How to effectively teach Pilates in a Health Club

By Kerrie Ann Frey

Pilates is a powerful, effective method of exercise.  Some practitioners go beyond the physical and mental exercise and equate Pilates with rehabilitation and physical therapy.  Whatever a person’s philosophy of what Pilates is, the fact remains that it should be, as Mr. Pilates wanted, shared with everyone and practiced by everyone.  That point everyone can agree upon.

What everyone cannot agree on is how it should be practiced, where it should be practiced, who should be able to instruct it and after what schooling.  At the top of this list is the argument of whether or not Pilates can be effectively taught in the health club setting or should only be taught in a studio.

The argument between the two teams is like that of the Working Moms vs. Stay-At-Home-Moms. Working Moms say their children are better off when moms go to work because they may be the type who needs to express herself in the work environment.  Her income may also provide toys, food and clothes for her kids.   And she is right.  The Stay-At-Home-Mom disagrees.  She says every mom needs to be with her children at home for the benefit of the kids.  Stay-At-Home-Moms believe children need their mothers all day in the formative years and will be able to return to work when the children are in school.  And she is also right.

The Health Club Pilates Program versus the Studio Pilates Program disagreement is much like the Working Moms vs. the Stay-At-Home-Moms situation. Both sides have their solid, objective points and both sides have more subjective, personal opinions. At the 2008 Inner Idea, a panel of experts debated this issue thoroughly. It won’t come as a surprise to know a concrete answer wasn’t found. Experts did agree that working towards bringing Pilates to the masses should be a goal.  The question remains, how can Pilates effectively be taught in gyms or health clubs?

In the health club setting, the primary concern of most Pilates professionals is managing to express the actual method of Pilates to large groups within an hour’s time frame, the time in which a group exercise class normally lasts. How does one teach the system or process of Pilates to a group who may or may not show up the next time so that the instructor can build upon what was taught last week? As Rael Isocowitz stated at Inner Idea, “(Pilates) is a mindset and a mindset is very difficult to teach.” Particularly in one class. So does that mean Pilates should be abandoned in the health club altogether?

One solution is to teach larger classes the basic principles only. “I tell my teachers this is when you do a ‘triage’ class; go over to those (students) doing things that will hurt them first, make them stop and then teach to the median,” offers Laurette Corti Ryan. As an instructor and studio owner who has taught in both health club and in studio settings, she recognizes that bringing an awareness to Pilates is important, but implementing it in a group setting can be difficult.

The challenge in teaching to the median, or addressing the Pilates principles, is partly due to the “gym mentality.” Gym mentality harkens back to the “No Pain, No Gain” principle. If it doesn’t hurt, it isn’t good. New instructors often fall prey to gym mentality, wanting to challenge or impress the class and throw advanced or super advanced exercises to the participants.

An easy way to address this issue is to separate classes into levels at different times. It is impossible to make club students only come to group exercise Beginner levels until they are ready or to avoid Advanced classes until they’ve completed Beginners. Something instructors can do is to draw attention to the level. Instructors can design classes that flow accordingly. This method can be used whether the classes are mat or apparatus. If the instructor does have a student who is in an inappropriate level class for him or her, that instructor needs to be well-trained to offer multiple modifications for all levels. The more qualified instructors there are in the health club setting, the more knowledgeable the students and the more effective the program.

“I have never been a fan of multi-level classes as some sort of ‘utopia’ to group exercise. I think to have a successful large group Pilates class, you have to level. But a person who’s schedule fits better at five am and it’s an Advanced class and he’s a Beginner, well, he’s going to come at five am,” says Pilates instructor and health club Pilates director Penny Klages. “In a health club setting you are always going to have people drop in to take a chair class or mat class. Instructors need to be hyper-aware of safety and liability issues and teach conservatively in large groups.”

This point leads the discussion to the importance of well-trained instructors in all settings, club or studio. An instructor who has not undergone extensive study will not have the knowledge to give modifications for the progression of Pilates exercises. This article is not the place to debate which school of Pilates is “right” or “wrong” or “best”, however, it is a place to stress the importance of a fully trained Pilates background in teaching Pilates. Too often in the gym scenario a yoga instructor or an aerobic instructor will fill in for or be asked to teach a Pilates class; that’s where the problems begin. It’s like asking the accountant to design the company’s webpage. It might get done, but the website isn’t going to be pretty.

Implementing solutions like these can lay the ground work for building a strong Pilates group exercise program in the gym environment. With clearly defined class levels and well-qualified instructors who focus on principles and foundation, a health club program can flourish safely and effectively. Will there be bumps on the road? Yes. Will it be different from teaching in a studio? Yes. Will there be other instructors who believe their way is better than yours? Of course. But that’s the feisty nature of the business of teaching Pilates.

About the author: Kerrie Ann Frey’s passion for fitness began with credentials including A.C.E. PT and LWMC and grew to include her true love – Pilates.  She is West Coast Pilates - Kathy Corey certified and trains clients
at Core Reform Pilates located in Franco’s Athletic Club in the New Orleans area.  Additionally, she shows her mother that her Master’s in English really was useful when she writes Pilates-based articles for
print and online publications nationally. Contact Kerrie Ann Frey at kerrie@fitmomusa.com, get press links  and follow Kerrie’s Blog at www.fitmomusablog.com. She can be followed on twitter at twitter.com/kerrieannfrey.

Tags: Kerrie Ann Frey, Rael Isacowitz