How to Make Group Pilates Classes Work for You!

I do often bang on about Private Pilates being far superior to group Pilates classes because I think the benefits of personalised instruction helps people progress faster towards their health and wellbeing goals. 

However, that is not to say that group Pilates doesn’t have benefits!

Some of those benefits include:

Increased Confidence

Sometimes you just need a friend to hold your hand when you try something for the very first time.  Coming to a group class can be less intimidating and encourage you to just give it a go!

Socialising

When you attend a group class, you are instantly bonded through that community. You obviously share something in common and as humans, we are all looking to relate and be understood.

Accelerating Motivation

When you participate in a group session, everyone works together toward the same goal. You may even find that you end up working harder, as you’re encouraged by everyone around you. Not only does this give you a motivation boost, but you might also find it gives you a bit of friendly competition (see next point). 

Adding that Competitive Edge

Adding that competitive edge: Everyone likes a bit of healthy competition! You don’t have to play a sport to be competitive. Group training often satisfies the competitive craving. It may be the motivator you need to push yourself that little bit further.

Establishing Accountability

Hate the feeling of letting down a mate? Then sign up to a group class with them. On those days when it’s wet and cold and you don’t want to leave the house, knowing your buddy is going to be there, waiting for you, might just be that little push you need to get to class. You never regret a movement session! 

Save Some Money

Group classes will be cheaper than private classes simply because the teacher will be teaching to the average body in a ratio that favours the student. That is, it won’t be targeted instruction for each individual’s needs, which is not always a bad thing, provided you meet some standards I’ll outline below. 

So Who’s a Good Candidate for Group Pilates?

Standard 1: Are you a healthy body? 

As in, do you have any injuries or ailments? I’m not talking about regular, run-of-the-mill stiff shoulders and bung knees- we all have some niggly stuff going on in our bodies, I’m talking about more serious injuries like recent disc bulges or recent surgery or your first step back to exercise after having a baby. Any issues like that will be best managed under private tuition. I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the below example happen to someone.

Person A has a sore back, they don’t really know what or how it happened but it’s constantly bothering them. 

Person A talks to their mate, Person B, about it and Person B says ‘oh, I had a sore back too, then I started Pilates and it cured it!’. 

So Person A starts looking into Pilates classes and Googles a place near them that has 20 reformer beds and a great introductory offer of $50 a month and come as many times in that month as you can. 

So they do, but it’s not working, their back is not cured, in fact, it’s worse. Person A’s back is now worse off than when they started!

What failed to happen in the above situation is that Person B does private pilates, but didn’t mention that to Person A, and because Person A doesn't know any better, they just thought all Pilates is created equally. And it’s not. So now Person A not only has a worse off back, but they blame Pilates for it and we all know how far bad word of mouth travels. 

Standard 2: Have you had some experience with Pilates (or even Yoga)?

If yes, great, coz it’s kinda like riding a bike. Well sorta… you might not be as match fit anymore, but you remember how to lift your public bone to your navel, even if it’s a bit harder to do these days.

Now I realise Pilates and Yoga are two different movement modalities, but there really is a lot of interchangeable cueing that goes on. Like the one above, ‘zipping public to navel’, I hear it in both Yoga and Pilates, because in both it achieves the same thing, an anterior tilt of the pelvis. Side note- this is not to say we all need to go around tipping our pelvis back, no no, in fact, in a lot of people it will be the opposite. But a good Pilates teacher will tell you what to be doing with your pelvis.

If you answered yes to both of the above, then go for it, get your group on! 

If you answered no to any of the above, it doesn’t mean you can’t ever join group classes, it just means that for now, there might be a better way to experience the benefits of PIlates.  

I have had clients in the past who have done anywhere from 5-20 private sessions with me and then moved onto a group class option. It’s a great way to learn the exercises, adapted to your specific body. That way, during group classes, you can feel confident to either sit out exercises not suited for you, modify the exercise so that it does suit you, or pick something else that you know does suit you. It’s an empowering feeling when you make those decisions for yourself. 

Remember, in a group class,  the ratio of teacher to student is heavily favoured to the student. The teacher doesn’t have time to come around to every single person and construct the class for individuals, but what they can do, is teach a fabulous class to the average Joe. 

It’s up to you, as Joe, to make that class work for you.  Like I always say at the beginning of a big group session, ‘I might be the boss of this class, but I am not the boss of your body, only you can be the boss of how it moves’.

How to Sign Up For Group Classes

So if you’re read the above and are a good candidate for group classes, I’m currently running a face to face group class in Moorabbin, Melbourne, on Friday mornings, or a virtual  group class on Saturday mornings. You can book your spot here. 

I’m also big on Pilates events! At my events, you can do some Pilates with your mates, enjoy some me time, learn a thing or two about how to better look after your body, then socialise with me over a couple of classes of wine and some nibbles. To be the first to know about my events, input your email below! 

Pilates Must Haves

So you want to start Pilates? Or maybe you have started Pilates already but you're not quite sure if you’ve got the right leggings, let alone the right studio.

There are some products out there that just make your Pilates journey easier.

You don’t have to spend a fortune and be Jo Blow who has ‘all the gear, and no idea’, but if you invest in a couple of key things, Pilates will soon be your happy place! 

Leggings

Ok so full disclosure, I have a leggings problem. There, I said it. It’s out in the open! I try and palm it off as ‘oh it’s for work’ or ‘it’s part of my uniform’ and yeah sure, it kinda is, but seriously this is next level.

Safe to say, I’ve tried a fair few leggings and let me tell you, spending big bucks doesn’t necessarily mean best quality.

So here are my tried and true favourites for leggings:

Cotton On and believe it or not, Aldi actually do some good quality leggings that will not break the budget.

Lululemon, Lorna Jane and Jaggad are some of my favourite but more expensive ones. My most recent purchase were the Lorna Jane Thermal leggings, and they are a godsend on these chilly winter Melbourne mornings. 

ASOS are a good one stop shop for your Nike, Adidas, Puma etc leggings, but a lot of them are nice to look at on the body, but not practical to actually work out in. A good test to do if you are wanting to work out in them, is the ‘squat test’. That is, can you see your butt through the leggings when you do a squat?! If so, they maybe refrain from doing your Short Spine in those leggings and keep them for grocery shopping instead!

Socks

There are two schools of thought with socks in Pilates.

Some people are absolutely, no way, they interfere with the foot connection and don’t allow for proper ‘foot work’, jeopardising the whole Pilates system.

OR

Absolutely use them, they keep you from slipping all over the shop, keep you from spreading foot germs on the shared equipment and they keep your toes warm in winter. 

I think there’s a place for both. I do like them, but for some exercises they should come off, definitely no socks for the matwork either! 

These are the brands of sticky socks that I like:

Sockitandco
Moveactive

Useful Home Props

Once you’ve been doing Pilates for a little while, you might start feeling like 6 days is a long time between classes and you’ll be more inclined to do something extra in your week. Ask your teacher to give you ‘homework’, that way you’ll be able to achieve your goals quicker.

Here are some useful props to have at home. There are hours of exercises and stretches that can be done with these things. Make sure you always have some guidance before attempting anything on your own. 

I’ve listed 3 places to get these types of props from, starting from the least expensive and lower quality to the most expensive and better quality.

Kmart

66Fit 

Balanced Body

Good Attitude

Sorry but I can’t give you any useful links of where to purchase one of these, it really is an inside job. I can only talk from my experience as a teacher of nearly 10 years, that the more open you are to learning new things, to listening to others, and to devoting just 1 hour (or more) of your mental focus per week to Pilates then the further you will go to achieving your goals.

I’ve taught many a client in the past who comes into class with old biases about movement and exercise and what or what it isn’t supposed to be, only to never see them again after their 1st, 2nd or 3rd class. Not because Pilates won’t work for them, but because they haven’t given it a chance. Joseph PIlates said “In 10 sessions you'll feel the difference, in 20 sessions you'll see the difference, and in 30 sessions you'll have a whole new body". That’s 30 sessions guys! At a minimum. Be patient and you will be grateful you stuck it out.

Good Teacher

You can have the snazziest leggings in town but without proper guidance it will all be a waste!

When seeking out a teacher, ask about their experience and credentials. Did they get their certification on a weekender course or did it take them closer to a year? Can they teach on all the equipment or just the mat?

There is a governing body for Pilates in Australia. It’s called the Pilates Alliance Australasia (PAA) and they are an independent and not-for-profit organisation established by the Pilates industry as an advisory body for regulation of quality instruction, member support and integrity within all legitimate approaches to the Pilates Method.

Go to their website to find the teacher right for you!

There you have it, an outline of some of my favourite Pilates bits and pieces.

Would you add anything to the list? I’d love to know if you think there’s something missing. Email me here and let me know! 

You can catch me and all my leggings on Friday mornings at the MPS group mat class in Moorabbin from 9.05, so if you’re local to Bayside come and join in! Alternatively, stay tuned for more information on my next event in the latter half of 2022!

5 Reasons Why Pilates Isn't Working For You (And What To Do About It!)

So you've tried Pilates.

Your friend from work told you it cured her persistent back pain. Your other mate said she's never felt fitter and your Mum said 'it's the only thing that has given me visibly lean muscles'. So you thought, 'wow, ok, sign me up'.

So you went to a class, but you didn't love it, the teacher was talking a lot of new language like 'powerhouse' and 'pilates stance' but the most confusing thing was when she was telling you how to breathe.

Anyway, you thought you'd better not give up after the first class, so you went to another one. 

You didn't like it much more. It required you to think more than you’re used to during a workout. You thought it might be like the spin class you do at the gym where you just switch off and think about anything else rather than what your body is doing in the here and now. 

You tried it a third time, but you're just annoyed.

Annoyed that you're not 'feeling' it, annoyed that it's confusing at times, annoyed that you have to use your brain when you thought you were signing up for physical activity.

You resign yourself to the fact that Pilates doesn't work and you'll just put up with the back pain/feeling unfit/noticeable deterioration of muscle tone as you age. 

But here's the thing, Pilates isn't like what you do at the gym, Pilates isn't a quick fix, Pilates is a skill and like doing any new skill for the first time, it takes time. Pilates is physical, but it's the integration of the mind and body that ultimately makes it so darn good.

So to those of you that have tried Pilates and thought it wasn't for you, then you are owed an apology. Somewhere, someone along the way has given you a bum steer. You were sold a lemon.

Here are 5 reasons why Pilates isn’t working for you:

1) You went to a class down the road because they were offering the first month of membership for free. 

2) You went to a class that has 20 reformer beds in the studio thinking it will fix your dodgy neck.

3) You went 3 times in 2 months.

4) You think you need to always 'feel the burn' for it to be working 

5) You use your Pilates time to think about the emails you need to respond to, the swimming lessons you need to get the kids into, the holiday you're planning, the fight you had with your sister last week.

Here's how to make Pilates work for you:

Think about Pilates as an investment.

Pilates is not a gimicky freebie. It's expensive. Proper Pilates will cost you decent money. There is no getting around it. Think about how much it costs to see a Physio or Osteo every week or worse, how much back surgery costs  (and I haven't even touched on the mental cost!) . Think about the cost of gadgets and props and supports you might buy to ease pain/numbness/sensitivity. The money you spend on Pilates prevents injury and pain, reducing the need to spend money on fixing the problem.

Do privates or semi-privates

At least initially, until you a) understand and feel confident with exercises/key muscle engagement b) feel you know your body well enough to omit exercises, alter exercises, progress exercises (because in a group class you won’t get specialised instruction so the onus is on you!)

Get yourself a decent instructor

Do your research. Where were they trained? Hopefully not on a weekend course that took 10 hours out of their life, but more like something near the 600+ mark. Can your instructor work with equipment or just mat? Have they had experience with working with people like you? If you're not sure, a good place to start is to check on the Pilates Alliance Australasia (PAA) website. Instructors that are a part of the PAA keep up their Professional Development and adhere to industry standards and regulations.

Commit

“There is a difference between interest and commitment. When you're interested in something, you do it only when it's convenient. When you're committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” Ken Blanchard

Be consistent

It won't happen overnight but it will happen. The main man himself, Mr Joseph Pilates said it like this…”You will feel better in ten sessions, look better in twenty sessions, and have a completely new body in thirty sessions”. So, how quickly will you get to your 30 (and beyond) sessions?

Open your mind

Be open to being challenged. Be open to learning new things. Be open to doing things differently. Like breathing. Maybe you've never thought about your breathing before, I mean you do it automatically, what more is there to it? Actually, a lot more. Proper diaphragmatic breathing is like your golden ticket to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, where the chocolate factory is like a Pilates gold mine- that's where the magic happens. You'll get more bang for your buck, as in, you'll be able to get the most from the muscles you are trying to engage, strengthen and lengthen.

Stop using “muscle soreness” as a barometer of a “good workout”

And speaking of bang for your buck- the good ol’ ‘feel the burn’ expression, may or may not happen every single time you hit the mat in Pilates. If your measure of success from a workout is feeling muscle soreness to the point of it impacting daily activities like sitting and walking, then please read my blog on Pilates FAQ’s , specifically, the one answer that addresses this question ‘will I be sore?’.

Focus

Sorry to say it but you need to pay attention in Pilates. In fact, it’s one of the 6 principles of Pilates - Concentration! When we are concentrating and focusing our attention towards getting the right muscle engagement, then you learn to feel the muscles, you learn what it feels like when a muscle (or a group of muscles) is engaged.  Therefore, your body awareness will increase and you can translate that into more mindful movement in everyday life, like how you sit at your desk all day long. You’ll start to be more efficient with your posture and how you hold yourself in everyday tasks, from driving and washing dishes, to cycling and running.

Pilates is truly amazing. But there are a few expectations that should be set straight. Change doesn’t happen from comfort, so if you’re willing to get outside your comfort zone, then you’re ready for Pilates to transform your life. 

From Manicures to Main Events: Time for Self Care

This year, I started doing something that I’ve never done before….I started paying to get my nails done. The full shebang- Gel Manicure and a Pedicure. Now, you might not bat an eyelid at this news, but for me it was huge.

You see, I’ve always viewed getting your nails done as a waste of money, selfish, indulgent, vain and unnecessary.

But for my whole life, I have also been a nail biter and finger skin picker! A habit I hated about myself, but felt like I couldn’t stop. An addiction you might say. I wouldn’t just do it when stressed or worried, but also while watching tv, as soon as I stopped at the traffic lights in the car and anytime I had a moment of stillness.

I remember sitting in a meeting at my old corporate job with an external person and unknowingly picking away at a bit of skin next to my fingernail bed. He made a reference to it reminding him of the scene from the psychological thriller Black Swan, where Natalie Portman daydreams she is ripping her skin from the nail to the knuckle. Here it is if you’re not sure what I’m talking about and are game enough to watch!

Anyway, this has always stuck with me. I knew I had to do something about this awful habit, yet it took me 10 more years to finally figure out what to do.

Finally, after a conversation with my hairdresser late last year about how nice her nails looked, she came clean to me about the real reason she gets them done.

She said getting her nails done deters her from biting and picking her fingers which then actually makes her calmer. When you have nice nails, you want to keep them that way. The act of not picking finger skin keeps the stress response down and in turn neutralises levels of anxiety. Now this is not a scientific study by any means, it was just one person’s experience shared with another person who can now vouch for the results!

So, I’m converted!

Previously I would have been all ’what’s the point in having nice nails if you can’t even stand up straight or are living in pain in your body? People have no issues dropping $80 on getting their nails done, but then can’t stand the idea of spending that much money on a private Pilates class which will look after what goes on underneath your nails!’ .

And look, part of me still believes this, but now I also see the value in looking after the outside as well as the inside!

Self care. It’s a bit of a buzz word thrown around these days. But self care is not selfish and if we are not actively participating in it, then we are doing ourselves and our loved ones around us a disservice.

Self care comes in many different forms. It’s totally subjective and what works for one person might not be the same for another person. So if you are like me and dismissive of the whole ‘getting your nails done’ phenomenon, maybe give it a go and see how you feel, see how your behaviour changes. If you are a nail biter and have tried everything else on the market to stop, this might just be the ticket to quitting.

Or conversely, maybe you get your nails done but you scoff at the idea of spending more than $20 on an exercise class. What about investing in yourself now to look after your future self later on. We only have the one body, the one life. You’re worth it.

That’s why I’m so excited to be bringing my next event to you on May 28th. It’s a workshop and get together with self care at the forefront of the afternoon. It’s called ‘From Foundations to Fine Wine: An Afternoon of Pilates and Plonk’.

We will be taking a deep dive into how the feet support the rest of the body and giving those tootsies some much needed love and care. It will be followed by a full body Pilates session and then onto the wine tasting, nibbles and socialising! So grab a friend, and fill up your cup together.

You can book tickets directly here (see booking below!) Or shoot me an email if you have any questions.

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