This January I took my 500th Pilates class! Hey, we all have our addictions in life, right? For me it’s clothes, coffee, and Pilates classes. Collecting clothing has been an obsession of mine since childhood. Coffee came to me in my 20s and is a habit that I would love/hate to break. However, Pilates is a more newfound infatuation that I fell into in my 30s, after sensing that my body needed some serious TLC.
When I was in graduate school in 2011, I spent hours in lecture halls and libraries. My mind was constantly active, while my body just sat and sat and sat. While I loved being a student, my body was screaming to move. So one day I googled “Pilates Notting Hill,” which lead me to a local studio with reformer beds. I didn’t know what a reformer bed was and I’m not sure that I cared – I just wanted to be whipped into shape. And whipped me it did… I was sore for four days! I could barely sit up without wincing from the muscle pain in my abs. I could barely walk from the pain in my quads and glutes. I didn’t even know I had triceps until they they hurt so much I couldn’t brush my hair.
Despite the initial pain I started going to classes once a week because that’s all my body could handle. Then as I got stronger (in approximately a month), I increased my class frequency to twice a week, than to three times. And with a budding 6-pack, I was hooked!
Since then I’ve incorporated yoga, HIIT, and spin classes into my weekly fitness regime, in order to round out my strength training with stretching and cardio. And now I’m venturing into the realm of 1-2-1 training for little extra abdominal attention. Who would have thought that such a seemingly small search for something new would lead me to make a huge and healthy lifestyle change… to work out consistently and wholeheartedly.
Now attending hundreds of classes doesn’t qualify me as anything – except maybe as an addict or zealot. But that fixation has lead me to explore lots of studios over the past few years. So, here are a few of my favourite Pilates classes in London if you too are searching for a good sweat.
This is where the magic for me started! Expect a full-body, heart pumping workout with a strong emphasis on the core, on their custom-designed reformer beds. Their classes are small, ranging from 5 to 10 people allowing you the right amount of personal attention to perfect their quirky-named moves. And with 8 studios throughout the city, it’s easy to fit a class into any schedule. Plus there’s HIIT TRX and Barre classes available at select studios for a change of pace.
This Notting Hill studio offers their signature METcore class using MOTRs, a souped-up foam roller that will challenge your stability, while lending a little resistance to your limbs. Classes are small in size and end with a cardio blast that will leave you with an endorphin high. Plus the Botanic Lab drinks sold on concession are an excellent post-workout treat. I recommend the charcoal flavour.
Located in Marylebone, this studio is just beautiful. White, bright and airy, it houses reformer beds, as well as classes using a range of Pilates equipment. A hub for Balanced Body teacher training, this studio is geared toward personal instruction with a class size max of 6 people. Plus it offers the only Bodhi Suspension Training System in London.
Found in Fulham, this fitness hub hosts the only group reformer chair classes in London. The reformer chair is a compact stool that uses spring resistance to challenge your balance and strength. Added weights make this class a dynamic workout. Plus the in-studio cafe offers lots of fresh protein packed treats.
A new kid on the block and quietly hidden in the basement of a Kensington estate agent’s office, this studio hosts small sized reformer and mat classes, from beginner to advanced levels, as well as PT sessions with all sorts of equipment on hand. Plus all personal instructors are STOTT certified, which is often considered the “Ivy League of qualifications.”
leggings: Sweaty Betty / Pilates grip socks: Shashi
*any studio pictures not taken by me are courtesy of the studio’s website.
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