Why real men do Reformer Pilates

Reformer Pilates is often considered at worst yoga for women or at best recovery and rehabilitation for injured sportsmen. However, more and more weight trainers and elite athletes are turning to this system to increase their core strength, muscle power and mobility.

When you consider all that Reformer Pilates has to offer it may be the perfect remedy for the sorry state of our desk bound bodies.

Joseph Pilates a boxer, gymnast and bodybuilder founded the discipline in the early 20th century naming it Controlology as his method used the mind-muscle connection to gain great strength and control over the body. Using the wide range of movements he developed, clients were able to increase strength, flexibility and endurance through a wide range of movement patterns that we simply don’t get enough exposure to in our day to day lives.

I’m no Reformer Pilates evangelist, I believe in weight training, I have all my life both as an Athlete and a Health professional but on a physiological level strength training for even the most dedicated gym junkie comes down to one simple fact: Our bodies muscles, bones and connective tissues adapt and improve in response to tension and load… Not lifting heavy things. Following this, Reformer Pilates is just another tool to be used as stimulus for your body to improve. In fact, specialised equipment such as a Pilates Reformer allows you to place load on your muscles, bones and connective tissues in a way that even the most advanced functional weight training exercise cannot. Which brings me back to a simple formula guys…

Smart loading = Physiological Adaptations = Supercompensation

or simply

Smart loading = Recovery = Improved strength and performance

So, next time you’re looking for a new training stimulus take a minute and consider that your body responds to tension and load not just dumbbells and barbells. It might be time to start working smarter not harder…