Harry Styles Does Pilates — and So Should All Guys

One Direction’s Harry Styles is a Pilates fan. (Photo: Instagram/kategoodersxx)

There’s a joke around the office that I’m obsessed with Pilates, and I am. I really am. There’s no better feeling than stepping off a reformer feeling inches taller — especially for this 5-foot-2 writer. So when I saw that Harry Styles is a regular Pilates-goer, according to a photo his instructor posted to Instagram, I couldn’t contain my excitement — not only because I’m making the right call when it comes to exercise (if it’s good enough for Harry, it’s obviously good enough for me) but also because a guy appreciates what Pilates can do for the male body.

You see, men, Pilates is great for you. Sure, most Pilates classes are filled with women, but the method was invented by a man (Joseph Pilates) and developed for both men’s and women’s bodies. And the same exercises that help women lengthen and tone can actually help guys’ shoulders look broader, and make them better at weight-lifting, football, and other stereotypical guy activities.

This is no coincidence, says Zayna Gold, founder of Boston Body, a group of Pilates and Barre studios. “In traditional ‘guy’ workouts, men work the larger, outer layer of their muscles,” Gold explains. “Pilates engages the deeper, smaller muscles that lie underneath. This strengthens the core, tightening the ‘wrapping’ around the internal organs and stabilizing the spine, which keeps you safe through sports and workouts, and allows for better fluidity of movement.”

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“Pilates also helps to balanced the muscular strength of the rotator cuff muscles,” Gold says. “This prevents injuries from sports like baseball, racquet sports, and golf. Whereas weight training will focus on the larger muscles like shoulders, biceps and triceps, Pilates seeks to balanced the inner and outer layer of muscles.” That doesn’t mean you have to give up weight-lifting — Pilates will actually make it easier to strengthen those larger muscles, while reducing wear on your joints.