Pilates is all the craze, there are more Pilates studios than Starbucks in New York, there is a new studio in every neighbourhood and corner in Frankfurt, our friends are all doing it – heck, our friends’ teenage children are all doing it! Our Instagrams are full of it, it has become ubiquitous! If you’re looking for a good place to do Pilates in Frankfurt, you would by now know that you are not short of choice.
But not all ‘taught Pilates’ is ‘real Pilates’ and choosing the right studio will make a significant difference in how your body will feel during and after the class, and how it improves over time.
What People Don’t Realise about Pilates
Pilates is not about what you do, it is about how you move. It is not about Instagram-worthy choreography (although I am not unbiased to a nice-looking video), it is about details that often go unnoticed, unseen by the untrained eye, but in reality they make all the difference.
Joseph Pilates famously said that “in 10 sessions you will see the difference, in 20 sessions you will feel the difference, in 30 sessions you’ll have a whole new body” but I have a pretty good feeling that he was not talking about many classes that nowadays call themselves Pilates but are in reality far removed from it.
It is even more crucial to choose your studio wisely if you:
- Have neck, back or joint pain
- Are recovering from an injury
- Spend long hours sitting at a desk
- Generally feel imbalanced and out of touch in your body
Group classes or Private 1-1s?
Group classes are fun and social, which can be a great motivator for many and a good place to start at a low cost. However, keep in mind that they are designed with no particular individual need in mind and, unless the instructor is highly skilled, will offer little possibility for individualisation, which means that specific needs will often not be fully met.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to go to group classes, but I also know my body quite well, I know my limitations and I am able to correct myself sufficiently – I am trained to do so! And even then, I continuously invest in private Pilates lessons with my teachers.
Private sessions are highly individualised, they are tailored to address your specific needs and goals and, most importantly, they will meet you where you are! Some days you are full of energy, others you are a bit more tired and will be in need of a completely different type of class. Private classes finally offer the possibility to work on the full suite of Pilates equipment; While as most studios offer reformer classes, some offer tower and/or chair classes, but in my studio, it is not unusual to move from Cadillac to wunda chair, or from wunda chair to reformer, or from reformer to spine corrector and mat exercises in one session. This plays into the idea that Pilates is a system and as such you benefit from working with all the equipment and not just one.
Rather than just doing a set of exercises on one equipment, private Pilates sessions allow to focus on correct alignment, precise movement and balanced muscle development.
What to look for when choosing a Pilates studio in Frankfurt:
So your friend convinced you to try Pilates, or maybe you have already done a few classes here and there and you loved it would like to commit a bit more time and money to do it well and feel the benefits in your body and mind, the next step will be to chose the right studio for you:
- Ask about the teacher’s qualifications and experiences: make sure that qualifications go beyond a simple weekend training. A BASI comprehensive certification, for example, requires at least 500 hours of teaching, training and observing. Make sure your teacher has done all of those!
- Availability of equipment: most people know the reformer by now. But for a complete Pilates experience, ask to train on the cadillac, the wunda chair and do not underestimate mat exercises
- Individual attention: whether in a group class or a private 1-1, check whether the teacher knows their returning clients, if they remember their specific needs and offer them modifications as a result, etc. These are the signs of a caring teacher, dedicated to what they do
- Calm and focused environment: In order to build awareness and connections with your body, you need to be able to focus on the details of movement. I often say that when the beginners’ movement stop being easy, only then have you started advancing to the higher level.
- Finally, do not be afraid of asking questions about all of the above points.
When is it time to look for private Pilates sessions? When you want the beginners’ exercises to feel difficult, when you want your special needs and individual goals to be addressed, when you see Pilates as an element that adds to your quality of life beyond the studio. The more personalised the approach, the more effective and sustainable the results will be.
If you are based in Frankfurt and are interested in Private 1:1 Pilates using all equipment and a BASI approach, you’re welcome to get in touch or book a session.
