How Often Should I Do Pilates as a Beginner?
Starting something new always comes with questions and a learning curve, but honestly how often do we get the opportunity to be beginners as adults? When kickstarting your Pilates-inspired strength training journey, we typically hear these questions from potential clients.
How many classes should I take?
How often should I come?
When will I start seeing results?
The answer depends on your goals, your current fitness level, and your schedule—but the biggest factor is consistency.
It’s all about creating a routine your body can adapt to and your schedule can support.
You Don’t Have to Earn Rest to Get Results
Growing up Hollywood taught us that rest is a reward. We had to completely destroy our bodies (and our brains) in order to earn rest. That if you skipped a workout, you have to "make up for it." That if you took two days off, you should double your workouts. Or worse..that you needed to “earn” food.
The truth?
Your body doesn't only get stronger during the workout. It also gets stronger when it recovers from it. Training creates the stimulus. Recovery is where the adaptation happens.
If you're constantly pushing without giving your body time to rebuild, you may be limiting your progress.
Is Mat Pilates Harder Than Reformer?
If you've ever taken a mat Pilates class and thought, "That was way harder than I expected," you're not alone.
It's one of the most common questions we hear:
Is mat Pilates harder than reformer Pilates?
The answer is...it depends
Do I Have to Lift Heavy to Build Lean Muscle?
The internet is screaming about Pilates vs Strength Training and lifting heavy vs the pilates body. And while I get that people have experienced transformation doing different modalities, we also have to understand that one of the most persistent myths in fitness is that muscle growth only happens with heavy weights and low reps.
Scientific consensus has largely debunked that idea. To get technical for a minute..multiple randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses—including landmark research led by Stuart Phillips at McMaster University—show that hypertrophy (muscle growth) can occur across a wide range of loads, as long as the working sets are taken close to muscular failure.
In other words, muscle growth is driven less by how heavy the load is and more by how close you get to the point where the muscle can no longer perform the task.
That is the definition of hypertrophy stimulus: sufficient mechanical tension and fatigue. Heavy loads are simply one way to reach that threshold. They are not the only way.
Exercise is Healthcare
At Core (LP) Berkley + Rochester Hills, MI, we believe exercise is healthcare.
Because exercise is what improves our every day lives. We see it every day. Pilates-inspired strength training improves mobility, supports metabolic health, reduces pain, improves energy, and helps people move better. It’s one of the most consistent, evidence-backed tools we have for long-term health.
So when people ask whether they can use HSA/FSA funds toward their Core (LP) private training or Pilates classes, the answer is often yes, if exercise is being used to prevent or support a medical condition.
Here’s how it works.
It’s Cool If Wellness Isn’t Your Entire Personality
This past weekend my girlfriend told me she had to take her Oura ring off. All of the information about a “perfect sleep score” was making her so stressed about her sleep that she wasn’t waking up rested. And honestly…I get it. In the last few years it seems like wellness has become the ultimate hobby and for many…a part-time job in and of itself. We are inundated daily with the need for peptides, sauna, collagen, ice baths, walking pads, vibration plates, Oura rings, etc….You name it we’re being sold the idea that all of these things give us longevity. And suddenly it feels like if you’re not optimizing every corner of your life, you’re behind.
But here’s the thing. We are so focused on the twenty different ways to optimize our [insert wellness trend here] when most of us have not yet mastered the basics.
Your All or Nothing Mindset Is Slowing You Down
Listen…I’ve been the girl who wanted to do 4 classes a week, run the half marathon, and neatly pair it with my sauna blanket and red light mask three times a week. And in theory, it sounds incredible…but if you’ve only been taking walks for the past 6 months and doing a light Peloton workout in your basement once a week, we need to set our self up for success, not disappointment.
And if you’re anything like me, you beat yourself up about it. You tell yourself you'll "start fresh" next week if the plan doesn’t go “right”. You'll come back when work calms down or when the kids are back into a routine. When you don’t have travel or when life is “less crazy”
And before you know it, the one workout you could have done turns into zero.
Because, we convinced ourselves that if we can't do it perfectly, it's not worth doing at all.
But trust us, that’s so not the truth!
Top 5 Tips If You Want to Fill Your Classes as a Pilates Instructor
After over a decade of coaching, filling your classes as a Pilates or Pilates-inspired strength instructor has very little to do with how advanced your programming is. Don’t get me wrong, people will absolutely love and want the spice so boredom doesn’t creep in after three months, but a lot more of having success as a coach is actually pretty obvious:
How well you can actually coach humans?
The instructors who stay fully booked aren’t the ones who follow a blueprint of moves and say …”Great job everybody” 15 times per class. They’re the ones who know how to connect, communicate, and create an experience people want to come back to.
Here’s what actually matters.
Working Hard vs Training Well: Why More Effort Doesn’t Always Mean Better Results
If you've spent any amount of time around fitness, you've probably heard some version of this:
DON’T STOP, as many rounds as possible, your glutes should be on fire, or the absolute worst…earn that [insert food you love}.
And listen, effort matters. You are never going to accidentally build strength, improve your endurance, or see results by doing the bare minimum. But pushing yourself to pure exhaustion could be the thing that's holding you back from progressing.
In fact, a lot of people struggling the most to see progress are the exact people putting in the most effort.
You’re showing up, sweating, and maybe even exhausted when you leave. You’re probably doing all the things (and then some). Yet somehow, you still feel stuck.
Because working hard and training well are not the same thing.
GLP-1s, Skinny Culture, and Why Lasting Change Still Comes from Muscle
As a kid who grew up in the 90s, I can sadly say this: chasing “skinny” and a very specific physical aesthetic is back.
GLP-1s. Vibration plates. Walking pads. Detox routines. High-protein everything. Low-impact everything, “soft Pilates era”…you name it, there’s a new quick fix daily. But underneath all of it is rooted in the same goal:
People want to get results faster. But the hard truth sis is that there is zero pill or plate that can speed up muscle and a functioning metabolism. Muscle is the one thing in your life you have to build
Why More People Are Choosing Fitness Communities Over Bars and Restaurants
In 2026, Bloomberg reported that Gen-Z is increasingly using gyms and fitness spaces as social hubs, choosing them over bars, clubs, and even some traditional social gatherings. People aren't just looking for a workout anymore. They're looking for connection, routine, belonging, and experiences that fit into their lives.
Honestly, that makes a lot of sense.
We're more connected online than ever, yet many people feel more isolated than they did a decade ago. Adult friendships are harder. Schedules are packed. Community doesn't happen automatically anymore.
So if fitness is becoming one of the places where people go to connect, meet people, and build relationships, then I think we're asking the wrong question.
The question isn't whether community belongs in fitness.
The question is:
Why can't the workout work, too?
The Fastest Way to Fall Off a Workout Routine? Doing It Alone
At some point adulthood becomes a constant cycle of work, errands, rescheduling plans, replying “we should hang soon” to texts you fully mean, and trying to squeeze workouts into whatever time is left over.
And somewhere in the middle of all that, fitness becomes isolated.
Another thing on the list you’re expected to stay consistent with on your own, even when life gets busy and everything else starts competing for your attention. That’s usually where consistency starts to feel harder to maintain on your own.
Is It Normal To Pee Postpartum? What’s Happening and How to Rebuild Core Strength Safely
Leaking urine after pregnancy (also called postpartum incontinence) is an extremely common side effect for many people, especially postpartum women.
And for a lot of women, it shows up in the exact moments life already feels demanding, jumping, lifting, sneezing, running after a kid, or even just getting back into workouts.
The frustrating part is that most people are told some version of:
“it’s normal postpartum.”
Which is true.
But “common” doesn’t mean “something you just have to live with.”
The Difference Between a Workout You Outgrow and One You Grow With
Never forget that the boutique fitness industry convinced an entire generation of people that feeling the burn, being sweaty, and sore was the same thing as building strength.
And for a while, most of us believed it.
Because sweating feels productive.
Being exhausted feels effective.
Walking out barely able to move feels like something must’ve worked, because…didn’t we?
But eventually, a lot of us hit the same wall.
What Happens When You Add Pilates-Inspired Strength to Your Lifting Routine
At some point, most lifters hit the same wall.
Your lifts aren’t necessarily getting worse, but they’re not really getting better either. Your hips feel tight. Your low back always feels “on.” Your shoulders fight you overhead. Recovery takes longer than it used to. And eventually, your body starts forcing you to work around things instead of through them. The burnout is real.
Most people assume they just need to push harder to get past their plateau. But a lot of the time, the thing limiting your lifting isn’t effort.
It’s an approach to movement that makes building muscle significantly better.
That’s where Pilates-inspired strength training changes things.
“I’m Not Fit Enough For A Reformer Class” (And Other Lies You Tell Yourself)
“I’m not flexible enough.”
“I need to get in shape first.”
“I’d probably look ridiculous in there.”
“I’ll try it once I’m more fit.”
We hear this all the time.
And honestly, it’s usually the exact reason someone should be in the room, not the reason they should avoid it. Because none of those thoughts are actually about fitness. They’re about fear of being seen in something you’re not already good at…yet.
How Long It Takes to See Results From Pilates-Inspired Strength Training
Fair question.
But before we answer it, let’s be very clear about what we mean by results.
Because most people are not asking that question in some vague, wellness-coded way. They want to know when they’ll:
be stronger
see more definition
have more mobility
feel more energetic in their day-to-day
lose weight if that’s part of the goal
and have some kind of proof that the work they’re putting in is doing something
Again, fair.
But this is where most people get it wrong.
Why We Start With a Consult Before Your First Class at Core (LP)
“Why can’t I just book a class?”
“Is this just a sales call?”
“Do I really need to talk to someone first?”
We get these questions all the time, and honestly, fair. Most fitness studios want as few barriers to entry as possible. Click a button, book a class, figure it out when you get there.
That’s just not how we do things at Core (LP). Because while skipping straight to class might feel easier upfront, it’s usually the reason people end up frustrated, inconsistent, injured, or starting over again three months later.
The consult exists to stop that cycle before it starts.
The Real Reason Why Your Workout Stops Working After 3 Months
You didn’t stop showing up.
You didn’t suddenly lose discipline.
And your body didn’t decide to stop responding for no reason.
So when a workout that used to feel challenging starts to feel…fine, it’s confusing. Because you’re still doing the same thing that worked in the beginning.
That’s the problem.
Why Lifters Plateau Without Mobility Training
You’ve been lifting for years. You’re consistent and you know how to push yourself. But at some point, things stop moving the way they used to. Your mobility feels tighter. Recovery drags. Your lifts aren’t necessarily getting worse, but they’re not getting better either. You notice your body just can’t push past a certain point, or worse you just stop doing that exercise all together. That’s why the best athletes and lifters are moving towards mobility training.