Podcast Sneak Peek: Heather, Vivica, and Kinza on Pilates as a Trend

Heather Erdmann: Today, I have two guests to talk about trends in Pilates: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Welcome! Vivica, can you introduce yourself first?

Vivica Huang: Yes! Hello everyone. I’m Vivica. I joined Rebel Pilates Collective as a student in December of 2025, and I am currently an apprentice getting my hours. I work with Heather on all things content.

HE: Glad you’re here today! And we also have Kinza, come on in.

Kinza Mohammad: My name is Kinza, and I’m also an apprentice with Rebel Pilates Collective since December. I work with Heather and Vivica as a social media strategist.

HE: Thank you both for being here! This podcast (check it out!) would not be happening if not for the two of you. We’re here to talk about the Pilates boom. So let’s do that.

VH: That was actually one of the first questions I had for Heather after our modules. It’s something I think that we all can talk about for hours. So let’s start here: what do you think about it? What do you think about Pilates trending so much and all these studios opening up, especially here in Houston?

HE: It’s a tough question to answer because I feel a lot of different ways about it, and like anything, there’s a lot of nuance beyond the surface level. Parts of it are really alarming, specifically that this boom, this trend, this growth in the industry is really about—from a business perspective—capitalizing on something that people were really passionate about and that became super popular. And now the market is going to become saturated just like other movement modalities, and it’ll fall off the trending radar.

What we’re seeing right now is a lot of studios opening without any education or experience and hiring people without education or experience. And because the fitness industry has no oversight, no regulatory body, anyone can open a studio, buy equipment, and say they’re a Pilates teacher. Recently, there was a win in a trademark case that opened the term Pilates up for common use—it was a blessing, and I think one of the best things to happen for our industry recently. But it also opened the door for anyone to say that what they’re doing is Pilates.

On the one hand, it’s really exciting that the word Pilates is in everyone’s mouths. And Mr. Pilates said he wanted the whole world doing his exercises (and that there would be world peace if people did). But when you get under the hood, the lack of education causes a lack of safety. You can copy choreography from someone on Instagram or YouTube, and the movements look the same. But without the foundation of the whole system, you’re lacking the safety built into how we should be practicing Pilates. You’re mimicking the exercise without the benefits. How about you?

VH: Well, I love that everyone is exercising. Everyone, especially women, which is who the Pilates boom seems to be targeted at. A bunch of women are more comfortable now to go work out and try these new studios. That part of it I love.

But I’ll go to some of these studios now with the knowledge I’ve learned [in RPC], and I get confused about what we’re doing. Is it fun? Yes. But do I feel comfortable telling everyone that I’m doing Pilates? No. So it’s two very separate practices and, in general, if people knew what exercise they were actually doing, they would be more confident knowing what they actually need and what feels good for them. Every studio now is a Pilates studio, until you go in and it’s actually hot sculpt, or yoga, or HIIT.

HE: Thank you for bringing that up: I’m glad that people are moving. If we’re in a mat-based environment, we’re not talking about falling off the reformer or being injured by heavy equipment. But even then, someone’s doctor might refer them to Pilates for the reasons we know are beneficial, and then they end up doing HIIT training and missing all of those benefits. Yes, it’s fun. Yes, I moved my body. Yes, I got some cardio; all of those things are happening. But what didn’t happen was Pilates.

VH: And sometimes when people hear this conversation, they think it’s meant to gatekeep. That’s not the case at all—it’s really transparency about what exactly you’re teaching.

When I sit down with friends, the movement they do that’s marketed as Pilates seems fun, but not like Pilates. And as someone with friends who do movement for pathologies in their spine, their knees, etc., I would not personally recommend doing some of that movement because it’s not going to work for you in the same way as Pilates.

And with Classical Pilates, sometimes people think that Classical instructors want to gatekeep their format, or their sequence, and they don’t want people to join this industry. But that’s the opposite of what Rebel does! We want everyone of all walks of life to have a spot at this table and to teach Pilates in a safe way.

HE: I love that you brought that up, because gatekeeping is often thrown around when we want to talk about the origins of this method of exercise. But the system is precise; Mr. Pilates invented a specific series, he invented apparatuses, he wrote two books, he took thousands of photographs and hundreds of films. The real gatekeep is that we don’t have access to that. There’s one specific person—we’ll talk about it another episode—who gatekeeps access to all of that.

We just want there to be some knowledge of the original aspects of Pilates. And if you want to riff on it, go ahead, but hey—I know this thing existed. I’ve adapted it because I’ve thought critically about it, but I’m not going to fundamentally alter this system to the point that it’s unrecognizable. What about you Kinza?

KM: It actually ties into my origin story, a little bit. My background is in stem—biology—and I did my bachelor’s in health administration and my master’s in informatics. After I had kids, I didn’t go into the workforce in my specialized areas. I also had postpartum depression, so I felt a little worthless, even though being a mom is the best thing in the world. So this past October, I took my first Pilates class. It was actually hot sculpt, but I liked it and eventually started working at that Houston studio.

It wasn’t until December that I took a course with Rebel Pilates. Heather was our teacher, and that’s where I learned what Classical Pilates is. And I liked it a lot more than hot sculpt, or the “Pilates” that we are seeing. And I am still interested in learning Classical Pilates and becoming a teacher, and I’m currently finishing up my hours as an apprentice. It’s so much more rewarding to learn the safety cues, to learn what’s appropriate for my body alignment and everything like that.

VH: It’s interesting you say that. I think with your background in informatics it seems you like structure, and maybe that’s why the Classical quality appeals to you so immediately. There’s already a structure behind it, there’s a reason why we do everything and there’s proof in books, whereas the new contemporary—not even contemporary—is just trending.

So, I think it makes sense. If you’re a structured person, it makes sense for our brains to want to learn more about a system that’s already there.

KM: For sure, And I think it’s important to have a certification like the one Rebel Pilates provides teachers with. You go to so many Pilates studios, gyms, personal trainers and they’re not certified. Do you really trust what they’re doing with your body? That scares me, and I think it’s so important for there to be more regulation in the Pilates industry.

HE: Yeah. That’s a tough question because it comes down to who’s going to regulate? There was a period of time where physical therapy, as an industry—a regulated industry—tried to bring Pilates into the fold. And it didn’t end up happening because how would folks who regulate physical therapy define Pilates?

Even within our industry, regulation can sometimes create problems with regards to access, inclusion, and accessibility. There’s a non-profit organization—that claims to be ‘for the people’—called the Pilates Method Alliance. They’ve declared themselves the regulatory body for Pilates by saying that they’re the only third-party certification body in the United States, but that isn’t true. It’s marketing.

If you sit for this 150-question, computer-generated test and get CPT after your name, it doesn’t change anything. It’s a written test. There are qualifying aspects to be able to take the test, but there are ways to get around those. I’ve seen people leave Rebel before, assuming they wouldn’t pass our practicum, so they get someone to write a letter recommending them for the PMA test—before they’re ready to actually teach—and never finish learning to be a teacher.

How about you Vivica, what was your origin story?

VH: Well, I came upon Pilates in 2009 when my mom was preparing for her wedding. She bought these DVDs of Pilates cardio videos, and I would do them next to her.

It was very slow. At the time, when everyone was doing HIIT workouts or running, I felt like these videos were slow. But it was fun! And later, when I was at the age that I could afford to go seek out Pilates studios, it was very different. It was intense; I was sweating, I felt like I was dying, but it was fun. But I knew in the back of my mind that this is not Pilates—this is how Pilates has evolved.

I didn’t know the history, and I didn’t really know anything about the movements that I was doing. When I joined RPC as a student, everything began to make more sense. Some of the movements we were doing in our modules were the same movements I was doing as a 9-year-old. And that made sense to me; it was a full circle moment, where even after all the trends, we end up back at Classical Pilates.

I like Classical so much because, as I said about the structure, everything makes sense. There’s nothing that just looks good or flows well. It’s really tied to making your body feel better.

HE: Yeah! Movement is a science, and there’s science behind it. When I was growing up, Tetris was my favorite game. I would sit for hours in front of the TV, playing Tetris, and the body is very similar to that game. Muscles do what they do; we can’t really make them do other things. We are adaptable beings, but this muscle’s always going to move this bone across this joint. When you have that basis, teaching Pilates as a system just makes sense.

And it can still look good. It can still flow. That’s just not the end goal. Those are byproducts that can be part of your practice, but movement should be the real goal.

VH: So, a question for Heather: How do you feel about weekend teacher trainings?

HE: In the context of this sort of hot sculpt, HIIT-on-a-reformer stuff, there’s been an extraction of Pilates exercises from the Pilates system. They’re repackaged as a fun exercise class, but the safety and efficacy of what we’re doing is missing. So there are pros and cons to any training structure, but being trained in Pilates should mean understanding the system.

VH: And along with that, the only way it makes sense for me to learn is getting ongoing knowledge. Some of these trending studios have weekend trainings, and students can come learn the movements and teach them elsewhere. But do I think that doing a weekend training means you’re good to go, ready to teach a class of 20? No.  

HE: And that method—just picking up the choreography rather than long-term education that includes safety and accessibility—can leave people feeling disempowered. What do you teach for class 2 when you used up all that choreography in class 1? And people turn to Instagram, or YouTube, or ChatGPT, which are problematic for all sorts of reasons.

But anyways, you have a story to share about the aesthetic aspects of Pilates.

VH: Yes! So, truth be told, I love matching sets. [Kinza and Heather agree.] So I wanted to ask: what do you think about the whole Pilates aesthetic? Is there a look to a Pilates girly?

I personally have heard a story about a studio here in Houston, a studio that is supposed to be very high-end in a wealthy area, basically treating clients differently depending on the handbag they bring in. Obviously, that should never happen, but people do think, especially women, that one needs to have a certain aesthetic to be welcomed into Pilates studios. For me, I say come as you are.   

HE: Yeah. The focus on these aesthetic things creates an additional barrier to entry. And as we know, that often ends up eliminating access for folks who, for example, don’t have the most expensive handbags.

It’s part of a larger problem where people are not treated with dignity or respect in studios. If you’re not in a skinny enough body or a white enough body, if you weren’t a dancer, if you don’t know the transitions—it’s always something. And this is just a newer version of that, weaponizing the aesthetic to create an unspoken barrier to entry.

A good example is the mats that are super cute and pretty. On a concrete floor or even a wood floor, you can’t do Pilates on them! Pilates mats are thick because we’re going to roll around on our spine and use our body. The mat won’t be as pretty in an Instagram video, but it will make the movement feel better.

So that’s an additional barrier. I’m going to have pain when I practice Pilates there because the mats aren’t thick enough. I’m going to stick out because I don’t have the money for a matching set. Pilates is already expensive because of the system: equipment, training, specialization, labor—it’s all expensive. There’s no reason to add barriers to entry in an industry that’s already struggling with how to be more accessible.

Rebel is about having a place at the table for everyone, about providing access for everyone. If the equipment is cost prohibitive, then we’ll come do mat work with more people to subsidize the cost of learning. (But we’d use the proper mat.)

KM: As a hijabi, it’s really hard to find matching sets, especially with lululemon since they’re not modest enough. So going to these high-end studios, I wouldn’t feel like I belonged because I had to cover up or wasn’t in these matching sets.

Hijabi representation in Pilates is hard to find, and I appreciate Rebel Pilates for challenging that. Everyone is included, and you can wear whatever you want, whatever you’re comfortable in. I appreciate that so much because that’s what I’m looking for.

HE: That’s a good segue to your question about social media and recording and how it impacts hijabi women in studios.

KM: Yeah. There are some studios that I’ve been to where you’re allowed to record, which, as a hijabi, I’m very uncomfortable with. Most of the time, I work out at all women’s studios, so I might not be fully covered because I feel comfortable. It’s a women’s studio, and I should be able to wear whatever I want without being afraid to be posted online. As a Muslim woman, I can’t uncover if there’s a male in the class. Then, I’ll be wearing a hijab and fully covered, and even that can be uncomfortable because I don’t want my body being shown in certain positions on social media.

And studios often repost these videos on their own social media account without knowing the repercussions of posting someone without their permission. They want to be famous, they want more followers, but at the expense of students.

VH: At the end of the day, consent is very important. You have to think about that as a hijabi woman, but all of us should be more mindful about consent in the Pilates space or any workout space when it comes to videoing someone. I don’t wear a hijab, but I personally don’t like to post my uncovered body online. And I’ve had this happen to me where the studio is like, “You came to class this way, so it’s fine,” but I didn’t give permission to be filmed or put on social media.

Even then, they’re making an assumption about me because I’m not covering my body by doing something like wearing a hijab, but that doesn’t mean I want myself posted on the studio’s Instagram. People should have more awareness and be willing to ask—and not acting like it’s a problem that your neighbor in a class doesn’t want to be recorded. Why do people think they have access to our bodies in that way?

HE: I’m sorry you both went through that. The trend really exists on social media, right, so if a studio owner doesn’t allow folks to record in their studio, then they’re not participating in the Pilates trend. And so their business model—being part of the trend—is at odds with their ability to create safety and care in the studio.

Also, as a teacher, I don’t want someone fiddling with their camera while I’m teaching them something dangerous. I’ve had a lot of clients ask if they can record in one-on-ones, and so I have a tripod in the studio. But the camera is not part of the practice, and we’re not messing with it while we move.

VH: So, my last question is about hot spaces for exercise. Good? Bad? What do you think?

HE: We are totally going to talk about this in more depth next time, we have Kinza’s husband coming on as a guest to talk about this from a medical point of view. So if you want to hear the medical perspective, tune in for the next episode!

But for me, from an anatomical point of view, the heat allows our bodies to stretch in ways that room temperature does not. So there’s a potential for overstretching musculature and connective tissue, which can cause harm.

From a medical aspect, it’s also dehydrating. I work with professional athletes here in Houston, and one of the things that happens in training camp for the NFL is that, when they go in the morning, in July and August, it’s 100% humidity and 120 degrees. (Not quite, but so hot and so humid.)

So they weigh themselves before and after camp, and if they’ve lost a certain amount of weight, they have to stay and do IV hydration because it’s so bad for their body. For the rest of us, we’d have no idea. We wouldn’t necessarily know to rehydrate. And that’s dangerous, particularly the long-term effects we’re going to talk about next episode.

KM: I agree. Especially during Ramadan. It recently passed, and I wasn’t teaching many classes during Ramadan, but I know Vivica was. It blows my mind—how do you function?

VH: Stay tuned! I’ll tell you next time.

HE: Thank you both so much for being here! Until next time.