Powerhouse Post (No2)

Hey there!

Welcome to the Powerhouse Post, my weekly round-up of all things Pilates industry related. Read on for the latest headlines and some of my commentary.

Cheers, Kaleen

On Socials

📷 Caught a few glimpses of the Technogym Reformer at FIBO here and here. 

🧅 CrisenPilates had a great post on using a layering technique to managed mixed level classes.  Love hearing educators talk about managing classes as a skill (not just getting an individual into a certain body shape).

🎎 Lots of folks used ChatGPT to make action figures of themselves this week (including me!)  Here are some of my faves:  

• A cute one with a decently generated reformer, even! 

• A Barbie themed package with another well done AI reformer

• Pilates dudes represent!

• Creative posing in a plank

• Simple and classic

⭐ Did you see Ed Sheeran on the reformer?

In the News

👶 Lagree is having a moment, with headlines reading “If Pilates and Bodybuilding had a baby.”  

💦 Pilates improves your sex life.  Women who practice Pilates saw a 95 per cent improvement in their levels of sexual desire, orgasm rates and overall sexual satisfaction.

💪 TRX launches a Pilates training program.  My first thought: It’s about time!  Methods like Redcord and Bodhi have been using TRX like setups to teach mindful movement for a long time.

Pilates Biz

⚙️ Pilates equipment market set to double by 2030.

On Kaleen’s Blog

I believe A Great Class requires an overlap of incorporating Pilates Principles and meeting Student Goals.  So how do we measure that? I wrote about the first half of the equation, Pilates Principles, and shared some fun graphs and thoughts in the process.  (Stay tuned for part 2 next week)

Technology and Research

This study examined the effects of an 8-week Pilates program on core muscle wall thickness (as measured by ultrasound) in three groups: people who regularly practice Pilates, people new to Pilates, and people not doing Pilates.  I think this is a great study that shows the current limitations in studying Pilates.  Results showed that the rectus abdominis increased in size in both groups doing Pilates, but the deeper the muscle the more mixed the results got.  As the authors state in the discussion section, “Caution should be exercised regarding the efficiency of thickness measurements in the superficial label of abdominal muscles as a means of assessing muscle activation or force… ultrasound may not be valid if used alone as a measure of muscle activation…”  When Pilates (or any other fitness method) promises activation and strengthening of “deep core” muscles, how do we actually know that’s true?

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