Pilates for Men

Joseph Pilates probably didn't plan for his exercises to appeal mostly to women. He himself was a boxer, gymnast, diver, swimmer and martial artist -- hardly a wimp. And pictures of him show that he had a solid, muscular build as well as an upright carriage.

And while he was developing his system and the various pieces of equipment to augment it in an internment camp on the Isle of Man during World War I, he worked with other male internees and male wounded British soldiers.

When he set up his studio in New York City in the 1920s, a dance company was based in the same building. They were the first people in America to appreciate his techniques, and soon he was famous in that field -- with George Ballanchine and Martha Graham sending him injured dancers to rehabilitate.

After it became more generally known in recent years, women in particular seem to drawn to Pilates, perhaps because it emphasizes well-rounded strength, grace, symmetry, and flow. And rather than going for big, bunched up muscle tissues, it stretches them as it strengthens them.

This is not inherently feminine. The sport of swimming also stretches muscles -- and nobody would call Michael Phelps a wuss.

But it's certainly not the bulked up look sought after by weight lifters and body builders.

Herdman realizes that many men will not want to make Pilates their only source of exercise. Having correct posture is a good thing, but we also want to play sports or pursue other strength building or cardiovascular activities such as running. Therefore, a large part of the book is devoted to advice and exercises to help with specific sports, from running to rugby. Many of these exercises can be used as warmups and stretches to perform after completing the sport, to keep you playing instead of sidelined with injuries.

First he does something I haven't seen in any other Pilates book -- provides a series to twelve "tests" so the reader can assess how strong and flexible he is now, before beginning Pilates. The author doesn't stress this, but readers should re-take this assessment every month or so to prove for themselves how well their Pilates program is working.

Then there's a chapter on common everyday bad posture habits and how to correct them. Not something men want to read about, but in line with the Plates philosophy of improving your body throughout all your daily activities, not just the period when you're "officially" practicing Pilates.

Then he provides an intermediate and advanced workout. All of the exercises use a mat or standing position. He doesn't even mention Pilates exercise equipment. This book is intended to help men working alone at home.

A final chapter describes many more ways to stretch, and emphasizes doing some of them throughout the day -- after waking up, during lunch hour, and in a hotel room while traveling. We can't always set aside an hour a day for a real workout, but we can stretch and practice good posture.

My only gripe would be what he left out. The sports sections include a chapter on "gym" but does little to address how Pilates can reduce the risk of injury for weightlifters. There's no section for wrestlers, martial artists or basketball players (though Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and others practice Pilates).

Richard Stooker is a freelance writer with a long time interest in health, nutrition, fitness and anti-aging. Recently he discovered the Pilates rebounder.