Just curious how many guys out there are doing pilates and if you see any benefits or setbacks from it? From what I hear about it and have heard from some women I know who do them regularly, there are very few if any setbacks (Other than your typical soreness at first and hearing it's a bit difficult at first). But you don't hear about many guys actually doing it. Anyone?

I tried it. Mostly felt like a waste of time. I find yoga is a much better use of time

Pilates is an excellent tool for any person no matter what level of fitness you are at. It is based around the idea of maintaining a neutral spine position through proper use of the core stabilization muscles. The muscles such as your transverse abdominis are responsible for holding the body upright and are the powerhouse of our body. These muscles, located deeper than your "abs" should activate before movement even takes place. Teaching these muscles how to properly function will make any movement more efficient. Pilates helps to re-educate the body to do this and that is why it is such a great tool. Even if you only take 1 or 2 classes you can really learn some valuable techniques that will help in your everyday training regiment.

I had a friend (boy) who was keen on Pilates , but i don't know why, because i couldn't really see any changes. I also think that Yoga is much better then Pilates, at least for men.

That's kind of a silly reason to assume Pilates is inferior to Yoga... no "visual" changes??

I have dabbled in Pilates and plan to add it as a regular part of my training to increase flexibility and core strength. I have two good friends that are fitness instructors/trainers. One teaches Pilates and the other does general physical training, they both agree on the benefit of each other's "style" and typically incorporate bits of both into their routines.

Pilates isn't going to get anyone ripped or "swole", but it's benefits will enhance your abilities in the gym - from both a performance and form perspective.

I started pilates last month when my gym swapped a yoga class I regularly attended for a pilates class. I didn't like it at first as I found it too easy, but after a few classes I learned our instructor was taking it easy as most of us were new to pilates. She has been increasing the difficultly each week and I'm quite enjoying it now. It really does toughen up your core, both your abs and lower back especially, and is more technical and precise than yoga is. I also gained a new respect for pilates after reading this article the other day from Yoga Journal.

Yoga Journal - Yoga Asana Columns - The Other Mat

I tried pilates a few times but thought it was hard. I like yoga and kickboxing!

I started a basic mat class 9 months ago, and have progressed to intermediate mat and am alos using the reformer and otehr Pilates equipment. I've never sweat so much doing seemingly so little, and have lost almost 17lbs (though I really didn;t need to lose weight). I'm a huge advocate of Pilates for men. It's even improved my golf swing!

I have a related inquiry: how much of a spiritual/emotional/mental component is there to pilates? I always thought they were just a bunch of whacky stretches, but is it more along the lines of yoga in philosophy, if there is any?