Real men pump iron don't they? 

They are too macho for the likes of pilates surely? 

Try telling that to the New Zealand All Blacks who include pilates as part of their fitness programme. 

Or to Aussie rugby league clubs with names like like the Canterbury Bulldogs and the Melbourne Storm who have compulsory weekly pilates classes to help prevent injuries.

And you don't have to go to the other side of the world either to find professional sportsmen who use pilates as part of their injury recovery, fitness and wellbeing programmes. Premier League footballers, the England cricket team, Olympic athletes to name but a few are well versed in the benefits of doing pilates. 

Joseph Pilates himself was a boxer and self-defence instructor and although dancers were among the first converts to the benefits of the Pilates Method, it's interesting to note that legendary German heavyweight boxer, Max Schmelling, was also a regular at his New York studio.

The best news of all for men is that you don't have to be a sportsman, professional or otherwise, to enjoty the benefits of pilates.

Pilates And Men 

Joe Pilates developed his exercises for both men and women and around 25% of those attending pilates classes today are men. 

Pilates is an effective form of exercise because it develops your core strength and improves your posture and that's something that men can benefit from just as much as women.

According to Dr Tom Crisp, a sports and orthopaedic specialist at BUPA Wellness, the best way for men to improve posture and develop muscle strength is to attack the body's core muscles - those around the trunk area. Exercises that will have the most positive effect without strain are pilates, yoga and Swiss ball exercises.

"Men who want to get fit would do well to get in touch with their feminine side at the gym," said Dr Tom Crisp. "The core muscles that fitness fanatics keep talking about act like a corset around your trunk, take pressure off your back and pull all the other abdominal muscles into the right place."

Those core muscles which pilates targets so perfectly can help alleviate back problems and help develop a flat stomach. Two things that top the list of many a man's health and fitness wish list.

Most pilates studios offer mixed pilates classes and an increasing number offer men only classes. One to one classes are also available.

Pilates can also be performed at home with either a DVD or a book as your guide, but if you can get along to a class so that a professional instructor can ensure that you are doing the movements correctly so much the better.

So remember. Real men do pilates. So why not join them today!

Source: Pilates and Men | Pilates.co.uk

It's not just Madonna and Liz Hurley who are doing Pilates.

British tennis player Elena Baltacha has become the latest convert using the technique to nurse her back from injury.

Pilates has been around for 70 years but even members of the New Zealand All Blacks have used it as part of their training. Here we give you an idea of what all the fuss is about.

What is Pilates?

Pilates (pronounced pi-lah-tees) is a form of exercise which build's your body's core strength and posture. This is done through a series of stretching and conditioning exercises.

Think of holding your arms out to your side for as long as you can. Or sitting down with your legs out in front of you and raising them just above the floor. Pilates uses these types of exercises which are great for your muscles and help prevent injury.

Where does the name come from?

Pilates is the idea of Joseph Pilates who was born in Germany in 1880. As a child he was frequently ill and decided to train himself using gymnastics to improve his health. He was a bit of a health guru and studied Yoga and Tai Chi before inventing his own brand of exercise in the early 1900's.

In many ways he was ahead of his time and used his techniques to help dancers who were recovering from injury. But his methods were so successful that all sorts of people now use them from ballet dancers through to rugby players.

How do you do it?

Pilates is practised on a mat and is mostly taught in a class but there is specialist equipment available too. At first you learn the importance of movement with breathing. As you get better, exercises are combined to create a flowing continuous movement.

Any tips for starting?

Pilates classes run up and down the country in hundreds of health and fitness clubs. There are lots of different versions of Pilates so you can adapt it to suit you. Make sure you have an experienced instructor and don't be afraid to ask them why you are doing a certain exercise.

The fewer people in the class the more attention your teacher will be able give you!

Source: What is Pilates all about? | BBC News