Sam responds to Hailey Bieber’s surprising take on Pilates

Is Pilates Out?

In a recent interview with Time Magazine, Hailey Bieber shared her take that the Pilates fad is “a little over.” With new studios popping up on every corner, it’s hard to believe that this popular practice is nearing its end, and truthfully, I think the more likely shift will be people deepening their practice and understanding the difference between Pilates and “sculpt” style classes. 

I’m a firm believer that any (safe) movement is good movement and if the Pilates “trend” is what inspires someone to step into a studio I’m all for it. From Zumba to Crossfit, to Spin, to Barre, to HIIT to Hyrox, etc., the fitness industry pushes through trends at an expectant pace; new studios emerge as older styles phase out, so what makes Pilates different?

I’ve been practicing Pilates for twenty years, and I agree with Bieber’s statement that, “it’s become a little bit of a fad, and it’s really hard to find really good teachers that care about form.” 

The benefits of Pilates come from understanding the body as a whole system where all movement stems from the core rather than targeting muscles in isolation. The first piece of this system is learning how to work with the breath to stabilize the body and, through precision, enhance mind-muscle connection. This is why form is so important. This is also why practicing Pilates improves how we move through our day-to-day lives and even supports other areas such as strength training, running, rehabilitation and mobility work. 

The problem isn’t that Pilates is over, but I’m hoping that the desire to call every mat-based or carriage-style machine “Pilates,” might be. 

At the heart of classical and contemporary Pilates are the principles: 

• Breath

• Centering 

• Control

• Concentration

• Precision

• Flow 

If you’ve ever been encouraged to slow down your movement, these principles are why. The goal is to tune into the body and find control through both the concentric and eccentric loading phases. In this way, we draw awareness to how the breath facilitates our movement. Pilates focuses on end-range strength training to improve joint control, stability, and force production at the extreme limits of your range of motion. In doing so, we develop strength, control, improved mobility, and reduce the risk of injury. 

So how does this relate to the supposed dying trend of Pilates? My hope is that people will continue to seek out the benefits of Pilates through knowledgeable instructors and thoughtfully designed classes that emphasize the importance of moving with awareness to understand the difference between the rebranded sculpt classes that have been gaining popularity. There’s room for both styles in our industry, and they offer their own benefits, but to place everything under the same umbrella term can certainly lead to confusion. 

In summary, I don’t think Pilates is out. The practice itself has a ton of longevity and benefits for those who will take the time to learn the foundation. The studios that get it right will stay true to their brand & core offerings and will help educate consumers on these principles.

At Fortides, we honour these principles through a blend of classical and contemporary movements in all of our classes. Whether your goal is to build strength through our Full Body practice, improve cardiovascular health in our Fly class, enhance mobility and mind-muscle connection in Restore, or deepen your understanding of reformer Pilates in Foundations, we are here to support you throughout your journey.