In response to this post, my brother has asked:

"Also, what the fuck is a Pilates Reformer? Am I to believe that Pilates was in some way corrupt and was in need of some improvement or amendment?"

This is a Pilates Reformer:



This is what happens when you graduate from the sad little point-your-toes-and-squeeze-your-abs mat class at the gym and go to a real Pilates studio that has invested in equipment.

This is Martin Luther, instigator of the Reformation:

Martin Luther didn't do Pilates.


On the Reformer, you can do this:



Or this:


Or this:


Or this:



Or this:

I'm pretty sure this one is Kim Basinger from 9 1/2 Weeks

All of which make a person feel very girly, just like a special snowflake, but none of which will make you look like this:


...which is accomplished by lifting a lot of heavy things (feel free to ask the model), generally with progressive resistance that can be quantified and tracked.

Not to say that a Pilates workout can't leave you exhausted and sore and sweaty. But Pilates instructors say they focus on the "inner" core muscles you can't even see; sure enough, in a Pilates studio featuring a big poster that said "REAL MEN DO PILATES," I was asked to do some very personal squeezing of some very personal muscles.

Do real men do Pilates? Sure, but I'm not sure even someone as Brave New World as I wants to strengthen her pelvic floor in a coed environment.