The Men's Health Blog

Why? Because I said so. And because pilates kicked my @$$ last night.

Allow me to explain...

After work, myself and two of my best buds decided to take a friend up on her offer to participate in her pilates class at the local university.

For those who don't know, pilates is a fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates in Germany. Joe originally referred to his method as Contrology, because he believed his method utilized the mind to control muscles.

The program focuses on the core postural muscles which help keep the body balanced and which are essential to providing support for the spine. In particular, pilates exercises teach awareness of breath and alignment of the spine, and aim to strengthen the deep torso muscles.

In short -- pilates rips your core.

It was only shortly after our warm-up exercises that I knew I was in for a world of hurt. I've got a strong core -- or so I thought -- but this was on a whole different level. And I'm stoked on it.

My core was thrashed. Internal and external abdominal obliques, rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis -- you name it. My lower back was pumped up. My thighs were burning. Heck, even my triceps. Who knew that isometric girl push-ups could hurt so bad?

On the downside, my flexibility -- or lack thereof -- definitely hindered some of the exercises. However, after an hour, I could already feel increased flexibility in my hamstrings as an additional benefit of the workout.

If you're one of those guys who is antsy about checking out a pilates class, I get it. Pilates was always a girl workout in my mind too. But those days are over and done with. There's nothing girlie about a wicked core workout (especially since you might get a chance to meet some ladies).

So get over it.

You want ripped summer abs? START NOW.

Check out a class and let me know your experience. I know I've got quite a few pilates sessions in my immediate future.