A Conversation with a 21-Year-Old Bartender That Says Everything

Last night I went out to dinner with a friend, one of those friendships born from Pilates, built over years of shared movement, breath, laughter, and the kind of conversations that only happen when you’ve spent countless hours together stretching muscles and pushing limits. We slid onto two stools at the bar, ready to unwind, not thinking about Pilates or teaching or anatomy for the first time all day.

But Pilates has a funny way of finding its way into almost every corner of my life.
And that night was no exception.

Our bartender, Chris, greeted us with the confidence and posture you only get from someone who lives in the gym. Thick chest, carved shoulders, the unmistakable look of a bodybuilder. But what caught my attention wasn’t his physique, it was his curiosity.

As he placed our drinks in front of us, my friend introduced us and said, "Leslie's my Pilates Instructor."

He raised his eyebrows. “Pilates? I’ve always wondered about that. Do men even do Pilates?”

Yes, Men Do Pilates—In Fact, They Always Have

I hear this question constantly, and it still surprises me—not because men should or shouldn’t do Pilates, but because so many people don’t realize where the method came from. So I jumped right in.

“Joseph Pilates was a man,” I told him.
He leaned in a little, genuinely interested.

“So Pilates is named after someone?” he asked.

This always gets me. Yes! Pilates is not just a style of workout. It’s a full, strategic method developed by a real human being with a lifetime of passion for physical health, rehabilitation, and strength. It’s not random stretching. It’s not yoga’s cousin. It’s not a trend.

And it wasn’t designed for women.

It was created by a German boxer, gymnast, and physical trainer who rehabilitated injured soldiers and later trained male athletes, dancers, actors, and acrobats in New York City.

So when men ask, “Is Pilates for me?”
The answer is not just yes.
It’s it always was.

What Men Gain From Pilates

I told Chris what I tell every man who asks:

“Pilates is excellent for your body, especially if you lift.”

He perked up at that.

“You know how bodybuilders tend to get stronger and stronger in the muscle groups they already favor?” I asked. “Pilates steps in and brings the body back into balance.”

Men, especially those who strength train, often develop:

• Large muscle groups that compensate for smaller ones
• Tight hip flexors from squatting and deadlifting
• Imbalances between right and left sides
• Dominant quads and underactive hamstrings
• Rigid spines from repetitive lifting mechanics
• Shoulder tension from chest-heavy training
• Core strength that’s strong in one direction but not integrated in all directions

Pilates helps with all of it.

And not in a “make-you-tired” way though yes, it will absolutely challenge you.

What Pilates does better than almost any other movement modality is inventory.

When men (or women) walk into my sessions, I’m not just teaching them a list of exercises. I’m teaching them:

• Where their body overworks
• Where it underworks
• How they compensate
• How they breathe
• How they stabilize
• How they initiate movement
• How to shift movement patterns instead of using momentum

I’ve worked with male runners whose “core strength” disappears the moment I ask them to move slowly and with precision.

I’ve worked with male lifters who can squat 350 pounds but shake during a simple single-leg bridge.

I’ve worked with firefighters, martial artists, tennis players, and desk workers who all discover very quickly that Pilates highlights strengths they didn’t know they had—and exposes imbalances they didn’t know they were carrying.

So yes, men do Pilates.
And yes, Pilates is incredible for men.

And for Chris, the 21-year-old bartender, that was news.

The Moment I Realized How Long I’ve Been Teaching

At one point in our conversation, still wide-eyed with curiosity, Chris asked, “So how long have you been teaching Pilates?”

I paused for a second. It’s a funny thing, when you teach movement for a living, time is measured not by years but by bodies, seasons of coaching, the groups you’ve trained, the countless hours spent building programs, refining cueing, studying anatomy, and watching clients transform.

But I tried to give him a real answer.

“If I had to guess,” I said, “longer than you’ve been alive.”

He laughed. “I’m 21.”

And that’s when it hit me:
Oh, so yes, definitely longer than he’s been alive.

It wasn’t a moment of feeling old.
It was a moment of feeling grateful.

Grateful that I’ve had a career built entirely on teaching something I love.
Grateful that Pilates has carried me through every chapter of my life—early teaching years, studio ownership, injuries, recoveries, teacher trainings, travel, workshops, and working with thousands of bodies.
Grateful that I’m still excited to talk about it with a 21 year old bartender who wants to know whether men do Pilates.

I didn’t feel old.
I felt lucky.

Pilates Is Not a Gendered Method—It’s a Functional One

There’s a misconception that Pilates is “for women” simply because group class demographics skew female. But that’s not the method, that’s culture.

Men avoid Pilates for a few reasons:

• They assume it’s flexibility-based.
• They assume it’s too easy.
• They assume it’s for dancers.
• They assume they’ll be the only man in the room.
• They assume it won’t translate to their training.

And every one of those assumptions is wrong.

The truth is:

• Pilates increases flexibility by strengthening the body in long ranges.
• Pilates can be harder than weightlifting when done correctly.
• Pilates originated with a male creator training male athletes.
• Pilates classes often have men, if not now, then soon.
• Pilates translates directly into lifting, running, jumping, swinging, rowing, throwing, and everyday life.

Men don’t need Pilates because they are men.
Men need Pilates because they are human.

The Balance We All Need

When I talk to men about Pilates, I always come back to one thing:

Pilates helps you balance your body
left and right, front and back, strength and mobility, effort and ease.

Every body needs those things.
And men, especially those who train hard or train heavy, benefit from it just as much as women, sometimes more.

Pilates teaches you to:

• Stabilize from your center
• Strengthen the small muscles
• Move your spine in all directions
• Work evenly instead of relying on your dominant side
• Strengthen the back body to support the front
• Use your breath
• Move efficiently
• Increase power by increasing precision

These aren’t “women’s goals.”
These are human goals.

Why This Conversation Mattered More Than He Knew

As I sat at that bar, talking to a 21-year-old who is just beginning his journey in fitness and movement, I realized how powerful even a quick conversation can be.

I may have spent 26 years teaching Pilates, but this exchange reminded me that every single person who is curious about Pilates is brand new to it. And every time I explain it, whether to a client, a friend, a studio, or a bartender, I’m not just answering questions.

I’m shaping someone’s understanding of a method that has shaped me.

Chris may or may not walk into a studio someday. He may or may not end up doing footwork on a Reformer or kneeling side arms on the Tower or discovering his lower abdominals for the first time in his life.

But he left the conversation knowing:

• Pilates is named after a man
• Men do Pilates
• Pilates can only improve his lifting
• Pilates gives you insight into your body you won’t get anywhere else
• And yes, some Pilates teachers have been teaching longer than he’s been alive

And that matters.

A Lifetime of Teaching—and Still Learning

What that moment really gave me was perspective.

I’ve been teaching Pilates long enough to see full arcs:

• Clients coming in injured and leaving strong
• Athletes using Pilates to extend their careers
• People in their 50s doing movements they couldn’t do in their 20s
• New teachers discovering the joy of cueing
• My own body learning, adapting, healing, and evolving through pregnancies, herniations, recoveries, and everything in between

And here I was, sitting next to a friend I met through Pilates, talking up Pilates to someone who had never taken a single Pilates class but was still drawn to the method.

Pilates connects people.
Across generations, genders, experiences, careers, and backgrounds.
I see it every day.

And I felt it in that moment.

Pilates Belongs to Everyone

If you’re a man reading this, yes, Pilates is for you.
If you lift weights, Pilates will make you stronger.
If you run, Pilates will make you more efficient.
If you sit all day, Pilates will reconnect you to your spine.
If you’re an athlete, Pilates will give you longevity.
If you’re unsure, Pilates will teach you more about your body in 10 minutes than a gym machine can teach you in 10 years.

And if you’re curious but unsure?

Walk into a studio anyway.
You might be surprised by what you find.

And if you’re like me, someone who has been teaching Pilates longer than some clients have been alive, then you already know:

Pilates isn’t a workout.
It’s a lifetime practice.
A career.
A community.
And sometimes…
a great conversation starter at a bar.

Interested to teach! Check out https://barsculpt.learnworlds.com/pages/home for more!