LYNNE ROBINSON
BODY CONTROL PILATES: FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR
Many mat and reformer classes now see a 50:50 split between men and women
Pilates is losing its girly image. Ten years ago, the normal class ratio was 10 women to one man but, as more men appreciate the benefits of the discipline, it’s now a 50:50 split in many of our matwork and reformer classes. A growing number of men are also going on to teach pilates. The fact that most Premier League
football clubs now use pilates as part of their training helps create demand, as does the fact that our national cricket, rugby and rowing teams, top athletes including Mo Farah, and top tennis players including Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray all practise a version of pilates to help with performance enhancement and injury prevention. Reformer classes give much more of
a physical challenge. Exercises still focus on alignment, breathing and centering (core stability), but the pace is generally more dynamic and the challenges just that bit tougher. There’s less TLC, more vigorous encouragement and more use of props, such as foam rollers and toning circles, which add variety and challenge. Most of Joseph Pilates’ earliest clients
Pilates teachers are upgrading their qualifications to teach special populations CHRIS ONSLOW
MBODIES TRAINING ACADEMY: MANAGING DIRECTOR
We’re now seeing the professionalisation of pilates as it moves beyond the mainstream and into niche segments,
JUSTIN ROGERS
TEN PILATES: CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Transforming pilates into an all- encompassing workout is one of the current exciting trends, introducing elements from circuit and weight training, and even group cycling, to make the workout more intense, more
August 2013 © Cybertrek 2013
such as special populations. Pilates has been a part of mainstream fi tness in the UK for approximately 10 years now, and around 25 per cent of qualifi ed pilates instructors have advanced their training to allow them to work effectively with niche segments of the market. There’s both anecdotal and research-
based evidence that pilates is benefi cial to populations including Parkinson’s
cardiovascular and more functional. Adding elements from other disciplines in this way is making pilates more appealing and more relevant to more people. Males and professional sports people are now increasingly starting to see the benefi ts, for example – we’re working with a number of sports people, including the London Irish rugby squad. Our programme still has the teachings
of Joseph Pilates at its heart, but our brand of dynamic pilates focuses on results and time-effi ciency – a full-body
were army cadets and policemen in Germany and the UK. I wonder how long it will be before we come full circle and it’s the girls who are outnumbered?
disease and Multiple Sclerosis patients, and for breast cancer rehabilitation. This is allowing pilates to move beyond being seen as purely a core strengthening, body-shaping fi tness method. It’s now attracting a more long-term, wellness- orientated customer base that’s constantly being refreshed, allowing pilates instructors to specialise and differentiate themselves.
workout that enables people to see and feel the difference, fast. Our in-house academy is also
constantly looking to refresh our programming with new iterations of classic, proven exercises. For instance, we’re currently looking at what we can add by introducing jumpboards. But although we’re always looking at how we can refi ne our offering to meet client needs, we won’t introduce things just for the sake of bringing in something new – only if it is valid and benefi cial.
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