For Women Only??? Meet Mike.

It’s Cyber Monday, and Rivercity Pilates has several package specials for the day. Are you thinking, I already have a class package so I don’t need a new package? Let me let you in on a little secret. Pilates is not just for women. All the positive things that Pilates does for women, apply to men too. Many articles have come out the past few months that outline the benefits of Pilates for men.

Here’s a real life example. I’m fortunate enough to live in the same neighborhood as Carey, and occasionally we work on some geeky computer things at my home. Thus, she met my significant other, Mike. Like many of us, Mike had relaxed his workout routine till it became non-existent. Mike is retired from the Army Reserves, so he used to run daily. Our best plans to walk every day always get hijacked, and as the birthdays keep coming, there’s a little stiffness here and there, and flexibility is pretty much a dream. Mike has been very supportive of my Pilates practice and he’s the first one to recognize the positive differences that Pilates has made in my life. I took him to a “couples” class, but he wasn’t sure it was for him. That first class was pretty interesting. It was a tower class, and when the instructor told us to put our feet in the straps for legs spring, Mike gave me the “you’ve got to be kidding look”, and that look just kept happening all through the class.

One afternoon, Carey and I coordinated schedules and scheduled Mike for a private Pilates session the next day. He wasn’t excited about it, but he didn’t say no. I did not go with him for his first session (or any session for the first few weeks), because I wanted him to be comfortable at the studio and not worry about what I was doing or thinking. She scheduled him again, and just sent him the appointment, and he had another lesson. After only 3 sessions, Mike had to reluctantly admit, that he could feel the difference. He didn’t have as much back pain. His shoulders felt better, and his legs started to feel less “creaky” (his word) and not as old. Mike had Guillain-Barre syndrome as a child, so his hamstrings are very tight.

After Mike’s first sessions, he would comment on how Carey could recognize tightness in his muscles, and how she modified exercises for his working level. As Mike’s Pilates practice is now almost 3 months old, his flexibility is increasing, he moves more and we even take semi-private Pilates lessons together once a week, and then he does 1-2 more private sessions with Carey each week. The best part? He says he feels better.

Mike would never have invested in his own health had Carey and I not pushed him and I had to do some major convincing about how amazing private sessions were and how well trained Carey and the other Rivercity Pilates instructors are. They truly recognize how each person’s body moves, and offer modifications and progression for each person to be able to develop their own Pilates practice.

When you look at the Cyber Monday Pilates packages at Rivercity Pilates, don’t forget that Pilates would be a great present for the man in your life, and it might even be something you can do together! If the man in your life is anything like Mike, you may get some static, and you may have to take him to the studio and promise him a local brew later, and he may never admit that he “likes” Pilates to you, but he will know you care about his health!