232 Pilates Digest

Why More Men Should Do Pilates

First and foremost, Pilates was invented by a man, Joseph Pilates. While he initially developed Contrology as a prisoner of war on the Isle of Man around 1914-18, the Pilates method as we know it today began formally in the US as Joe’s Gym in 1927 located in NYC at 939 8th Ave. Many men visited Joe at his Gym regularly and Joe worked with all male body types.

Joe only began to teach dancers later through connections from his students. There’s a persistent myth that Pilates is only for dancers, hyper-flexible women, or people who already move well. While it is true that Pilates highly supports dancers, it’s important to remember that Pilates was developed to rehabilitate injured male soldiers and retrain male athletes. It was first about building a body that functions efficiently.

I recently met a man who told me, I can’t do Pilates, I played too much football in high school. Okay I said, so you have tight hamstrings, compressed shoulders, and tight joints, but this does not disqualify you from stepping into my studio. He laughed and said every time I get up from a chair, I hear a symphony of noises from my joints. Since Pilates was developed to restore all bodies, especially the male body, my response was you are exactly who Pilates was designed for.

While it certainly can help in a practice, Pilates is not about flexibility. Another big misconception, particularly among men is that flexibility is a prerequisite. Pilates is one of the safest and most effective ways to improve mobility without forcing range (i.e. uncomfortable extension and flexion).

On our 232 Pilates equipment like the Tower, Wunda Chair, Ladder Barrel and Reformer, resistance is always adjusted according to my clients needs. Range can be decreased significantly and springs can assist or challenge any one of my clients depending on what their body needs that day.

As a person with old dance injuries, I know how these life long injuries can feel and how flare ups fluctuate. Some days I feel more inflation in my ITB than other days. Other days I am a power house on my equipment and do not feel a thing.

At 232, if you can bend your knees 20 degrees instead of 90, I work with you there. If your shoulders don’t comfortably press overhead, I modify. If your spine doesn’t love rotation, I reduce the arc, have you hinge or completely switch out the position. 232 Pilates meets you where you are today, taking note of previous injuries, and bodily trauma.

The football body reality is that high-impact sports like football builds powerful male bodies. But they also often create too much long term compression and these injuries are more often than not traumatic both physically and mentally (the mental part comes later when you begin to live with and manage the injury).

The great thing about using various Pilates apparatuses is that they can assist in safely strengthening the deep stabilizing muscles that traditional gym and sports work often overlooks. For example, I teach controlled articulation of the spine on the tower bed, which slowly builds stability without compressing the joints and restores balanced strength across the entire kinetic chain.

If you are still with me reading my take on why more men should do Pilates, thank you for reading! But really thank yourself for diving deeper in taking this first step (knowledge!) to restore your body. The irony is that the tighter and stronger you are, the more you likely need a session at 232 Pilates.

It’s true! I believe at a certain point intensity stops being the metric and longevity becomes the priority. Pilates trains joint alignment under load and builds strength gradually in end ranges. It improves proprioception and your body’s awareness of where it is in space.

If you lift heavy, run, cycle, or play rec sports, this is critical. The stronger the outer muscles become, the more the stabilizing system must keep up and Pilates fills that gap. It’s not replacing your workouts it is merely supporting them. You can think of it as structural insurance.

So my male friends who think Pilates is not for them, the real question is what happens if you commit to once or twice-weekly Pilates sessions? Will you still hold these trauma induced thoughts: My body feels tight, I don’t move like I used to, and I’m not sure I’ll be good at this.

Pilates isn’t about being good, stop it already! Pilates is about building better mechanics and all you need is to bring willingness to my studio. The men who benefit most from Pilates are often the ones who think they shouldn’t try it. Have I made my point?

At 232 Pilates we don’t force range, we refine it. Take a class and witness for yourself your hidden strengths. Be inspired to move intelligently with with precision, mobility and longevity in mind.

-Diana Muchmore, Feb. 28, 2026