Turning First-Timers into Lifers: How to Nail Your Intro Pilates Class

I taught 3 introductory classes at the Y last week and the experience really highlighted how much teaching is a skill.  When I say ‘teaching’ I don’t mean knowing how to describe or perform an exercise- or even saying the ‘right’ cues.  I mean: how do you get people who have absolutely no context for what moving on a Pilates machine looks or feels like to move in a way that is productive? 

Intro classes - and many early or beginner classes - really highlight the discrepancy between knowing Pilates and teaching Pilates.  In a student’s first class on the reformer, our job as an instructor is to introduce the system, the equipment, the principles, without talking too much, while keeping the students moving and relatively challenged.  Ultimately this means that not only should I NOT word vomit my vast Pilates knowledge, but I have to prioritize what is important, constantly adjust my plan, cues, and what I deem “acceptable” movement while still making the experience welcoming, engaging, and challenging.  I’d also say it should be ‘educational’ but let’s be honest - that’s rarely at the top of a student’s list of why they go to a boutique fitness class.  More on that in my “Give them what they want and sprinkle in what they need” article (coming soon).

I was never explicitly taught this.  I picked up bits and pieces from instructors and mentors along the way, and a lot of what I do I learned from trial and (massive) error.  Here’s what I’ve learned about teaching newbies.

How the Pilates Program is Structured

I love the YMCA because it has a mission of accessibility and inclusion, and the demographic tends to be a little older.  Our classes have 5 reformers, and they’re run in 5 week sessions, with a week off in between.  I get to work with the same people 5 weeks in a row! How cool is that?

This particular week kicked off a new 5-week series, so I was teaching the first class in a beginner series to a very diverse set of students.

Meet the Students: A Typical Mix of First-Timers and Wild Cards

If you’re a seasoned teacher you’ll be able to guess who showed up to my intro classes.  

• Most people had never done Pilates before, whether on the mat or on a reformer.  That’s great! That was the whole point of this class series.

• One person in every class had done Pilates before but was there because the series was required before progressing to an intermediate series.  I’d consider them familiar with movement and cues and general flow of a Pilates class.

• One person in every class was really, really uncoordinated.

This is a very normal group of intro students and also very difficult to manage at once.  After a few classes they’ll filter in to the right classes for them (different levels, different focuses, etc.) but for now they’re all in one class and expecting me, the teacher, to give them the kind of workout they’ve seen and heard about from friends and the internet.

Needless to say, everyone has a different expectation.  And, even if people had the exact same expectation, each student’s ability to follow instructions or grasp concepts varies broadly.  So really, my first goal of teaching an intro class is actually to manage their expectations.

Building Trust from the First Hello: My Quick Pre-Class Check-In

When folks first walk into my intro class, I take the time to ask them four questions.

1. Hi! I’m Kaleen.  What is your name? 

2. Have you done Pilates before?

3. What are you hoping to get from Pilates? (aka their goals)

4. Is there anything I should know about your body injury or restriction-wise?  If anything feels weird today, let me know and we can find a way around it no problem.  Don’t be shy.

This dialogue is quick and allows me to build a rapport with folks right away, which has several benefits:

• It makes people feel welcome 

• It makes each person feel seen and valued

• It holds them a little more accountable so they don’t feel like they can hide because they escaped notice

• It can build a bond between students if they hear each other’s goals

• It makes the experience feel more tailored to them

• It gives them more confidence to speak up during class later if something doesn’t feel right or make sense

Even if I forget the student’s name later, that effort goes a long way to building trust.

Set the Tone, Set the Hook: Why Managing Expectations is Step One

You know the saying “Happiness is the gap between expectations and reality” ?  I think about that a lot when a student leaves a class looking less than happy.  Sometimes they look frustrated, like the whole class was too hard.  Or sometimes they look bored or disappointed, like it was too easy or slow.  I hate seeing that.

While I can only adjust my teaching of an intro class so much, what has kept people engaged and looking happy at the end is if I spend a moment at the beginning of class setting the expectations for the next hour.

In my intro classes this week, I talked for 5 minutes at the beginning of the session, and here are the highlights of what I covered.

1. This first class is going to be a little slower and have more talking than I usually do.  That’s because I want to set you up for success during the rest of the program.  You should be confident with the equipment and basic cues and positions in Pilates, and that means today we’re just establishing a baseline.  

2. I want these classes to work for you.  At the end of class I’ll ask you how you’re feeling and what you thought of the difficulty of the class.  Next week I’ll ask you how you felt the day after.  Based on that feedback you give me, I’ll adjust my future classes and your spring recommendations so that we can create an experience that meets your needs.

3. If something doesn’t feel right, give me a shout or raise your hand.  Everyone’s body is different, and we can work with lots of restrictions.

4. Here’s how the reformer works, generally.  You need to be able to move the footbar, gear bar, headrest, and springs on your own.  I’ll give you directions, but you’ll carry them out.

Once that 5 minutes is up, I want my students to start moving.  Even if the moving is “ugly,” folks can only take so much talking and listening and digesting in a fitness class. They’re here for a workout, not a lecture.  

My Go-To Sequence for a Smooth and Supportive Intro Class

My exercise flow is short and sweet, because there is a little more instruction between exercises and we take breaks between sets so I can check in with my students.  I find that I have to really work hard to create a space where students are comfortable giving me real-time feedback about their experience.  It’s okay if things are hard, but a lot of times students don’t do something because it hurts and don’t say anything! I want to know about that so I can offer an alternative and they can feel more successful.

Here’s my basic plan:

• Footwork (Breathing and Neutral Spine via pelvic rocking, explanation of springs get heaving the longer they’re stretched)

• Bridging (Articulating the spine, and explanation of how sometimes fewer springs is actually harder)

• Supine Arms in Straps (Table Top and ab curl variations)

• Seated Arms facing Back (Sitting box introduction, shoulder positioning)

• Prone on Box (Body positioning, generally, sets up positioning for a plank)

• Reverse Plank (elbows on box, shoulder and pelvis stability)

• Always finish with feet in straps (neutral spine)

One Class, Many Bodies: How I Handle Varying Skill Levels in Real Time

I teach very few exercises and very few variations, but often do a lot of reps of each because it gives the students time to move and implement the cues I’ve offered. It also allows me to walk around and course correct that one student that is invariably way off base.  I want folks to have the time to hear some cues, move, and maybe make some adjustments that help them experience how with attention, an exercise can get harder.

Generally, I name the exercise, paint a short picture of what it looks like, if appropriate, and then cue the whole class through around 3 repetitions.  Then I let them move.  If they’re all doing something wrong, then my words probably weren’t landing.  But most of the time there’s one person for whom it just isn’t computing that I want to individually address without slowing everyone else down.  So, I’ll use the next several reps to address them.

Then, I’ll zoom out to the whole class and depending on the exercise, offer further refining cues or move on to the next set.

For example, in one of my classes this week I was half roll backs facing back, and one student, I’ll call them Terry, kept hinging forward instead of rolling backward.  Interestingly, but even looking around and seeing what other students were doing, Terry didn’t immediately change their movement.  I went over, asked them to pause and used the words “lean back,” which I normally don’t start with in my cueing (because it doesn’t insinuate spinal articulation), and then offered a few words to get them into the general C-curve shape.  This took another 3 reps from everyone else.  Once I finished with Terry I zoomed out to the whole class again over the next 3 reps and gave broad, non-individual cues.  By now, 9 reps had passed and I was ready to move on.

What Deserves My Focus? Making Smart Tradeoffs When Teaching a Group

Managing different abilities in a class to the level of perfection is impossible.  In teacher training, we’re taught to identify the intention of the exercise, and then deem it acceptable when someone gets there.  But that’s hard when there are half-a-dozen people moving in front of you.  Not everyone will get it all the time.

In Terry’s case, I picked them out of the whole class to individually address because they were so obviously not doing the exercise.  Riley, the person two reformers down who was breathing and moving with control but executing with a flat back and not the C-curve shape I wanted, didn’t get individualized attention on that exercise on that day.  They got the broad level group-class cue because I wasn’t willing to spend more than 9 reps in that exercise.

In some cases, I can address Riley in the next variation of the exercise.  Say, adding on marching to the C-curve shape would keep them interested, level up the exercise, and give me time to further refine the actual C-curve shape.  But there’s not always time and I have to move on.

Oh, and by the way, I don’t let on that this is what I’m doing.  I don’t announce, “Well that’s good enough everyone, we’ll do better next time.”  I want my students to feel successful.  I don’t have to blow smoke up their a$$e$ but I also don’t need them to feel bad for not being perfect on their first try at Pilates.

Ending on a High Note: Gathering Feedback and Setting Up Session Two

At the end of the session I ask for feedback.  I often ask this in three specific ways, going from more broad to more specific.

1. How was the class?

2. How do you feel?

3. Was it hard enough?

Then, I circle back to the expectations I set at the beginning and remind them that today was a baseline, and that next week will move a little faster and be a little harder.  I invite them to note how they feel tomorrow and tell me next week, promising that I can adjust what and how I teach if something was not hard enough or left them feeling too sore.

The Real Goal of an Intro Class? Get Them to Come Back

You won’t ever bat 1000 the first session.  But that’s okay because that’s not the goal.  The goal is to get them to come back to have an even better session next time.  Just like in pitching your startup, the goal of the first call with an investor isn’t to land the deal… it’s to get a second call.  

Update from week 2: All my students came back with a smile on their face ready to kick butt the second session.  That told me I did my job: not to deliver the perfect class, but to create a safe, motivating start that made them want to come back. Just what I wanted!

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