Getting Hurt? That's not Pilates!

I have seen so many posts on social media lately showing people falling off Pilates equipment or getting hurt in Pilates classes. Truly I am shocked. Please don’t for a second think this is normal or acceptable in a Pilates class. I'm addressing this today because it seems to be expected at this point, and it should not be at all.

Let’s start with why someone may fall off the equipment or become injured in a Pilates session. Are their freak accidents - certainly - but these are very rare. What I am seeing is an exercise given to new students that requires strength, core connection, balance, and practice. These are not beginner exercises. They should not be given to new students. In Pilates we aim to progress you through Pilates movements. We teach you the basics first and as you master those movements and connect more to your center (one of the pilates prinicples) we start to evolve the movement. Because the equipment is moving and often times we are on a light spring as an instructor I need to feel confident my student is prepared and capable of handling that movement. I don’t start there and work backwards if they fail. I do all the building steps so I know they will be successful.

If I were going to teach someone how to do a kneeling exercise on the reformer for example - I would not start with kneeling on the reformer and see how it went because I know chances are good you’d face plant or lose your balance. We’d start with learning the exercise seated. Next we’d move to a modified kneeling position - watching form and offering instruction there. Overtime that exercise could evolve to full kneeling as I saw you were ready and able. There are cases were we may not get to kneeling and may choose to stick to a modified version for safety reasons. It would still be a great workout and it would be one where I would feel you are safe and you would feel adequately challenged. Not only does this keep you safe - it lets you succeed! No one wants to fail and I don’t want that experience for you either. I’d rather take my time building your confidence and setting you up for a win.

The second reason I think this epidemic of people getting hurt and falling off equipment in Pilates is happening is because class sizes are just too big. No one no matter how great of an instructor they are can adequately monitor and assist 12, 16, or more students at one time especially if you have your back to half the class at times. By the time you notice a student at the far end of the class is struggling, it’s too late. Large class sizes are not for your benefit - they are to make the studio more profitable at your expense.

The third reason is inadequate training. Unfortunately because Pilates is so trendy right now, there are weekend and short Pilates trainings that do not teach modifications, what exercises are safe for what bodies, how to program a class for a specific clientele, and so much more. These trainings simple require a student to memorize s list of exercises without the context of when to use, who to use for, and how to use them. Because Pilates can be more of a rehab exercise for many - those are critical considerations. I'm not faulting the instructor because we often don’t know what we don’t know. But I do fault the training program that has dumbed down Pilates training. Years ago I was offered the opportunity to do a Yoga Certification at a gym I taught at for free. As one who enjoys learning, I jumped at the chance. We meet for a Saturday and a Sunday and went through about 32 Yoga moves very quickly with little time to explore, repeat, or question what we were ‘learning’. It was very much like trying to drink from a fire hose. I left that experience feeling like in no way could I teach yoga. Unfortunately, I am sure there were others that left feeling they knew all they needed to know to start teaching.

We pride ourselves at Surprise Pilates in offering a safe place to workout, build strength and build community. That community aspect is just as important to your safety because if we know you and your body, we know what to do with you and what not to do with you. I hope after reading this blog you’ll realize getting hurt in Pilates is not to be expected but it also matters who’s teaching you and where you are taking Pilates.