The media seems quite interested in the fact that there are more men attending Pilates. Quite a few articles have appeared in the press about men “infiltrating” Pilates and yoga classes.
I was interviewed by the Sun Herald as the President of the Pilates Association Australia, asking whether Pilates businesses had seen an increase in men attending.
I personally have not seen a major uptick in men attending, with historically around 25% of clients attending my studio being male.
This contrasts to around 10% of Pilates clients being male around Australia. For businesses that have strategically targeted men, this figure is much higher, with one franchise saying they had an increase from 8% to 22%.
In the article published in the Sun Herald, the journalist who interviewed me focused on the fact that I find many men come to Pilates because their wives bring them along and they quickly see the benefits for themselves and realise that it is not as easy as they expected it to be.
Helen Stamatakos, another PAA member, was also interviewed. Her studio has developed a reputation amongst elite athletes. She was quoted in the article as saying, “The reason why they do pilates is not only for a strong core but it aids in their power generation and balance.”
To read the full article, click here. (Note that this article is behind a pay wall.)
Following on from this article, I was interviewed by Tom Elliot on 3AW. He wanted to see if I could convince him to try a Pilates class. He asked questions about being getting cardiovascular benefits (of course), how Pilates works, whether he should give up other exercise and only do Pilates. At the end of the interview, he said that he was almost sold on trying out Pilates.
To listen to the interview, click here.
Robyn Rix
President
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