r/pilates

So, I’ve been doing Pilates on and off for 5 years (and yoga for 10), but I switched to a new studio this year. For the first time in my life, an instructor actually explained the TVA to me.

Wild, right? But to be fair, my previous studio was quite “relaxed”, so I’ve been basically flying blind for half a decade. Shoutout to my current professor and bless him for cluing me in!! It explains so much, like why I’ve always had super tensed shoulders and occasional bout of tendinitis. I was clearly working hard, just in all the wrong places.

Now, my classes are just a constant loop of me trying to “zip up” my core while he reminds me to stop wearing my shoulders as earrings. It’s a lot of mental gymnastics!

Does this ever actually become instinctive? Or am I destined to be reminded to relax my shoulders for the rest of my life?

Just sharing the struggle! Cheers to the instructors who find the foundations we missed! 🥂

Anyone here NOT do this? Idk… I’m not the biggest fan. A lot of the classes I go to rather than being intentional and controlled the instructor cares more about the beat and music and it ends up feeling like we are flinging our bodies

Anyone have upbeat music but NOT teach to the music / beat

Tell me if I’m crazy. But I’ve been going to the same studio, same instructor for a while and she decided to start teacher training. She now has like 4 groups a month to train while on top of instructing classes at the studio. I do admire her work ethic and determination, she is a badass. But, her social media constantly consists of posts like “Resting before 6 mat midterms tonight! At [studio} my body is about to break yikes”. Or “Bloodshot eyes.. been working since 8am! 17 hour
Sunday work day...
Time to be in bed till I have to go to [studio] tomorrow
afternoon.
Phone on DND”
Idk but it’s just a little too much as she comes to class and asks us “what do you guys want to do today”. I’ve been a fitness instructor for over a year, and asking the class what to do, in my opinion, shows lack of preparation. Anyway, let me know if I’m overthinking/ overreacting LOL

What did you do when you started Pilates ?? Any advice ?

Hey Pilates friends, something really cool happened the other day.

TL;DR: A core movement in my powerlifting class had the body builders falling on the floor, while I thought it was way too easy.

Details:

I've been doing classical pilates regularly, mostly reformer and springboard for 14/15 years. Now that I'm in my 50s and concerned about bone loss, I've begun taking powerlifting classes 3x week. Think deadlifts and bench presses with barbells.

I'm the novice in the class. Many of the men and even women in there are bench pressing 200+ lbs while I'm seriously challenged at 65lbs.

Monday we were told to do 5 sets of 10 Russian twists. That's basically teaser while you hold a dumbbell and twist side to side. I could have done that for 5 minutes while carrying a relaxed conversation

Meanwhile all those body builders were falling out of it constantly. Most couldn't make it through 3 without putting their feet down.

I got concerned that I must be doing something wrong because it seemed too easy, so I asked the coach what I was missing.

She said nothing.

So there it is, pilates family. Pilates might not prepare you for heavy lifting, but that core strength is legit!

My friend is opening a studio and she wants to ensure it doesn't feel like a boutique. She's also not going for the 'hot princess pilates' vibe. She wants a place that is welcoming, not intimidating but also doesn't look clinical. Any help/ suggestions? So not pilates princess, not elite fancy, not clinical.... maybe more club pilates but more aesthetic than CP. We both started at CP because it didn't feel intimidating. Looking to target moms, real life busy people... more lulu than Alo, more old navy/Gap/H&M shopper in terms of vibe. Thanks!

This is just idle curiosity of a moderately obsessed student. I have seen many, many videos of Joseph Pilates teaching and/or his students performing exercises and they always seem to be moving at a noticeably faster pace than the modern Pilates I've experienced from various teachers. Some videos may have been sped up, perhaps? But not all.

I *love* the slow(er), controlled pace I am experiencing in classes and in privates but it makes me wonder. Was Contrology intended to be more athletic, more physical-culture-esque than the more intentional and mindful approach of today? I follow a bunch of classical and contemporary pilates instructors online and everything I'm seeing is slower than the original JP videos, so it's not just the classes I have personally experienced IRL.

Hi all, 1.5 years postpartum from my second child and haven’t really exercised for 5 years since I had my first. I need to start moving again however my fitness level is effectively 0.

Are there any recommendations for online/youtube classes that cater to a complete beginner? I’ve done 2 Move with Nicole classes so far for beginners, but I found them pretty intense towards the end as I currently have the strength of a wet noodle.

Looking to order a mat, and is it worth getting a ring/ball? Anything else you’d recommend? I’ve looked and all mat classes near me don’t fit in with my work/life schedule currently so will just be doing it from home for now. Should I aim for daily? I’d like to start reformer classes in the future as it does look fun, but I’d like to build up some strength first so I feel more comfortable joining classes.

Sorry for all the questions, but I’ve never been big into fitness and I need a big lifestyle change so thought I’d ask the experts!

Edit: Thank you all for the tips and suggestions. Going to have a good look through them all and hopefully find something that works for me. Really appreciate all the positivity!

I still haven’t found a brand that is actually sticky. Help!

TLDR; started Pilates postpartum. 3-5 times weekly for 3.5 months. No progress yet??

Edit to add: I AM NOT TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT. I’m breastfeeding and that doesn’t fit into my goals right now :)
I started doing reformer Pilates at 10 weeks postpartum. I had never done it before and my fitness goals post-baby were to get core strength, balance, and posture back. Pilates, I heard, was the perfect exercise for this. I go roughly 3-5 times a week and the moves are adequately challenging for me. The instructors work closely with me to modify core workouts since I’m so weak after my two kids. Ive been going for 3.5 months and I don’t feel like I’ve improved anything yet. Every move feels just as hard and there are still many many things I can’t do.
I’m not coming from a place of zero fitness, as I’m an avid backpacker and hiked throughout my pregnancies. I also used to strength train and run. I know progress isn’t built overnight, but I also worry I’m somehow missing something?? Should expect to see any change by now?

They are a number of teachers on pilatesology and still yet to go through all. I found sonje mayo really knowledgeable , chaz knight too but also wanted to ask for recommendations on other teachers or workshops on there that are your faves!

Having so many choices is a bit overwhelming so trying to streamline. Any recommendations?

Hi! What is a Pilates cue that you hear so often in class or online and always have no idea what it means or why it’s being said??

I think the spray that they use on the wet towels and room smells so good. It’s like a eucalyptus peppermint spray. Does anybody know how to make it or where to buy it from? It doesn’t seem like they resale it.

Hello, just curious if you guys still attend your classes or show up on your mats during the luteal and menstrual phase? for some reason, my mood swings are worse and i don't wanna get out of bed, but i am so guilty for not showing up. still, i end up not showing anyway.. is this normal?

i get insecure of my body since my appetite increases (i know it's normal), but yeah, i still feel guilty. does anyone knows how to deal with this?

I currently attend three classes weekly: one mat and two reformer. Over summer, I will need to drop the mat class due to childcare.

I‘m considering an annual membership as it provides a £2 discount per reformer class compared to a bulk class pass.

I’m also contemplating whether to forgo mat entirely and focus on reformer due to the strength gains that I’ve experienced, and when ready to include the full pilates equipment.

If I had an 8-class monthly equipment membership I would attend on Wednesdays and Fridays or occasional Saturdays. On a 12-class monthly equipment membership I would attend on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, which is my current schedule. The former schedule does not seem to be well spaced out, or am I overthinking it?

The only drawback I can think of regarding an annual membership is that it might be affected by changes to class schedules or instructors on the days/times I am free. On Mondays for example I can only attend at one specific time.

Pilates normally fills me with joy. I left this class sad. After nearly 2 years of Pilates in a beginner leaning intermediate class, my instructor told me she thinks I should go back to the beginner beginner class to work on my form.

She told me that I’ve improved greatly through the years she’s taught me and my form is not bad but she sees me struggle sometimes and thinks a less fast paced class might help me perfect form.

I plan to ask her what’s wrong with my form next class so I can see what I need to improve but
Im so confused. And sad. When I started Pilates, I struggled with almost everything and was behind. She used to correct me all the time. Now I keep pace on most exercises with the rest of the class even though it’s challenging. She rarely corrects me now and I feel better and stronger. I can actually hold a plank for a little bit etc. there are some exercises i do now that I couldn’t do before and there are others I still sit out or struggle with because of an old injury so I pace myself and pay attention to what my body can do.

But I’m so confused. Why would she wait nearly 2 years to tell me she thinks I need the basic class? And if my form is bad why does she rarely correct me? It doesn’t make sense especially when another instructor at the same studio several months ago congratulated me on my improvements.

I just feel a bit defeated. I’ve been rushing from work to class. I’ve been exercising at home. I thought I was getting better and what’s worse the class she’s asking me to do I can’t because of work scheduling so she’s like it’s ok keep coming to this one then but idk.

Has this happened to anyone? How did you improve form? I want to get better.

Hey friends,
I’m a yoga teacher and I’m working on my 100h mat pilates cert. Have to do 36 hours of pilates classes. These classes are mostly women and I don’t want to make anyone uncomfortable with my presence. I was wondering if women feel better if a guy sets up at the front or the back of the class? Any feedback would be great thanks!! :)

I’ll be in Manhattan and Brooklyn for a week, and I’m looking for pilates studios that work heavily with dancers. If anyone knows which studios NYC ballerinas frequent, that’s the type of training I’m hoping to try out while I’m there!! ideally group classes, but I’m open to scheduling a private with a master teacher (i teach pilates full time, so I’m looking for the kind of teacher who deepens my own practice and understanding if im booking a privats).

let me know what recs you have!

idk i feel like it’s getting so hard and im getting worse! i feel like i was advancing a lot and suddenly im going back down!

k know that it’s supposed to get harder as u learn to engage core go slower etc but some moves feel impossible!

some instances like when im doing fire hydrants its so hard because all i feel is my core burning lol

has anyone else felt this way?

Got my first audition tomorrow at a mat studio I used to frequent before I got my teacher training! Any and all tips for your first audition welcome + a few questions:

Should I / can I bring notes or is that a no no?
Is it rude to check watch for time?
Tips for teaching in a heated studio? (I know the stigma around hot Pilates, but I’m OK with teaching it)

Any tips welcome!