04/04/2026
The problem that occurs when something becomes incredibly popular in a short period of time is, that everyone wants to be part of the potential increase in revenue for their business. All of a sudden everyone offers Pilates.
Becoming a Pilates instructor takes up to two years; not the courses alone but the observation hours, the self practice and the Mentoring sessions. After that teachers continue with ongoing education and deepen their knowledge. Profound understanding of movement and adaptations due to injury or one sided habits, comes with time, experience and more study. As in any field, learning isn’t completed with the end of a course.
Now though, in order to fill the need for more teachers, short cuts were created - offering certification without oversight, often within weekends. Little to no anatomy training, no biomechanics, contra-indications etc. It’s not the new teacher’s fault - you do not know, what you don’t know. Often they still have to pay significant course fees for Sth that is sub-optimal and essentially teaches them only a variety of exercises and choreography without addressing the deeper understanding of the movement, its purpose, and where it aims to go. Leading to overloading the client and unsafe practices in studios that have too many spots in a class. No teacher, no matter how good, can keep an eye on 10+ clients of varying levels of experience, especially with a number of new clients, and make sure that everyone is save. But in the end you signed a waiver …
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/apr/04/reformer-pilates-boom-injuries?fbclid=IwZnRzaAQ-MyNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeklo3vCfm2tQgY4CDoz_wkTZTT9WEBFSFiV-R-8VyV3tTjFSA4T8U-GoCuoo_aem_z_CMhpuu5OZeKScLM4MuDQ
Lack of regulation for specialist classes leaves UK fitness enthusiasts at risk, say professional bodies
