Becky is a Horsham-based female personal trainer who works with cancer patients and survivors, as well as those who struggle with confidence in the gym. She was recently encouraged to try some reformer Pilates classes, and shares her experience here…
Trying new things as an adult can be incredibly challenging, but it’s also an important thing to do for our brains and bodies. After a client repeatedly praised the reformer Pilates classes she goes to, and with the activity massively trending, I decided to give it a go myself – here are five things I learned during two classes…
What it’s like to be a beginner
This is not to be underestimated! Even as a personal trainer, I feel anxious about trying new fitness activities. Lots of people assume that I’ll be good at things straight away, or expect a certain level of performance from me. The truth is that it generally takes me a long time to pick up a new skill, and I have to have a lot of patience with myself.
I paid attention to how I felt as I prepared for my first class. I didn’t feel as anxious as I have about some activities, as I’ve hit the point where I’m confident in advocating for myself, but it’s still tricky walking into a new space, meeting someone new, and handing yourself over to them for an hour.
How reformer Pilates works
Much like the first time I ever stepped into a gym, reformer studios to me just looked like a confusing set of furniture. On my first visit to Elevate, I was taken through the equipment prior to the class, with the instructor explaining the terminology she’d use throughout the session and how to set myself up.
I learn best by doing, so it was a case of literally getting to grips with everything and, once I understood how to use it, I found things a lot easier and was able to participate to my satisfaction.
How my body handles reformer Pilates
This was always a big question mark for me. I’ve got a spinal fusion (which I’ve had for over 20 years), and half of my six-pack muscle was removed several years ago due to a tumour. I’m fully healed from both surgeries, and strength train regularly, but activities involving a lot of core strength tend to require me to start from a more basic level than a lot of people my age, and expect to build steadily.
I take the view of doing what I can do, taking breaks when I need to, and not following every progression that’s offered in order to maximise my stamina during a session. It’s also about ensuring that I’m not sore and struggling for days afterwards. The session was less pure-core strength than I expected, which meant that I was able to accomplish more than I’d thought I could, and I walked away happy as a result.
Ways I can train clients to support their reformer sessions
One of the big perks here was understanding an activity from the inside. Now that I know how some classes work, and how the equipment is used, I am far more capable of appreciating what my clients who participate in reformer do during classes, and means that I’m more able to help with this.
I’m well aware that my clients spend an hour (sometimes more, sometimes less, depending on the frequency of their sessions) with me, and that their lives are far more extensive than that – my approach is that the gym supports the rest of their week, rather than the other way around, and understanding their other activities honours this.
Business systems also matter
Something that Elevate does really well in my opinion is that they make it easy to book (and amend your booking) online, as well as letting new participants know what to expect. The email I received before my first class told me when to arrive, and that I’d be shown around the equipment as well as having a chance to chat to the instructor. This was then followed through on the day, which I really appreciated – reformer kit is very specific and I did need some explanation of the setup.
This is something that really helps people to feel comfortable and confident, and it’s not difficult to implement – I’d like more fitness spaces to offer this type of inclusion and support. I hope that I model these behaviours myself!
I’m currently taking on new one-to-one personal training clients in Horsham, if you’d be interested in discussing sessions, get in touch.