Men Are Trying Pilates in Record Numbers: What Lifters Should Know
UPLIFT IRON CLUBWhy Men Are Finally Filling Pilates Studios
Men are no strangers to a crowded squat rack, but Pilates studios have traditionally attracted a different crowd. That is changing. Among active male ClassPass members in the United States, 31 percent tried at least one Pilates class in 2026, compared with 19 percent in 2023. The difference is twelve percentage points, representing roughly 63 percent relative growth. The total number of male Pilates participants on the platform has nearly tripled. These figures describe a booking platform, not the entire male population, so the distinction matters.
Pilates is also bringing new customers into structured exercise. In 2026, 62 percent of men taking their first Pilates class on the platform were new to ClassPass, versus 47 percent three years earlier. A first booking does not prove a lasting fitness habit, and a bigger share of customers does not establish that Pilates produces better results than lifting. It does show that more men are willing to try a discipline they might previously have dismissed.
Some of the change is cultural. When teammates and professional athletes treat a Pilates class as normal training, it becomes easier for ordinary lifters to experiment. Some of it is practical. A scheduled class offers coaching, a defined start and finish, and a structured exercise progression. Someone intimidated by a busy weight room may find that appealing. Someone who already lifts heavy may welcome a movement challenge that does not reward the biggest weight.
Not every Pilates session is alike. Mat Pilates uses bodyweight, leverage and breathing. Reformer Pilates adds a sliding carriage, straps and springs. One class may emphasize gentle mobility, while another challenges muscular endurance and coordination. The instructor, tempo, range of motion and exercise selection determine much of the difficulty. Calling every Pilates class easy stretching is as misleading as calling every gym session powerlifting.
A strong lifter can be surprised by how quickly a slow side plank or controlled leg extension creates fatigue. That does not mean Pilates secretly beats a heavy squat. Unfamiliar leverage and precise positioning recruit muscles in ways the person has not practiced. The challenge is real, but the sensation alone does not measure muscle growth, athletic transfer or long-term fitness.
The useful lesson is not that men should abandon weights. It is that a training method can deserve consideration even when its image does not match gym culture. Try a class, decide which skills it challenges, and measure whether it fits your goals. Consistency, good coaching and a repeatable schedule matter more than whether an exercise looks impressive online.
Why Reformer Resistance Feels Harder Than It Looks
A reformer is not a small leg press. Its carriage moves along rails while springs provide resistance as they stretch. Straps and a footbar let the user push or pull from different positions. The force profile differs from a barbell or weight stack, and the return phase often demands just as much attention as the push. This helps explain why a modest spring setting can feel demanding without being equivalent to a heavy free-weight exercise.
Take reformer footwork. You lie on the carriage with the feet against a bar, extend the legs through a controlled range and bring the carriage back quietly. The quads, glutes and calves contribute, but you must also avoid letting the pelvis shift. A skilled squatter may be capable of much more absolute force and still find the precise carriage control unfamiliar. Those are different tasks, so comparing a spring count to a squat total is meaningless.
Spring selection is more complicated than adding weight plates. More springs can increase the force needed to move the carriage, yet in some balance-oriented exercises a stronger spring may make the apparatus feel steadier. Fewer springs can lower the resistance while making coordination harder. The best setting is the one that challenges the intended movement without forcing the person to wobble, brace excessively or rely on momentum.
Tempo is another important variable. A slow repetition, a deliberate pause and a controlled return can make a small range of movement surprisingly difficult. That is often muscular endurance and position control rather than maximum-force training. Heavy sets of five and long rests train a different quality. A smart program can include both without pretending they are interchangeable.
Before the first session, learn where the footbar, headrest, spring attachments and moving carriage are located. Ask an instructor to demonstrate safe changes to the setup. Keep hands clear of moving hardware and avoid changing resistance while someone is using the machine. Report pain or unstable positions rather than forcing a harder version to match the class. Technique is easier to learn when the equipment no longer feels mysterious.
A useful skill check is eight slow footwork repetitions with the same spring setting, range and breathing pattern. Pause briefly at the extended position and return without a loud carriage stop. Rest, then repeat. If the second set is smoother and the pelvis stays steady, you have made meaningful progress in control. You do not need to claim instant muscle gain to value that improvement.
Can Pilates Build Muscle or Replace Heavy Lifting?
Pilates can make muscles stronger, particularly in beginners and people who have not practiced the movements before. But a deep burn is not a reliable measurement of hypertrophy. Building substantial muscle requires challenging muscular work, enough repeated exposure and progression. Reformer classes can provide resistance, but many sessions do not offer the loading range or specific progression needed for maximal strength and size goals.
If you want a heavier bench press, larger quads or a stronger deadlift, you still need to practice the relevant lifting patterns. A mat sequence may help you control the trunk, but it cannot fully reproduce the task of moving heavy barbells. Likewise, a powerlifter who can squat twice their bodyweight may still benefit from learning to stabilize the pelvis in a side plank. The qualities overlap, but they are not identical.
Research comparisons suggest Pilates can improve strength relative to inactivity. It has not consistently shown better strength outcomes than other exercise methods. More recent evidence also finds improvements in flexibility, balance and some functional measures without consistent increases in lean body mass or explosive power. Study populations, class intensities and measurement methods vary, so sweeping claims about what every Pilates class does are not justified.
Think about force and control as separate dials. Force capacity is your ability to lift, push, pull or squat progressively challenging loads. Movement control is your ability to maintain useful positions while the limbs move or the base of support changes. A good program can train both, but a shaky reformer plank does not automatically predict a poor squat, and a heavy squat does not prove perfect control in every position.
For an experienced lifter, one Pilates class can replace a low-priority accessory or mobility session. Keep the main strength work and add Pilates where it provides a distinct challenge. For someone starting from inactivity, regular Pilates can be a legitimate first step, but progressive resistance training deserves a place if the goal includes major gains in muscle or strength. There is no need to turn the choice into a rivalry.
Track the right outcome for each activity. Record loads, repetitions and effort in the weight room. In Pilates, record whether you can perform a movement through a consistent range without shifting, holding your breath or losing control. Soreness after an unfamiliar class is not proof of a superior stimulus. Repeatable improvements are more useful than chasing a dramatic feeling after every workout.
What Athletes Gain From Controlled Movement Practice
Professional athletes do not need a magical training secret. They need strength, sport-specific skill, conditioning and ways to manage demanding schedules. Miami fullback DJ Herman has described finding Pilates more precise and challenging than he expected. He uses it to practice mobility, stability and body awareness alongside football work. That is a sensible example of complementary training, not evidence that a reformer session created his football career.
A football player must brace through contact, plant a foot, accelerate and organize the body while opponents create unpredictable forces. Strength work develops force capacity, and field drills train the actual sport. Pilates can provide slower practice of trunk positioning, hip movement and breathing under manageable resistance. It may help athletes notice compensations, but noticing a movement pattern is not proof that injuries will vanish or sprint times will improve.
Evidence on trunk training supports improvements in some performance outcomes, particularly balance and selected jumping measures, but effects vary across sports and tests. A player who improves a reformer plank has certainly improved that plank. Whether the improvement transfers to a tackle or change-of-direction drill is a different question. Good coaches look for transfer instead of assuming it from an impressive studio exercise.
The same approach helps recreational lifters. If your torso rotates during a single-arm cable press, try a lighter anti-rotation variation. If your shoulders shrug during a plank, shorten the hold and improve the setup. If you lose control during the last repetitions of a row, end the set before technique collapses. These are practical coaching adjustments, not diagnoses of hidden dysfunction.
Coaching matters. A skilled instructor can notice when a carriage moves but the intended joint contributes little, or when someone holds their breath to survive a simple task. In a gym, a dependable training partner can provide similar feedback on presses and squats. Useful coaching makes movement clearer; it does not need to make every exercise look impossibly complicated.
Test carryover honestly. Pick one controlled movement such as a side plank with leg lift and practice it for four weeks. Separately track a performance task you care about, perhaps a stable split squat or repeatable change-of-direction drill. If both improve, that is useful information, though it does not establish cause and effect. Athlete-inspired training works best when it remains specific, measurable and free of miracle promises.
The Criss Cross Test: Control the Ribs, Not Just Reps
The Pilates Criss Cross resembles a bicycle crunch, which is why many people race through it. The goal is not to throw an elbow toward a knee as often as possible. It is to rotate the upper trunk while the pelvis remains reasonably stable and the legs alternate without pulling the lower back into an uncontrolled arch. The abdominals, obliques and hip flexors coordinate rather than merely chase a number.
Begin on your back with knees bent and shins raised. Support the head lightly with the fingertips, elbows comfortably open. Curl the upper trunk a small amount, then rotate the rib cage toward one bent knee while the opposite leg extends only as far as you can control. Return through the middle and switch sides. Exhale during the rotation. Avoid yanking the head with your hands.
Start with six deliberate repetitions per side. Each should take a couple of seconds. Keep the extended leg higher if lowering it makes the back arch. The torso should do the turning, not the neck. If you cannot maintain the position comfortably, leave both feet on the floor and practice a gentle upper-trunk rotation. A smaller controlled motion is more useful than a dramatic, distorted one.
Add a side plank from the knees for fifteen to twenty-five seconds per side. Keep the shoulders comfortable and the hips stacked. Then perform six slow dead bugs per side, reaching the opposite arm and leg while the trunk stays steady. Take short rests and complete one or two rounds. Together these exercises practice rotation, lateral support and resistance to unwanted movement.
Progress by improving quality before difficulty. Add a second round, extend the side plank by five seconds or move the leg farther only when the previous version stays stable. A fifty-rep Criss Cross challenge is not necessary. The final repetition should resemble the first. If the neck becomes the limiting factor, rest or choose an easier curl-up variation.
Do not push through sharp pain, dizziness or a movement restriction you cannot safely manage. People with recent surgery or significant spinal symptoms may need individualized guidance. For healthy trainees, however, a short controlled mat sequence can be a valuable skill session without becoming another maximal-effort workout.
A Four-Week Pilates and Strength Plan That Actually Fits
A practical hybrid plan needs neither seven workout days nor a complicated equipment list. Start with two full-body strength sessions, one Pilates session and optional easy walking or cycling. Put an easier day between the lifting sessions. The aim is to preserve progressive strength work while giving controlled movement a predictable place. If you already train four or five days, replace a low-priority accessory session rather than simply adding more fatigue.
Strength Day A: perform a squat or goblet squat for three sets of six to ten, a horizontal press for three sets of six to ten, a row for three sets of eight to twelve and a calf raise for two sets of ten to fifteen. Choose loads that leave roughly two or three good repetitions in reserve. Rest enough to keep technique sound. Record the weight, reps and perceived effort.
Strength Day B: use a Romanian deadlift for three sets of six to ten, a split squat for two sets of eight per leg, a vertical pull or assisted pull-up for three sets of six to twelve and a shoulder press for two sets of eight to twelve. Finish with a short carry or controlled anti-rotation press if time permits. These are sample ranges, not an instruction to chase failure.
Make the Pilates day a forty- to fifty-minute coached class or a twenty-minute home session. At home, complete two rounds of Criss Cross, side plank, dead bug, glute bridge and slow bodyweight squat, resting as needed. Focus on breathing and stable positions. The session should challenge coordination without leaving you too exhausted for the next strength workout.
Week one is for learning movements and choosing repeatable loads. In week two, aim for smoother repetitions or one additional controlled repetition in selected sets. In week three, add a small amount of weight when you reach the top of the strength rep range with good form. In week four, repeat one lift and one control task under conditions similar to week one. Compare quality as well as numbers.
Evaluate what happened. Did you complete more sessions? Did lifts progress? Did you learn to control the reformer carriage or hold a side plank without twisting? Did Pilates improve your training experience, or did it create fatigue you could not recover from? Adjust the schedule accordingly. A class earns its place by helping you pursue a goal, not because a celebrity says everyone should take it.
The growing popularity of Pilates among men is a welcome invitation to experiment, not a repeal of strength-training principles. Keep the barbell when you want barbell strength. Use the mat or reformer when you want to practice control. Let measurable progress, enjoyment and consistency decide the balance after the novelty wears off.
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