so that they can successfully hinge forward from the hips.

In terms of performance, men tend to excel in exercises that expend quick bursts of energy. When it comes to a flow-based method like Pilates, however, our female clients “get the hang of it” much more quickly.

That’s not to say that men can’t get the hang of Pilates. Here’s another thing we notice about men and women who train at Dynamic Fitness: The differences even out over time. With dedication and focus, a Pilates practice builds strength and stretches flexibility to impressive new levels for all our clients. After all, this fitness system was engineered to improve any and every body.

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Who Is the Modern Pilates Student? The fitness system originally known as "contrology" was introduced to the world in 1945, when founder Joseph Pilates published Return to Life through Contrology, a complete guide to the exercise method that now bears his name. However, Joe was describing contrology over a decade before the manual came out. Published in 1934, Your Health: A Corrective System of Exercising That Revolutionizes the Entire Field of Physical Education was Pilates' first treatise on integrated health and wellness through a balanced body and mind. And the evidence is strong that the Pilates fitness system was coming to life right at the turn of the 20th century, as its founder studied and practiced a multitude of fitness techniques to improve his own ill health. Pilates is getting old -- but only in years! We find that the people who study and train in the Pilates method keep the practice relevant and just as impactful as when people were learning how to "teaser up" under the watchful eye of Joe Pilates himself.Here's something you might not know: The very first students of Pilates were prisoners. The very first teacher was one, too! When World War I gripped the globe, British authorities confined German citizens residing in England to internment camps. It was during his internment, with few resources and poor living conditions, that Pilates refined his fitness system and rigorously trained his fellow inmates.Pilates brought his method to the United States in 1925. The New York City studio that he opened with his wife, Clara, became hugely popular among the city's top professional dancers, gymnasts, and performing artists. Pilates' student roster included names such as George Balanchine and Martha Graham, and these stars would send their own students to train with Joe and Clara to grow stronger and more flexible in their art. A number of these early students dedicated their careers to preserving the Pilates legacy, using their tutelage under Joseph Pilates to train new generations of Pilates instructors -- take, for instance, Romana Kryzanowska, under whom our own Dynamic Fitness instructor Kathy trained and received her certifications. (Kathy shares memories of Romana in this tribute article: https://www.pilates-sarasota.com/blog/remembering-Romana-Kryzanowska/)The  Dynamic Fitness studio has coached its fair share of pro athletes and performers in Pilates, but what's truly exciting is how Pilates has taken root in the community at large. Joe Pilates gained great renown for helping dancers and gymnasts rehabilitate injuries; these days people who aren't athletes come to our studio to heal their bodies, too. We've helped ease a lot of chronic back pain, and have enabled people to still get a good workout after sustaining injuries (in many cases, from oversized or under-supervised exercises classes). The Pilates student we see today wants to be a better overall "life athlete." We're seeing more and more people who are getting serious about fitness, and want to have an exercise discipline they can safely perform for years to come. The modern Pilates student trains with us with the goal of living better in their bodies, so they're better able to enjoy daily life to its fullest. Pilates has stayed true to Joe's original principles, and we're very excited to share it with the new face of the movement as it continues to grow.