I spun the wheel at the Club Pilates booth at a local festival and won a free one-on-one lesson. After some back and forth, we got this session on the calendar and I went to check the new Pilates studio in town.
So, a quick review of the studio. Club Pilates is a chain that appears to be growing quickly. There are a number of new studios in my area and the one in my hometown just had its grand opening.
The new Club Pilates studio seems to be well equipped. There are lots of reformers in the class area. Each reformer also has a Bosu ball, TRX straps, and other equipment. The area is set up to handle multiple students in a class.
Because my session was an individual one, I had my session in the private area with a fancier reformer. I enjoyed the session a lot and it made me remember why I liked doing Pilates years ago. The staff was friendly and the instructor I had was very encouraging and great at explaining. I would definitely consider going again.
The only negatives that I could see was the pricing. It’s rather expensive and what stopped me from signing up was that the membership was by the month. So, you could buy four sessions a month on a recurring schedule but you couldn’t carry over any sessions. Since I tend to have to go out of town periodically, I don’t want to worry about not using Pilates sessions that I’ve paid for. I decided that if I want to return, I’ll just pay the drop-in fee.
Pilates is a workout that focuses on core strength. It is a whole body workout but the emphasis is on the core. I remember originally being told that Pilates is similar to yoga. Perhaps mat Pilates is similar in that you do some of the same poses. Pilates does have an emphasis on breath but it does not have the meditative side of yoga. In my individual session, we did do some balance work which is always a challenge to me. We did some planking on the Bosu ball too. According to the Club Pilates website,
Pilates creates a strong foundation of balance, strength, mobility and flexibility. The full-body, low-impact workouts offered at Club Pilates provide a high-impact challenge to the stabilizing muscles of the core.
I struggle with getting in core work so I think I might try to attend some Pilates Reformer classes again. I did leave there and call my gym to confirm that they still offer Pilates Reformer classes. They do and their price was lower so that’s probably my option.
If you’re wondering, a Pilates Reformer is a contraption that looks a bit like a bed frame with a sliding board and springs and pulleys. It’s intimidating to look at. Most Pilates instructors will help you figure out how to use a Reformer and once you get the hang of it, it’s not so scary.
Another option for Pilates is mat Pilates. This is more of a typical gym class where you do a great workout that really focuses on your core. This is obviously a less expensive way to do Pilates.
Let me know if you’re a Pilates pro or even a novice. This is an exercise that seems to go in and out of fashion but never completely goes away.