Mat or reformer: where a Pilates beginner should start
Mat or reformer for your first Pilates classes: what each teaches, rough UK costs, class formats, a side-by-side table and who is better off starting where.
Pilates Glossy: Pilates, mobility and everyday fitness
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Pilates
A twenty-minute classical mat sequence for your living room
A beginner-friendly classical mat order you can do at home in about twenty minutes, with reps, what to feel, common mistakes and simpler options for each.
Mobility & Recovery
Balance after fifty: why it slips and how to train it at home
Why balance tends to slip after fifty, simple self-tests to try at the kitchen worktop, an eight-week practice plan, home safety and when to see a doctor.
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
How to price Pilates privates, duets, groups and mat classes
A worked guide to pricing Pilates privates, duets, small apparatus groups and mat classes, from rent and equipment to teacher pay, packs and intro offers.
Keep reading: How to price Pilates privates, duets, groups and mat classes
What changes when an experienced teacher learns the classical order
Experienced teachers who study the classical Pilates order from the start often find familiar exercises make new sense. What changes, and how to study it.
Keep reading: What changes when an experienced teacher learns the classical order
Why Pilates outlasted aerobics, step and every other fad
How Pilates survived aerobics, step and spinning: dancers, physiotherapists, a 2000 court ruling that made the name generic, and the long reformer boom.
Keep reading: Why Pilates outlasted aerobics, step and every other fad
How to find a good Pilates studio, and what to ask before you book
A practical checklist for choosing a Pilates studio: teacher training, class size, equipment, the first conversation, trial classes, pricing and red flags.
Keep reading: How to find a good Pilates studio, and what to ask before you book
Why the rest day is part of the training, not a break from it
Fitness improves in the hours and days after a session, not during it. How rest and active recovery work, the signs you need more, and a sample week to copy.
Keep reading: Why the rest day is part of the training, not a break from it
How to learn Pilates from a book without picking up bad habits
A book is good at teaching Pilates order and set-up, but it cannot see you. How to learn at home with a written guide, a simple log and the occasional lesson.
Keep reading: How to learn Pilates from a book without picking up bad habits
Workouts at Home
Resistance bands for home Pilates: types, strengths and a session
Loops, long flat bands or tubes with handles: which band suits home Pilates, how strengths work, how to look after them, and a 25-minute session to try.
Wellbeing
What regular Pilates changes first, and how long it really takes
Sleep, posture awareness, stairs and energy: what regular Pilates tends to change first for everyday stiffness, what the evidence says, and how long it takes.
Fitness Business
The craft of cueing, and how Pilates teachers find words that land
Anatomical cues, imagery and outcome cues, minimal versus wordy teaching, and a practical way for Pilates teachers to build cues that really change movement.
Lifestyle
The Pilates habits that matter most happen outside the studio
Joseph Pilates cared about baths, beds, breathing and fresh air as much as exercise. How to carry his method into your week, one small habit at a time.
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