“IT’S AN EXCEPTIONAL FORM OF BODY CONDITIONING, AS JOSEPH PILATES HIMSELF DESIGNED IT TO BE”
Jacqueline Pye
Pilates instructor, Stars Gym
Marketing to men: Clubs need to convey the message that pilates can improve performance in their chosen sport
young females in dancer-like poses and include males who are doing pilates exercises which have some relevance to their world. For example, show a man doing a lunge on the reformer, a pilates push-up on the mat, or a sport-specific movement on the apparatus to convey strength and co-ordination.
Also consider the décor of the pilates
studio. My décor is neutral to masculine- biased, with a ‘wall of fame’ which has testimonials of elite athletes – past and present – singing the praises of pilates. This wall is a hit with all groups, encouraging people to appreciate that their (male) sporting heroes credit pilates with helping them reach their full potential and longevity in the sport. Finally, and most importantly, demystify
pilates. In essence, pilates focuses on teaching people how to move. Convey the message that learning how to optimally organise and move the body improves efficiency (lift more, look better), co- ordination (move right, play better), and balance (move easy, feel better).
august 2012 © cybertrek 2012
it to men. Many men have heard of pilates, but they won’t necessarily know that it was created by a man – Joseph Pilates – who was a former boxer and wrestler. Perhaps its long association with dance has somehow contributed to the idea that pilates is only for women, or that it won’t give men a challenging enough workout. That perception needs to change. More often than not, gyms market pilates under the wellbeing banner. That resonates well with women, but much less with men – it may even be off-putting. Descriptions of pilates in marketing material tend to use soft or more feminine-sounding phrases, which can reinforce the image of pilates being a women-only form of exercise. Photographs in pilates marketing are less likely to show men practising it; it would be good to redress this visual balance. At Stars, we’re looking to shift the focus
W
away from wellbeing and promote pilates in the area of strength and conditioning. I’ve worked with many male clients and have always seen pilates as a physically and mentally demanding exercise. I advocate it as an exceptional form of body conditioning, as Pilates himself designed it to be. Pilates can enhance a variety of sports;
many consider it to be an ideal cross- training companion. When you think of how many top-level sportsmen, football and rugby clubs use pilates as an integral part of their training programmes, we should be shouting about that. We’re looking at holding pilates workshops dedicated to particular sports, such as Pilates for Runners – the idea being to highlight how pilates ties into types of exercise that men are already enjoying. Even emphasising the idea of practising pilates as preventative exercise can be a powerful hook to draw in more male clients.
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 55
e need to re-educate people about what pilates is, and be more savvy in how we market
ANDRESR /
SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
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