Sushi- I’m in the endurance sports world, and I can assure you that the athletes I have known for 40 years (some at the very highest level of their sports) have NO interest in having big, body builder type muscles! What you are saying is true for a segment of the male population, but it is incorrect to generalize as broadly as you are doing.
Bodybuilders do much more in addition to pumping iron to get those pounds of tenderloin, just saying. 
What is it with me and weight gain in the spring/summer? Everything is blossoming - and so am I. Aaaargh. :-S
I gave a very simple explanation of why you don’t see many men in pilates and yoga classes. Period. That’s all. Yes, it was a generalization. One that I happen to agree with BTW. You just don’t see a plethora of men in these classes. You can cite specific examples of men that do yoga and pilates, like Jake Arietta, but they’re not even close to being the majority of men.
Yoga and pilates are excellent exercise. I don’t disagree. But I think they should be part of a larger program of anerobic, aerobic and strength exercise regimen. All by itself, I don’t think it’s enough.
Lastly, I never brought up or meant to say that men want “big body builder” or “Arnold” type muscles. The simple fact of the matter is that we lose muscle as we age and building and/or maintaining muscle is crucial. And that’s where lifting weights becomes necessary IMO. Also, if you take a look at bookstore magazine rack and pick up most “men’s fitness” magazines, the non-runner, non-bicyclist magazines, you will typically see muscular men on the cover. I’m not saying that is good or bad, but that’s what men’s fitness magazines stick on their covers, with the typical 6-pack ab article.
As for me, personally, if I have a choice between having the body type of a 100-meter sprinter or that of a marathoner, I personally prefer the sprinter’s body. And I also think if most men were polled, I think alot of them would prefer the same. But I obviously don’t know that for a fact. Just speculation.
I will defend sushi and say I got his point about men not wanting to do girly exercises. Pilates is supposed to give us long, lean muscles not big, bulky ones and that’s why we women sign up. We want to be strong, but not bulky. IN GENERAL. (Some women like me get bulky muscles even when we do the girly exercises. Genetics!)
Let’s broaden the subject a little. What exercises and classes are perceived as being for women and which for men and why? And how do we feel when we go to a class and find ourselves in the minority for our gender?
Today a swim. Evenly divided between men and women in the pool today. The fastest swimmer in the pool was a woman fwiw (not me). Workout was tailored to the lane by swim speed, not gender.
At least around my area, Soul Cycle and spinning classes in general appear to be a female-dominated. As do the cardio classes. However, there are outdoor running and cycling groups around here that seem roughly evenly split.
I’m a CrossFitter and our Boxes and online group is roughly 50/50.
I had a tough workout with my trainer last night but was glad that I was able to do it. I’ve had too many late nights at work the past few weeks and have missed some sessions. Tomorrow is a group run ahead of the Marathon/Half Marathon later in April. I’m registered for the marathon but haven’t done enough training for it, so will probably back off to do the half instead. Tomorrow’s group run will either be 8 miles or 20 miles depending on which race I plan to do. All my friends are doing the 8 mile run because they are all doing the half later in April (or some are doing the 8K). So I’ll probably downgrade to the half but I am disappointed in myself although I probably shouldn’t be. Mind games.
CBBBlinker - thanks for the update on your brother. I hope he gets the pathology results on the lymph nodes soon, the waiting must be terribly difficult.
ohio - good luck with your training! I am really looking forward to hearing about how you do in those senior games. You have been training and working so hard on this!
I would really like to try Pilates and get back to yoga, but at this point I simply have no time for anything else and I’m unwilling to back off my running, strength training, or other non-fitness commitments. There aren’t enough hours in the day/week!
I want to look like mo Farrah or meb keflezighia! 122 pounds when he won Boston.
But I wouldn’t mind looking like usain bolt either! Unfortunately this 60 year old body doesn’t cooperate.
In dedicated yoga studios I see 30% men. At the gym/health club yoga classes very few.
Our gym has a yoga class that’s about a 50/50 split - all runners. I rarely go to classes at the gym. In the weight lifting area, there are mixed groups lifting - most divided by sport/interest. Runners lift with runners, etc. Spin classes are also a pretty even split. At the Pilates/yoga studio, about 25% men. Most of them stay away from the Reformer classes but that may be because there are prerequisites to attending those. My trainer works with 5 or 6 men individually. I’m not sure what her total client load is but she is busy.
I am really looking forward to be done with this half at the end of month. I’m doing 8 tomorrow, trying to get some hills in, followed by a PiYo class. I think for the upcoming summer months I am going to focus on doing some LHR training when I don’t have a race in mind.
D is plugging away with her PT and home exercises but it’s very unlikely she’ll be able to run this fall, so we’ve deferred. She’s got a lot of work to do.
There are lots of guys in my yoga classes , on average the classes are about 1/3 men ( all ages). Of course I take classes in the early AM before work or on weekends and sometimes in the evenings. I image the weekday classes have fewer men.
I have had some good discussions with guys at work about yoga. I’m surprised at how many practice. I have attended classes in my small hometown area when visiting and there were several men there so this is not just a city/suburban thing.
sushi, I don’t think I reinterpreted what you said; you said “Pilates doesn’t build muscle and typically men want muscles. The same applies to Yoga.” I disagree that Pilates and yoga don’t build muscle and strength. It may not be the same type of muscle mass and power directed strength as power lifting, oly lifting, 5x5’s, 5x3x1x max reps that Wendler espouses or hypertrophy based lifting, but Pilates and yoga will build muscle and strength. And while I agree with you that real fitness comes from a balanced program of resistance training, flexibility and cardio, where we part company is with your belief that resistance training must include the kinds of lifting typically seen at a crossfit box. Yes, deadlifts and squats are functional movements but you don’t need to be deadlifting and squatting twice your body weight to derive the benefits of those exercises including the benefit of staving off muscle loss as we age. And while Olympic lifts are great for those who want to be strong at Olympic lifting, they are hardly necessary (and often are inappropriate) for individuals who are simply interested in developing or maintaining muscle mass and strength. For that matter, one only need look to gymnasts to know that body weight based training can be incredibly effective at growing muscle size and strength if you understand how to program it for progressive resistance and overload. There is a whole world of effective muscle growth and strength training that can occur outside the weight room. You are very much locked into one approach to resistance training while the reality is that there are many different ways to apply concepts of load, duration and volume to achieve muscle growth and strength.
Where your posts fall apart is in the assumption that all men are looking for the same thing, have the same fitness goals and that cross fit box wod’s are appropriate for everyone regardless of age, goals, experience and medical status. There is a changing understanding of what it means to be fit, strong and healthy based on individualized programming tailored to individualized goals and needs. And yes, while the fitness magazines use photos of chiseled bodies on their covers, that’s part of the b.s. photoshopped industry marketing that makes its money creating and selling an image. The reality is that there are loads of men who have no desire to commit the time and dietary discipline and deprivation necessary to achieve that look. There are loads of men going to classes based on functional dumbbell work and TRX where the heaviest weights used are 45 lb dumbbells who are getting incredible workouts, are getting stronger and are preserving or growing muscle mass without ever doing the kinds of resistance training you are into. The fitness industry has exploded with small boutique studios providing group fitness classes of this type that appeal to both genders.
Sushi- Of course you are a cross fitter! I like men who look like marathoners.
Michael, yes, it is your interpretation of what I said/meant. Please, don’t tell me what I said/meant.
And in your lengthy post(s), you also seem to want to keep reinterpreting and even adding to what I said/meant. And that’s cool, if that’s what you do. As I said, I was only offering a general reason why you don’t see alot of men in yoga and pilates classes. Period.
- Bodyweight training is wonderful. It's part of my program. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. If bodies can handle additional weight, then that's great too.
- CrossFit boxes are appropriate for all ages, everything is scaled to individual performance levels and goals. There's videos of kids and the elderly exercising and doing quite well under the guidance of a coach. To say otherwise is wrong. I can find a video of an 80-year old doing quite well in a Box under the guidance of coach.
- 45# DB's are fine. Anything that gets people off the couch is fantastic. Some exercise is better than none.
- Having peeked into these "boutique studios," and knowing a couple who attend, I'm not a big believer in their results. Not all are created equal.
Mom - not sure exactly what is mean by “of course you are a CrossFitter.” And I won’t reinterpret your words, and just say, I didn’t understand the meaning of them. I personally prefer a sprinter’s body, not a marathoners, but that’s why they make vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, etc. ice cream.
“For that matter, one only need look to gymnasts to know that body weight based training can be incredibly effective at growing muscle size and strength if you understand how to program it for progressive resistance and overload. There is a whole world of effective muscle growth and strength training that can occur outside the weight room.”
Agreed and that’s why gymnastic movements are incorporated into my exercise program, BUT gymnasts do spend time in the weight room too.
Maybe my universe of women is narrow but most women I know seem to find a marathoner’s physique more attractive than a “Men’s Fitness” cover model. I know my wife preferred the look of a runners body!
Ohio- it varies. I have female friends who love the big, muscle-bound look. It’s not for me, though.
I am not a fan of Crossfit and think it is an invitation to injury.
I think there are generally three camps as it relates to strength training. Those that do it for health reasons. Those that do it for sports/performance. And those that do it strictly for appearance. One of those three will determine your regimine based on sound studies or perception of what you think is effective.
Zip lining was a partial fail. I was more petrified than I expected to be, and another woman lawyer in our group was on the same page. We were pretty OK with the actual rides on the wires, but huddling on the platforms with 8 other people (we were hooked on for safety was not for us. I made it through 3/4 of the course, including the long ride over part of the lake. I had to pull myself into the platform on that one because it was windy and I didn’t quite make it all the way. The guide was surprised I was strong enough to do that! I told him I was plenty fit- I was just terrified.
We crossed a wobbly rope bridge with slats (also hooked on so wouldn’t plunge to our deaths) which was scary but I did OK. The guy in front of me was showboating and going backwards and making the whole thing even more unsteady. The next platform was really high off the ground and had a ladder on it going WAY up the tree to an even higher platform. The other woman was petrified. I thought I could handle the ladder (clipped on again) but the high platform and an even higher one next was beyond what I wanted to do. She and I decided to bail, which was a little inconvenient, but we didn’t care! One of the guides went down the escape wire and then we slid on down it and were FREE!!! We got to be on terra firma and enjoy the beautiful scenery with both feet planted!
Now I know that I won’t be zip lining again!
Speaking of zip lining- has anyone done parachuting? Would have done it in my 20s. Not today.
“I am not a fan of Crossfit and think it is an invitation to injury.”
That was certainly an early stereotype of CrossFit. Running and bicycling also are invitations to injury. I see/hear of alot of people with injuries that don’t participate in CrossFit. Injuries happen in a lot of activities, but if you properly trained/coached, then you can reduce the likelihood of injury.
Just the other day, I saw someone fall completely flat on their face running on a treadmill. No injuries.