Let’s hear it for the boys — in the Pilates classes.
To avoid talks of lip gloss and lattes in a room full of Alo-clad ladies, men are doing bro-lates — or men’s-only Pilates classes — with no girls allowed. And that’s the way they like it.
“All in all, it’s better being with six other guys than six other women and you,” Matt Goldschmidt, 41, who enrolled in the bro-lates class eight months ago at Pure Pilates in Merrick, New York, told The Post.
“It’s good camaraderie among us, and it doesn’t have the same kind of competitive nature that you find in a gym,” added Mark Reiss, 72, a fellow participant in the class at Pure Pilates.
Reiss, a grandfather and avid tennis player, had never considered taking Pilates until his wife and daughters suggested he try the workout.
He and some of his friends, all of whom are also in their 60s and 70s, decided they would try a class if — and only if — it was men-only, prompting them to become the original group in the studio’s bro-lates class that launched in 2023.
“We’re all in decent shape, and while we all stay active outside of class, it helps us work on different muscles than we would normally,” he said.
Pilates’ manly beginnings
Before trying Pilates himself, Goldschmidt, a father of three and Long Island-based chiropractor, had recommended it to many of his patients.
“Most men would laugh at me, so I started educating myself about it, and I found that it was actually started by a man — but it still has a stereotype around it,” he said.
The movement’s founder, Joseph Pilates, developed the routine as a way to repair his own health and strengthen wounded soldiers during WWI. He most likely didn’t envision that it would one day become a favorite fitness workout for women — so for Goldschmidt, a men’s-only Pilates class made the idea much more palatable.
“It’s always more comfortable to be with your own sex when doing any out-of-the-box kind of exercise or movements,” he said.
Catering to the ‘stronger sex’
Of course, a workout craze largely loved by the ‘weaker sex’ must be pretty gentle. Right?
Kristine Schanstra, the owner of Pure Pilates, said that many men learn the hard way that Pilates isn’t nearly as laid-back as they had imagined.
“Men would come to a class and immediately think that Pilates is for girls so it must be easy, or think they are too advanced for it as they lift weights or work out regularly — but boy, would they get humbled really quickly!” she said.
Naimah Jackman, who teaches monthly bro-lates classes called Men’s Pilates NYC at The Moxy Hotel in Times Square, said even her bodybuilder attendees have been struck by just how real the struggle is — especially on the reformer, a bed-like wooden or metal frame that offers low-impact resistance training using adjustable springs, pulleys and straps.
“They are given two-pound weights while on the reformer, but to their surprise, they can hardly lift their arms and are shaking,” Jackman said.
She also finds that guys want to know how they match up to the women in her other classes.
“The women don’t ask for a water break, but the guys always do! They are shell-shocked that they have to seamlessly move into the next movement,” she said.
For what it’s worth, Schanstra is understanding that some men don’t feel “comfortable” in classes around so many women.
“Women can be chatty and more easily form bonds and friendships, so it’s natural for a man to feel left out — not to mention that they can be easily intimidated by the six-foot model with skinny legs in a perfect matching outfit,” she said.
Boys just want to have fun
Adam Widener, 40, a realtor, had never tried Pilates before stepping into a bro-lates class at the Nofar Method in Manhattan.
Now “hooked,” he often brings his boyfriend to class and loves that he is able to combine his social life with strengthening his body.
“I invite friends and clients, and sometimes even colleagues, to come and take the class with me,” he said. “We sometimes have the all-male classes filled with just my friends! It’s a mix of gay, straight, athletic, and inexperienced.”
A bit of horseplay is one big difference Pure Pilates owner Schanstra has noticed in her bro-lates group.
“They’re harder to wrangle! They always seem to be laughing and just having fun. I’ve seen the class foster a lot of friendships,” she said.
At the core of the bro-lates class, even more so than strengthening one’s core, seems to be the focus on connecting.
“When they’re holding a position and they’re ready to start crying, they really bond over that,” Schanstra went on.
“A lot of the guys would say, ‘I was having a bad day, I needed this,’” Jackman added. “I realized maybe they just needed a safe space to not feel alone.”
“A lot of women seem to go to their exercise classes together or go for brunch, but these guys felt like they didn’t have anything of their own unless they met up for basketball or something more sports-related,” she continued.
Nofar Hagag, the owner of The Nofar Method, which has two locations in Manhattan and one in Miami, said she sees men hanging out after class and even exchanging numbers.
“The men also find it easier to talk freely about their ailments or injuries, and are not embarrassed to admit if they hurt,” she added. “It’s a beautiful thing to share and be vulnerable and human, and you don’t see this with men as much. Life is easier when we can put our ego aside.”
For Quincy France Sr., a certified yoga instructor who does The Nofar Method, the combination of fitness and connection is a big sell.
“I’m 53, I’m no spring chicken, so it makes me feel good that I can keep improving in this,” he said. “And this class was really the pipeline to getting all of these men to express themselves more.”
Changing tides?
Hagag — whose clients have included Brooke Shields, Karlie Kloss, Blake Lively, and both Carey Mulligan and her husband — says it’s important for men to stop judging the book by its cover and give it a try for themselves.
“I understood the reason why you only saw women in class, especially with the way it was presented when I was first starting to teach back in 2008,” she said.
She believes the key to getting more men in is to get them to realize that top athletes are doing it to help with balance and even prevent injury. Some famous fans include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, David Beckham and Andy Murray.
“I really felt the Pilates loosen up my muscles,” Wade told The Wall Street Journal in 2012. “I recall making a move, and the basketball ended up on my foot and I almost did a split on the ball. Normally, that’s a groin pull, but I bounced back.”
For men looking to get in on the bro-lates action themselves, though, Goldschmidt has one important word of warning.
“Men are more exposed if they wear shorts on the reformer — your legs are one way and the other way,” he said. “So I make a conscious decision to wear sweatpants.”
