Men in tights 09:39:AM 15/11/2013 Cat Woods
As the founder and instructor of Ballet Sculpt, I have no difficulty attracting women to the promise of long, lean, toned muscles. Drawing men to class, as you might imagine, has not been so easy. But there are now at least three men per class and they genuinely love it – not only because it’s fun, progress is fast and the results are evident in as little as two weeks, but because it’s a revelation that using small weights can result in great muscle definition. No men or women in Ballet Sculpt are expected to perform Swan Lake. This is a toning and fitness class. Men are not expected to rock up in a leotard, either. Tracksuit pants and a T-shirt are perfectly suitable. A major drawcard for men is the strong focus on abdominal, back and leg strength and flexibility. Ballet Sculpt’s combination of resistance training, stretching, balance and core work builds lean muscle while lengthening and enabling greater flexibility and movement. This is functional and, for men, a fantastic addition to their existing fitness regime. Greater flexibility and core strength result in better athletic performance in all sports. Ballet Sculpt is also the ideal class to improve posture and prevent injuries. Steve Vassiliou, a regular participant, says: “Since attending classes, I’ve noticed my posture is much better; it has minimised my back pain and strengthened my legs.” If none of these reasons is appealing enough, the men in my classes have been welcomed and admired by a roomful of women in Lycra. Surely this is appealing to men of all ages. So, how does the class work? We begin with a short warm-up of simple stretches for the legs and back. This is followed by 25 minutes of standing leg, abdominal, back and arms toning exercises using body weight resistance and light hand weights. Don’t be fooled, high-repetition work with light dumbbells fatigues the muscles and results in lean muscle growth. Those taut, defined triceps that look so appealing in summer singlets? You’ll get there. After this, we hit the exercise mat for 20 minutes of abdominal, back and glutes work. This is essentially Pilates exercises that challenge the deep abdominal muscles and obliques (the muscles that enable rotation and side movements through the torso). We also focus on the upper and lower back and glutes to strengthen and define the muscles. By strengthening the front, back and sides of the body, men not only are stronger but they also look stronger and stand taller. Doesn’t every man want to look, and feel, more confident? www.catcore.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/coreintegritywithcat