In today’s world, people want to get in and get out while getting the best bang for their buck. Fast paced health clubs cater to this mindset, but they also realize the need to balance the chaos of an overly active life. You can only go so fast until you crash – which could lead to injury and exhaustion. Those who do crash may end up in a Pilates class to slow down or rehabilitate after the fact, but why not have it available to members in order to prevent that from happening in the first place?
Pilates teaches alignment, strengthens your core, and sharpens mental focus. The fast-paced lifestyle does not always cater to good alignment and is often focused on how many repetitions can be done or how much weight can be lifted. Pilates emphasizes the quality of exercise over the quantity. Doing too much weight or too many reps with bad form is a common form of injury. Teaching Pilates in these health club settings can help treat and counteract these overuse injuries.
Many people do not know how to use their core effectively or may not even have a strong core to begin with. Many health clubs focus on cardio or weight lifting – which isn’t going to help if you throw out your back lifting a heavy barbell. If the core is strong, it will support not only daily life but also heavier weightlifting. You can teach others to slow down and feel their body’s movement from the center – from the core – in order to feel more in control of their body and life.
Pilates classes offered in group fitness format at gyms also offer safe havens for people who want to work out but aren’t sure where to start on the gym floor. Being in a community and having a teacher to show them proper technique and inspire them to further their exercise is a great place to start for beginners. It is also great because you can develop a personal student-teacher relationship. Pilates teaches beginners confidence in their bodies through control and alignment. The group classes are also a way for people to make friends who hold each other accountable.
Pilates may not burn as many calories as a HIIT or spin class, but supplementing high-intensity workouts with mind-body workouts will keep the energy of the body and mind balanced. It also encourages a gentle lengthening of the muscles through its stretching, elongated exercises. The stretching action of the exercises improves range of motion, which is needed to prevent injury.
Other reasons gym-goers will still get bang for their buck out of Pilates classes include the fact that you can offer a personalised workout, especially if you can cater to injuries or even teach private classes. You can even learn how to market yourself to expand outside of the health club to create other unique and exciting opportunities to reach many different populations who could benefit from Pilates. Honing in on a special focus area, such as Pilates for orthopaedic conditions, is a great way to become an essential part of developing your clientele, such as our Pilates for Common Orthopaedic Conditions course.
You can share the benefits of Pilates to others by becoming a Pilates instructor. It is a rewarding job to inspire health and wellness in others. Click here for more information on how to become a Pilates Instructor and how you can achieve success within a variety of settings to encourage and promote a healthy lifestyle.