This was my very first pilates class and I really enjoyed my experience today. I have been into fitness and dance my entire life, and I have been looking for a form of fitness that would be possible for me to safely maintain long term, and would be beneficial for my current level of fitness.
Club Pilates is a franchise and has many locations in town, however the Doctor Philips studio is closest to me, so I chose that one for convenience. There is plenty of parking as the studio is located in the Dr. Philips marketplace next to the Chamberlins grocery store.
Your first class is free here. I was greeted outside the studio by Alyssa, who handed me my paper work and Covid waiver to sign before entering. There was a class just ending when I arrived, so I was told to wait outside until the class concluded.
There are signs on the front door with their face mask policy, as well as social distancing stickers placed throughout the front lobby. There are a couple bottles of hand sanitizer as well as a touch less hand sanitizer on the wall next to the cubbies. Both Alyssa and my instructor, Tamie wore masks, and I did as well. Classes are 45 minutes long, so that instructors have time between classes to clean and sanitize the equipment and studio for the next class. They have removed half of the reformers to space them out now for proper social distancing.
Fortunately for me, no one else had signed up for the Intro class except me, so I received a private lesson, which was GREAT. Tamie asked about my fitness history and any experience I had with Pilates, and she was able to take one look at me standing there and was able to assess my posture, physical limitations (I have scoliosis) and my hyper mobility in my legs and arms. I was very impressed!
Tamie explained all of the equipment, educated me on proper form while doing the exercises, and where to focus my engagement. Tamie was very knowledgeable and helpful in showing me where I need to work to help alleviate my problem areas and build more stability and strength for my conditions. Tamie broke down all of the different classes and levels of the classes and suggested which ones I should take. Alyssa handed me a studio brochure and paper schedule to take home for reference. The classes I was able to take were highlighted for convenience.
The exercises we did challenged me to maintain certain positions and engage muscles in ways that were unfamiliar, so although I didn't leave drenched in sweat, I could tell that keeping this "new to me" alignment would be enough to keep me interested.
I am definitely going to come back and take more classes here, and maybe one day become Pilates certified myself! read more