“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
YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO KNOW EVERYTHING WALKING IN
There’s this weird expectation in fitness that you should arrive already knowing what you’re doing. But that’s not how anything in life works.
Even elite athletes don’t train alone. They have coaches. They have systems. They have people watching things they can’t see in themselves. Because blind spots are part of training.
So why would you walk into a new form of movement and assume you’re supposed to have it all figured out? That’s not the goal.
Learning and growth are the goals.
SOCIAL MEDIA MADE FITNESS LOOK LIKE A PERFORMANCE
Let’s call it out.
A lot of what you see online makes Pilates-style workouts look either:
perfectly aesthetic and effortless
or chaotic and embarrassing
People love posting the “falling off the reformer” clips and the “shaky first-timer moments for men”, turning it into something to laugh at.
But that’s not what the room should feel like.
That’s content.
Not context.
In real life, nobody is sitting there judging you for being new. Everyone is too busy trying to feel their own body, hold their own position, and get through their own work. If anything, the room knows how hard you are working because they were once new too and can’t wait to celebrate you for joining the “we can do hard things” club.
YOU DON’T NEED A “BETTER VERSION” OF YOU TO START
We’ve heard this in more new client conversations and consults than we can count. They delay starting because they’re comparing themselves to a version of themselves they think they should already be or worse…who they used to be.
Fitter. Leaner. More flexible. More confident. But that version doesn’t exist yet or is on a path to be better than the “older version of me”.
And the only way it ever does is by starting where you are right now. Not later. Not after you “fix” yourself. Not after you earn it.
Now.
But you don’t get there by waiting.
BEING A BEGINNER IS THE BEST OPPORTUNITY FOR SUCCESS
Here’s something we don’t talk about enough. As adults, we rarely get to be beginners anymore.
Most of life is spent being “good at things.” You already know how to excel at work, how to manage life, how to be the worlds best parent, how to show up in your routines. You’re expected to be competent at almost everything you do.
So when was the last time you actually learned a new physical skill from scratch?
Not something you were already decent at. Not something you could fake your way through. Something you had to learn, awkwardly, over time, with coaching and repetition.
That’s what this is.
And honestly, that’s a good thing.
Because being a beginner means:
your body is still adaptable
your nervous system is still learning
you actually get to feel progress again
you’re not stuck in autopilot
There’s something really powerful about starting something where you don’t already know the outcome.
That’s where change happens. And it’s one of the only spaces in adult life where that kind of growth is still available to you on purpose.
WHAT HAPPENS IN A PILATES-INSPIRED STRENGTH TRAINING SESSION
We could try to emulate the vibe and the workout online…but it will never do it the justice that you’ll get from showing up.
At Core (LP), we don’t put you on a reformer and “wish you luck”. We teach you how to:
Adjust every machine to where you are today
Coach you how to modify and progress
Keep class sizes under 12 so you get form corrections in real time to help you progress faster
In one class, you’ll have:
busy adults finding joy in movement again
dads rebuilding consistency
collegiate athletes cross-training
new moms reconnecting to their core
marathon runners building strength to build PRs
CrossFit athletes working on stability and range
All in the same room.
All working at different levels.
All progressing from their own starting point.
That’s the point. And if anything, the people who stay the longest are usually the ones who were willing to be beginners again for a second.
FINAL TRUTH
You don’t need to be fitter, more flexible, or more prepared to start. You just need to stop assuming you’re supposed to already be good at something you’ve never done before (yes even if you do other workouts).
And PLEASE stop comparing yourself to a version of you that didn’t even get the chance to grow from this.
You’re not behind.
You’re just before the part where things start to change.
And that’s exactly where you’re supposed to be.
👉 At Core (LP) in Berkley and Rochester Hills, we coach every client based on their starting point, not a one-size-fits-all level. - Learn More
