How to choose a plant-based protein powder you will actually use
How to choose a plant-based protein powder: pea, soy, hemp and blends compared, how to read the label, pea protein vs whey, shakes and cooking with it.
Pilates Glossy: Pilates, mobility and everyday fitness
Latest story
Pilates
Why the Hundred comes first, and how to do it well
The Hundred opens the classical Pilates mat order. Why it comes first, how to breathe and pump, where the head and legs go, common faults and easier versions.
Mobility & Recovery
Choosing a foam roller: density, length and how to use one
How to choose a foam roller by density, length and texture, how to use one safely on your legs and upper back, and three rollers that suit Pilates at home.
Plant-based Food
Metabolic health in plain words, and how muscle helps
Metabolic health comes down to five ordinary measurements. What each one means, why muscle and daily movement help, and which food habits support them.
Latest stories
Who invented Pilates? The man, the method and its original name
Joseph Pilates invented the method and called it Contrology. Who he was, when it took shape, what he built, and where the legend runs ahead of the record.
Keep reading: Who invented Pilates? The man, the method and its original name
Does Pilates help you lose weight? An honest answer
Can you lose weight with Pilates? What a class burns by the Compendium figures, why food and daily movement matter more, and what Pilates adds to the mix.
Keep reading: Does Pilates help you lose weight? An honest answer
Three Pilates sessions a week, even as the evenings draw in
How to build a three-sessions-a-week Pilates habit for autumn and winter: where to put the sessions, the shortest one worth doing, and how to keep going.
Keep reading: Three Pilates sessions a week, even as the evenings draw in
Ankle weights for Pilates and home workouts: how to choose a pair
How to choose ankle weights for Pilates and home leg work: how heavy, fixed or adjustable, fit, whether to walk in them, and three light pairs to consider.
Keep reading: Ankle weights for Pilates and home workouts: how to choose a pair
Deep core exercises that work the muscles under your abs
Ten deep core exercises, from the dead bug and bird dog to standing Pallof presses and carries, with easier and harder options and a short standing routine.
Keep reading: Deep core exercises that work the muscles under your abs
12 mat Pilates exercises for beginners to learn at home
Twelve beginner mat Pilates exercises with set-up, reps, what to feel and easier or harder options, plus how long and how often to practise at home.
Keep reading: 12 mat Pilates exercises for beginners to learn at home
Kit picks
Gaiam 10 mm thick matA slightly firmer thick mat that still spares the spine in roll-ups.See it on Amazon (Gaiam 10 mm thick mat)
THERABAND long flat bandsPhysio-style flat bands for footwork, rows, stretches and assisted roll-ups.See it on Amazon (THERABAND long flat bands)
Ozaiic grip socks with ballet-style strapsFor mat and reformer classes if you like a snug, strappy sock that stays put.See it on Amazon (Ozaiic grip socks with ballet-style straps)
Links go to Amazon and other shops, and we may earn a commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. See the whole kit list
Workouts at Home
Pilates equipment for home: the small kit worth buying first
What you need for Pilates at home: start with a thick mat, then add a ring, a small ball, loop bands and grip socks, in that order, and skip the gimmicks.
Wellbeing
Pilates vs yoga, and how to choose between the two
Pilates vs yoga compared on origins, aims, breath, equipment and intensity, with Compendium MET figures, a table, barre in brief and who suits which.
Fitness Business
How to choose a resistance band set for home Pilates
Loops, fabric bands, long flat bands or tubes with handles: how to choose a resistance band set for Pilates at home, which strengths to buy and what to skip.
Lifestyle
Pilates socks: how to choose grip socks for mat and reformer
Why reformer studios ask for Pilates grip socks, when bare feet are fine, toe, full-toe or strappy styles, how to size them and wash them so the grip lasts.
The archive shelf
Teachers, elders, history and the classical repertoire: the long reads we keep coming back to.
- What changes when an experienced teacher learns the classical order
- Why Pilates outlasted aerobics, step and every other fad
- How to find a good Pilates studio, and what to ask before you book
- How to learn Pilates from a book without picking up bad habits
- The craft of cueing, and how Pilates teachers find words that land
- How Pilates lasted a century, from internment camp to reformer club