Now that I am getting close to completing the C25K I am starting to look at what comes next.
At the very least i would like to do one 5K run a week, alongside two other activity days.
One activity I am thinking of is Pilates, because of the Core Muscles and Stretching involved but would like to know what others think of this and if it is really a 'women' activity or for 'real men'?
Pilates is a lot harder than you think !! I think it is female dominated but I'm sure you would be welcome.
I've been in Pilates and Yoga classes that had men in them, but yeah the majority are female. But as henpen90 says, it is much harder than it looks. One thing it teaches you is to stand correctly - so many of us slouch without even realising. I'd say go along to a class and give it a go.
You would be welcome at a Pilates class, it's not just for women. As previous posters have said, just because it's popular with the ladies doesn't mean it's easy! It's hard work.
If you do try it, don't despair if you feel like you haven't got the hang of it straightaway. It takes a while (let's say 8-10 classes) before you feel like you're doing the exercises properly. A bit like the C25K programme 
I know a guy who disliked it because he felt there was a lot of 'airy-fairy' chatter by the class leader and he felt isolated as the only guy in the class. But my class leader was kind of drill sergeant! I would bet money his instructor had been teaching yoga or meditation too. Mine didnt have that in her background, her instructions were more direct.
Yoga and pilates, anything that requires you to stretch your body, has to be a good thing for runners - be they male or female
You don't have to join a class though. I have DVD's and do it at home on my non running days. I do Jillian Michaels DVD's do, some with handweights, to get me fitter over all to support my running. She has one called Yoga meltdown, which is very good. Yoga purists would hate it though. Her workouts involve pilates and plyometrics (never heard of those til I had a gleg at level 3) Bob Harper (Jillian's opposite number on Biggest Loser) has fitness dvd's out, and they get lots of plaudits. You can get a sense of all this stuff from watching clips on youtube, which I did first before buying
Good luck with your running and getting fit quest
My husband started yoga with me last year and loves it. He is a long time runner and the yoga is very complementary, building strength and flexibility. Give either Pilates or yoga a go. Try a few different teachers to find the one that gels with you. Good luck.
I'm a huge Pilates fan: it's great for runners as it helps build up core muscles used in running and will help in preventing injury. I go to classes in London, during my lunch break: it's a 50:50 split between men and women.
So.. Running is good for you?
What would you do?
It ain't what you do, it's the way that you do it.....
Two types of breathing? What do you think
Is this possible do you think??
