MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — If you didn’t know, Pilates was originally created by a man for men.
Eventually, it was picked up by women, who took over Pilates for years.
But as our “Fresh Face” of the week explains, there’s a comeback stretching into South Florida.
The founder of Nofar Method has been a Pilates instructor for nearly two decades, and she recently opened a studio in Miami Beach.
“Really before I end up with school, I was so sure I would be a doctor... My dream was to work in the ER,” Nofar Hagag said.
But that’s not what life had in store for her.
Nofar was a great swimmer and played water polo in college.
It took her all the way from Israel to New York.
“I was a student-athlete and I got injured so many times during my career as an athlete, so Pilates actually helped me to find a balance between recovery between the season,” Nofar explained.
Pilates was actually created for recovery and healing through movement.
In the early 1900’s, a man named Joseph Pilates treated injured soldiers during World War I by using springs attached to hospital beds.
That mission is one Nofar still carries today, and one she built her entire method around.
“I love my clients,” she said. “They teach me to create those exercises because of all the issues they have.”
You might think most of those people she helps are women, but think again.
“The men really had a misconception about the benefit of Pilates,” she said.
But through Nofar Method, more men are stepping into the studio, and she says they’re there to stay.
“The nature of Nofar Method is athletic, unlike the classical Pilates, so the movement we are doing there – they speak more to the men’s body because they feel the change to the body,” Nofar said.
So far, she says her studio has seen a 40-percent increase in men from 2025 to 2026, and she believes that number will keep on climbing.
But for Nofar, it’s not about who you are, it’s about how you move.
“A 70-year-old person, a 20-year-old, a pregnant person, two guys that they want me to kill them and look for a challenge, how you can find exercise that make everyone in all levels happy and make everyone feel successful and want to come back?” she said. “It took me 10 years.”
So we had to ask, what would you say to someone who’s never tried Pilates before?
“Give me just one shot and I will change your life,” Nofar said.
Nofar says business is booming, and because of that, she’s expanding with a new studio location coming to Bay Harbor Islands.
For more information on how to join a class, click here.
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