Pilates exercise classes were once limited to mat training, but as manufacturers developed smaller, portable pieces of equipment, instructors created different classes. Some classes use small- and medium-size equipment, such as balls, fitness circles and resistance bands, whereas others use smaller versions of the reformer and other Pilates apparatus. Determining the best classes is a subjective process that depends on fitness level and fitness needs, but some classes are more fun and more interesting than others.
Equipment Circuit Classes
Pilates equipment classes can be expensive, but circuit classes allow participants to use most of the apparatus at slightly more than group exercise rates. Moira Stott, of Stott Pilates in Toronto, created the Pilates circuit concept. Most instructors limit these classes to six students, who move quickly between exercises on the reformer, the chair, the barrel, and other mat and prop exercises.
Pilates on Ball
The stability ball's rolling movements, while similar to the gliding movements of the reformer platform, impose a significant balance challenge. The reformer moves on a re-defined track. It will move forward and back, despite any postural deviation. The ball, in contrast, requires you to engage your core and work in correct alignment. Any deviation will cause you to lose your balance, or will cause the ball to move in the wrong direction.
Balance sport enthusiasts, such as skiers and snowboarders, favor these type of classes, which enhance sport-specific balance, correct knee-tracking and coordination. Pilates stability ball classes are also effective for anyone whose injuries or breathing difficulties make it uncomfortable to exercise on the mat. Sitting on the ball for Pilates exercises such as the helps people with tight hip flexors maintain an upright seated position. People who experience discomfort when lying face down on the mat may find it easier to perform prone Pilates exercises on the stability ball.
Resistance Band Classes
The elastic exercise bands used in Pilates resistance band classes add challenge to some exercises and provide assistance in others. The bands also help you identify the appropriate muscle group for the exercise. The Pilates hundred exercise requires you to lie face up with your head and legs lifted from the mat, and pump your arms up and down while breathing in and out. When performed on the reformer, it becomes evident that Joseph Pilates designed this exercise to teach the client to engage her lat muscles, which run down the sides of the back, to pull the straps down, while pulling the abdominal muscles up and in to engage the core. Without the band, novice Pilates students perceive the hundred as an odd and confusing exercise. Some flail their arms up and down without rhyme or reason, while bouncing their upper torsos back and forth to create the pump. Placing the band under the shoulder blades and pulling down toward the hips during the arm pump engages the lats and clarifies the exercise's purpose.
Group Reformer Training
Polestar Pilates, a Pilates certification program, and Balanced Body, a Pilates equipment manufacturer, developed the group reformer training concept. Other organizations and manufacturers soon followed the trend. Group exercise reformers are smaller, stackable and can be rolled into place. Like circuit classes, they allow participants to experience reformer training without paying high prices for private apparatus sessions. Each instructor has a different teaching method for this type of class. Some require you to take some preliminary mat and private reformer sessions to help you understand the Pilates movement principles, and so that you know how to set up the reformer in a manner appropriate to your strength, leg to torso length and skill level. Other instructors use a video, projected on to a screen. The students follow the video while the instructor walks around the class to make corrections.
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