I have been regularly doing Pilates for about a month now. I have seen zero men participate in my classes… not even one! Today, a guy walked in towards the end of the class, and just as I thought “Oh, there he is, Mr. Pilates!” he opened his mouth: “Did any of you ladies park your Tesla with the Valet? You gave me the wrong key!” False alarm – there is no Pilates man in the building. Are men’s spines all perfect all the time and don’t need work, or their cores are so strong. Pilates is good for everyone. After all - Joseph Pilates was a man! Same goes for yoga, maybe not as much, but still why aren’t as many men doing yoga as women? How about water aerobics - only older women! Why? Water aerobics are easy on the body and build strength. Is it not masculine enough for men to do Pilates or yoga or God forbid water aerobics? I don’t understand that… But then, aren’t women strong enough to do cycling? All I see up and down Mandeville Canyon are men pushing the pedals.

My guess is - it all comes down to good old marketing. And marketing is cheating men out of some very beneficial activities while also reinforcing gender roles. Pilates benefits performance and reduces the likelihood of injury in many, if not all sports. It works on developing greater flexibility, it improves functional movements – the movements that we do all day, every day and need to get right, or at very least, get better. Pilates is a great way to relax, it develops real core stability, it works the abs (properly), and the Pilates machinery is particular good for using body weight while working all muscle groups. I am not trying to sell no one on Pilates and am not opening a Pilates studio… just kind of not getting it. But maybe someone should open a studio just for men (don’t forget to credit my idea!), so men can still feel like men among other men, while doing something good for themselves.