Dude… Lose the Gut
Men, start using the natural corset you were born with: the transversus abdominis. It’s the horizontal layer of muscle beneath your six-pack, and it can make your waist smaller. Consider Pilates as part of your regimen and increase strength, endurance, agility and power. Pilates works both your transversus abdominis (for a smaller waist) and your rectus abdominis (for bigger abs).
Is Pilates for men different than Pilates for women? Men have different physical structures than women but require the same benefits of regular exercise. Pilates has been falsely identified as a “women only” exercise. People forget that Pilates was created by a man for men. Joseph Pilates was a hard-core German who developed the method to rehabilitate injured soldiers on the Isle of Man. The first practitioners of Pilates were soldiers, boxers, and athletes.
If your belly is rounder than it ought to be, try these lean tactics in addition to Pilates:
Eat Lean. You want a flat stomach? Watch what goes into it. We’re not suggesting that you live on alfalfa sprouts and granola. Most guys can get away with making little changes in their diet like cutting down on fatty toppings and cutting back on cheese and red meat.
Exercise Aerobically. Cycling, rowing, running, whatever — it’s your call. Anything that gets your heart pumping will burn away blubber.
Relax. When stress hits, one of the first things your body does is crank up its production of adrenaline. This causes fat cells from all over your body to release their stored fat into your bloodstream, so you can burn it and use the calories to fight or take flight. But your stress is probably caused by your boss, your kids or the IRS, so all that newly-released fat goes unused. What happens next, experts believe, is that the fat is taken out of the bloodstream again — only this time it’s stored preferentially around your belly. So do whatever you can to de-stress. Take up a hobby that will help you unwind. Take time at some point in your day to stretch and breathe deeply.
All men will benefit from more stretching to increase mobility, core strengthening for stronger backs, and exercise that is gentle on their joints. Pilates can provide all these things as well as improve posture, flexibility and coordination.
Give us a call to schedule your first session to see how Pilates can help you!
Photos: Ryan Abel, myyogaonline
Push ups: Great not only for shoulder and chest strength but also for your abdominals, push ups can be modified for any strength level. Start in a toes and hands position. Slowly lower your chest down then back up. Variations: knee push ups, toe push ups, feet on bench push ups. Hand position: at shoulder level, narrow or wide grip. Perform as many repetitions as you can maintaining good form. Remember to keep your body in a long straight position throughout the push up.
Pull ups: Great exercise for shoulder and upper back strength. Use a pull up bar, or the monkey bars at the playground. Work slowly pull yourself up and down as many times as you can. Variations: If you are unable to do a full pull up start in the up position and hold yourself up as long as possible. You can also use rubber tubing to provide you with an assist to complete the pull up. Hand position: you can use a narrow or wide grip, overhand or underhand.
Planks: Front, and side planks are not only good for your stomach, but also for your shoulders, back and hips. Front plank: support your body on your toes and your elbows.
Side plank: support yourself on the side of your foot and your elbow. Make sure to keep your body in a long straight position throughout. Hold your planks for as long as you can while keeping good form. Increase time as able for up to 1-2 minutes.
Lunges: Great exercise for gluteal/ leg strength, and core stability. Step forward with one leg. Lower the back knee towards the ground. Return to the up position slowly with good control. Keep your upper body upright during this exercise. Repeat for 10-15 repetitions on each side. Variations: try side lunges and back lunges. As you get stronger you can use hand weights to add resistance.