Can you do Pilates effectively without a live instructor?

[Anonymous]

I’ve always been interested in trying Pilates but intimidated because it seems like it’s very easy to do wrong without an instructor giving feedback. Like if you don’t breathe quite right or have the perfect form or know just how to tuck in your ribs you won’t get as much out of it. I can’t afford classes, but I have apple fitness plus and there’s tons of Pilates workouts. Those who have done a lot of Pilates—is it possible to get a good workout and reap all the benefits of Pilates doing it this way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always been interested in trying Pilates but intimidated because it seems like it’s very easy to do wrong without an instructor giving feedback. Like if you don’t breathe quite right or have the perfect form or know just how to tuck in your ribs you won’t get as much out of it. I can’t afford classes, but I have apple fitness plus and there’s tons of Pilates workouts. Those who have done a lot of Pilates—is it possible to get a good workout and reap all the benefits of Pilates doing it this way?

I’ve switched from reformer classes to mat classes, and won’t go back. Love the way my body is reshaping, and the flatness and tightness of my stomach. You will learn fast how to do all the techniques as you go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always been interested in trying Pilates but intimidated because it seems like it’s very easy to do wrong without an instructor giving feedback. Like if you don’t breathe quite right or have the perfect form or know just how to tuck in your ribs you won’t get as much out of it. I can’t afford classes, but I have apple fitness plus and there’s tons of Pilates workouts. Those who have done a lot of Pilates—is it possible to get a good workout and reap all the benefits of Pilates doing it this way?

I’ve switched from reformer classes to mat classes, and won’t go back. Love the way my body is reshaping, and the flatness and tightness of my stomach. You will learn fast how to do all the techniques as you go.

While it's better, I think, to have a live instructor, it's also possible to do it on your own -- as I did during the covid shutdown.

It would be ideal to do a few live classes at first, I think, to make sure your form is good. You don't neccesarily have to join a gym -- there are Pilates studios around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always been interested in trying Pilates but intimidated because it seems like it’s very easy to do wrong without an instructor giving feedback. Like if you don’t breathe quite right or have the perfect form or know just how to tuck in your ribs you won’t get as much out of it. I can’t afford classes, but I have apple fitness plus and there’s tons of Pilates workouts. Those who have done a lot of Pilates—is it possible to get a good workout and reap all the benefits of Pilates doing it this way?

I’ve switched from reformer classes to mat classes, and won’t go back. Love the way my body is reshaping, and the flatness and tightness of my stomach. You will learn fast how to do all the techniques as you go.

While it's better, I think, to have a live instructor, it's also possible to do it on your own -- as I did during the covid shutdown.

It would be ideal to do a few live classes at first, I think, to make sure your form is good. You don't neccesarily have to join a gym -- there are Pilates studios around.

Now that I've been doing Pilates for years, the instructor rarely if ever comments directly to me. In fact, most instructors will make a general comment that perhaps actually applies to one or two people - without calling a name. e.g., "Sit up straight" or "bend your torso, not your arms." And instructors will also preemptively tell the class to position themselves correctly for a particular exercise.

[Anonymous]

I think it's totally fine to use videos. The exercises and directions will make more sense over time, as you start to feel the muscles differently. For example, one peloton instructor said something about having a pocket of air under you while on your side doing some exercises, and it took a while to feel like I had my body in the position where it actually made sense. But I got something out of it all along the way.

Pilates is great!

[Anonymous]

I got back in shape (pretty quickly) after having my first child doing mat pilates...via DVD if that tells you how many years that was. Over the years I've done many different types of workouts and have always returned to pilates, and also Barre.

[Anonymous]

I think you might learn faster with a good instructor, but in my experience, instructors don't necessarily offer enough feedback to make a difference. If you have the patience to try out different videos, I think you will eventually find one that explains everything in a way that works for you. Even done imperfectly, I think you'll still get a lot of benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve always been interested in trying Pilates but intimidated because it seems like it’s very easy to do wrong without an instructor giving feedback. Like if you don’t breathe quite right or have the perfect form or know just how to tuck in your ribs you won’t get as much out of it. I can’t afford classes, but I have apple fitness plus and there’s tons of Pilates workouts. Those who have done a lot of Pilates—is it possible to get a good workout and reap all the benefits of Pilates doing it this way?

I’ve switched from reformer classes to mat classes, and won’t go back. Love the way my body is reshaping, and the flatness and tightness of my stomach. You will learn fast how to do all the techniques as you go.

While it's better, I think, to have a live instructor, it's also possible to do it on your own -- as I did during the covid shutdown.

It would be ideal to do a few live classes at first, I think, to make sure your form is good. You don't neccesarily have to join a gym -- there are Pilates studios around.

I agree with the bolded. If you truly can’t afford classes, maybe try finding a few places that offer free intro classes and try those.