Flourish - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 23
S
Across Australia and
around the world, more
men are stepping into
Pilates studios, hopping
onto reformers and
discovering that this
style of training is a lot
more challenging, and
a lot more rewarding,
than they 昀椀rst expected.
The rise of the so called
Pilates bro is not just a
passing 昀椀tness fad. It
re昀氀ects a broader shift
in the way men are
thinking about strength,
movement, recovery
and long term health.
A large Australian
昀椀tness chain reported
in early 2025 that one
in 昀椀ve participants at
its Australian Reformer
Pilates studios were
male, and that the
number was growing. In
the United States, the
American Council on
Exercise reported that
some classes are now
seeing up to 25 percent
male attendance. Even
recent UK reporting
has pointed to some
large 昀椀tness chains
seeing near gender
parity in certain classes.
Put simply, the Pilates
studio is no longer
just the domain of the
“Pilates princess”. The
Pilates bro has entered
the chat.
Not Just a Trendy Workout
Pilates is having a serious moment. Class
attendance has surged globally, and the
trend is being felt strongly in Australia
too. While the image of Pilates has
long been shaped by women’s wellness
culture, the method itself was never
designed with one gender in mind. In fact,
Pilates was created by a man, Joseph
Pilates, and built around principles
like control, precision, core strength,
breathing and functional movement.
Once you strip away the old stereotypes,
it is easy to see why more men are
getting involved.
