Men's yen for yoga is on the rise
If you were to take a snapshot of people working out in a gym on any given evening, it wouldn't be a surprise to find the weight room dominated by men and the studio classes full of women.
"The first classes were created in the 1980s and they were targeted at women," said Roberto Morales, fitness director at Club Mansfield in downtown Montreal. "They incorporated a lot of dance, so it wasn't something that attracted most men."
That's largely because of differences in men's and women's fitness goals, he added.
"Most of the time men want to lose a bit of weight but gain muscle mass, and that usually can't be achieved in a group-class setting," Morales said. "But a growing understanding of how classes work and new, more intense types of exercises are bringing men in."
Cross Fit, for example, is a class that incorporates Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics and cardio to boost athletic performance.
"That's a hugely popular class among men, it gives them what they want from a workout," Morales said. "Spinning classes also have a lot of men in attendance, for that reason."
More men are also popping up in strength and flexibility classes such as yoga and Pilates.
"Men are realizing that a lack of flexibility is limiting their athletic abilities, so they do power yoga and Pilates to improve elasticity and core strength," Morales said.
Yasmin Fudakowska-Gow, yoga instructor and owner of OM West Holistic Centre in the Pointe-Claire Village area of Montreal, has also noticed that trend.
"Yoga classes break down to about 75 per cent women and 25 per cent men, that's the standard statistic," Fudakowska-Gow said. "But I've definitely noticed a change in recent years; now I often teach classes that are half men, half women."
If you were to take a snapshot of people working out in a gym on any given evening, it wouldn't be a surprise to find the weight room dominated by men and the studio classes full of women.
"The first classes were created in the 1980s and they were targeted at women," said Roberto Morales, fitness director at Club Mansfield in downtown Montreal. "They incorporated a lot of dance, so it wasn't something that attracted most men."
That's largely because of differences in men's and women's fitness goals, he added.
"Most of the time men want to lose a bit of weight but gain muscle mass, and that usually can't be achieved in a group-class setting," Morales said. "But a growing understanding of how classes work and new, more intense types of exercises are bringing men in."
Cross Fit, for example, is a class that incorporates Olympic weightlifting, gymnastics and cardio to boost athletic performance.
"That's a hugely popular class among men, it gives them what they want from a workout," Morales said. "Spinning classes also have a lot of men in attendance, for that reason."
More men are also popping up in strength and flexibility classes such as yoga and Pilates.
"Men are realizing that a lack of flexibility is limiting their athletic abilities, so they do power yoga and Pilates to improve elasticity and core strength," Morales said.
Yasmin Fudakowska-Gow, yoga instructor and owner of OM West Holistic Centre in the Pointe-Claire Village area of Montreal, has also noticed that trend.
"Yoga classes break down to about 75 per cent women and 25 per cent men, that's the standard statistic," Fudakowska-Gow said. "But I've definitely noticed a change in recent years; now I often teach classes that are half men, half women."