We all know that times are tough right now, and we’re wondering what specific challenges you face in the Pilates industry. Are you having trouble drawing in or retaining clients? Is the cost of continuing education proving difficult? Or maybe you’re in need of a motivational boost.

We want to know: what are the biggest challenges you’re facing in your Pilates career? We want to hear from you!

I run a Pilates studio located in a gym with over 4000 members.
It is difficult to get them to pay extra for Pilates when they are already paying a membership fee which includes over a dozen Pilates mat classes every week taught by fully trained and certified instructors.
They don't realize the quality mat instruction they are getting is far better than at most gyms.
Also, our instructors are frustrated by the free mat classes because any member can come and we get such a mix of levels that it is difficult to challenge the more advanced students and still get then fundamentals thrub to the beginners. Also, these free mat classes can sometimes have 20-25 students in them.
I'd love suggestions from anyone in this situation.

Valerie -

Can I ever identify with your concerns and frustrations. I too teach under such circumstances. It can be very challenging to teach to the beginner student without alienating the advanced participant. What to do? Here's some suggestions and guidelines I follow and find to be extremely helpful:

1. Stay true to the principles without over complicating the work.

In large groups I integrate the principles by warming up in a standing posture, using the mirror as the main tool to create body awareness. The students can get the visual feedback and a safe position to model after by learning the principles from a standing position. I have found that it takes much less time to warm-up and review the principles from a standing posture.

2. Avoid placing pressure on yourself to progress the students. If there is always a beginner in the room, along with advanced students, teach to the middle group. Remind your more experienced students that they possess the skill set to increase load and variation. Give them that responsibility. Cue your beginner students that everything is new! It won't be perfect and they are under a huge learning curve. Give them permission to learn my not placing expectation that they will know everything about pilates from one class and move on. Remember that you are in a gym situation and this is normal for any group fitness class.

Teach to the middle and the class should go very well for you.

3. You can have pre-printed handouts available describing the principles and methodology behind progressing or regressing a movement. You can call it Pilates 101.

4. When I approach the class with self imposed stress it is reflected in my movements, body language, and physical energy in the room. If you perceive pressure to make everyone happy, ultimately you won't be and that will affect the quality of the class itself.

I've learned how to take a cue from the yoga world on letting go of judgments. Remember, the students are coming to you because of your expertise and skill set. Ultimately you are in charge of the emotional and physical energy in the room.

5. Give the responsibility of modifications to the students. Educate them on how to honor their bodies.

Modifications and essential sequences do not equal "easy". If that is the mindset of more experienced students or yourself, work toward changing the mindset that modifications provide strength and stability. Essential sequences are the foundational building blocks. When more advanced students start to approach the foundational work with disdain, their practice falls apart, they have forgotten their roots, the environment becomes less tolerant, and everyone is open to injury. The good news is, you get to control that with your energy and choice of thoughts and words. Choose wisely!

6. Make yourself available before and after class to answer questions, show individual modifications or progressions. This is the best way to sell private instruction packages. Students do want to improve or learn how to modify. What they need is individualized attention, and a private session is the open door.

7. Relieve yourself on justifying the quality of your instruction versus other instructors or programs. If your offerings are better than most, allow it to speak for itself. Trust me, the students will figure it out all by themselves.

8. Take your time with the tempo of the class. Allow the class to feel the difference between mid to fast tempo of movement, and how much more difficult a slower tempo is. This is a great modification tool for your more experienced students. Give them the freedom to up tempo their movements while maintaining the integrity of the work.

I hope you've found some of these suggestions helpful. I'd love to dialog some more, so let me know if you have questions/comments.

Peace and health to you,

dp

Here's a great article on Pilates classes in Health Clubs.

http://www.yespilates.com/2009/08/27/teach-pilates-effectively-in-a-health-club/

Our studio is in a similar situation, in a club with 3000 members. I don't know what your relationship is with the club manager, but maybe you can come up with some creative profit-sharing, in exchange for "Pilates Class Exclusivity".

Here's how we've worked things out:

1. Gym members get a HUGE discount. They only pay $3/ class for exclusive, premium instruction (i.e. the class size is limited)

2. Walk-ins or regulars who are only coming for a Pilates class pay $15. Of that, $10 goes to the club to cover their "day pass" and $5 goes to us. This $10 bonus to the fitness club comes from people who are not members and would not otherwise come to a gym. They are only interested in Pilates. This is the pay back for exclusivity.

For $15, Pilates enthusiasts get their Pilates class AND full use of the gym's steam showers, sauna, pool, jacuzzi, locker rooms, etc. It is a great sell over your competitors to be able to offer your class participants all of these "extras".

3. You'll note that this will not initially generate a huge income. In the beginning, you may barely break even after paying the instructor. However, we successfully use the group mat classes in the gym as a marketing tool to get people into private training. If you can initially entice the general "gym population" to take advantage of your classes by offering an extremely low cost premium service, then you have an opportunity to show them what they are missing while still covering your costs (not making money yet, but at least not loosing money). New participants will also see they need private instruction (and of course you would always suggest private training at the end of each class just in case they don't see it clearly. :-) Once they have taken advantage of private training, you'll have class participants for life (even if you raise your rates a little).

This scenario may not work for you, but I think the main thing is to get exclusivity somehow. People who have not experienced good Pilates instruction in small groups are likely to take the group-fitness-type classes offered by the gym, and not see the need to pay. They think they're getting what Pilates has to offer.

If exclusivity is not an option, I would just really emphasize quality of instruction due to individual attention.

Maybe offer REALLY small group classes and call it semi-private training:

--"You've always wanted to try Pilates private training, but were discouraged by the cost? Now, you can get more individual attention for 1/2 the cost of a Private session"--

Limit the class to 2 or 3 people, each paying $35/class for a 6-week series (or whatever you charge). Not only are you getting a 6-week commitment, you are grooming regular class participants.

We have also done really well offering specialty classes. such as Pilates for Skiers, Pilates for Golf, Pilates for Breast Cancer Rehab, Pilates for Racquet Sports. I've also found that most gym goers know about the core strengthening benefits of Pilates but have no idea that it is actually a "whole body" strength training system focused around the core. We've done a very successful, "Work every muscle you own in a hour!", reformer-based, mat workout series (using the dynaband).

Each series is 6-weeks long, and we do not pro-rate or offer refunds.

In terms of the leveling of your classes...we work to the lower median and offer cues for modification to challenge more experienced participants. Once you have a base of regulars you can always "use" them to help the gym guys/gals that just walked-in for the first time. Suggest, "if you get lost, watch Suzie. She's been doing Pilates a while" (of course clear this with 'Suzie' first and make sure she's cool with that.) I have also been known to ask one of my regulars to do the modifications offered throughout the class so the new guys can follow. Some may object, but I have found it makes most feel helpful and important.

Thanks for the good ideas ladies!

GREAT advice from Deb and Valerie. Huge thanks.

Sorry - read authors wromg! It was Deb and Tori. Again, huge thanks.