You’ve decided that you need some Pilates. So how do you choose – privates or group classes? To answer this question we need to explain what Pilates teaches.

You’ve decided that you need some Pilates. Sitting all day behind the computer is damaging your body. You posture is bad or your muscle tone is slack. You feel yourself literally aging faster. You want the benefits of Pilates – the improved posture, pain-free back, increase in energy, better muscle tone – a body that energizes you throughout the day. But you are a busy person and want to be efficient with both time and money. So how do you choose – privates or group classes? To answer this question we need to explain what Pilates teaches, especially when compared to typical gym workouts.

Typical gym workouts focus on building or stretching muscles and/or get your heart rate up. Examples include weight machines, treadmill running, lunges, doing planks, and sit ups. These exercises get the job done because the goal is simple – muscles get stronger, range of motion increases, and the heart-rate goes up.

Pilates is different. Pilates teaches specific patterns of coordination, stability, and postural support while removing bad habits that get in the way. These patterns are subtle and difficult to notice on your own. Yes, your strength and range of motion increase with Pilates, but that is not really the point. A good teaser, for example, is much less about strength than people think. It requires activating the right muscles in the right way to fold the body without fixing it, keeping the spine and legs long and toned without over tensing. These are subtle, powerful skills that spill over into all aspects of your life. In other words, a good teaser ain’t no sit-up.

Unfortunately, most of us are not natural movement experts. When confronted with a physical task that we can’t accomplish, we typically use a “push harder” mentality. If we don’t feel strong enough we “push harder”. If we don’t have the mobility we “push harder”. This may work with weights, stretching, spinning, and sit-ups, but this is definitely not the road to success in Pilates and not the road to increasing your physical smarts. And it won’t deliver that energetic body tone and posture that you are looking for.

Group Pilates classes

You need expert guidance by someone who really understands the problem. Someone who has devoted their career to understanding whole bodies. Someone who has seen it all – all the bad habits, all the misconceptions, all the crazy attitudes, and who knows a how to point anyone in right direction.

You know the value of this kind of expertise from your own work. Whether you are a lawyer, a car mechanic, a cook, an accountant, a business consultant, people come to you for expert guidance when it comes to law, cars, food, money, or good business practice.

A Pilates teacher will find just the right cues to address your weaknesses and will coax you out of bad habits that get in the way. The process is more exploring than forcing, more discovering than blindly pushing. Yes you have to work, but you learn to work smarter. Yes, you are pushing yourself, but you are doing so with patience, focus, and curiosity. The question “what is possible?” is not answered by just “how much strength do I have” but rather “how is my whole body functioning?”. This is the only process that will deliver tone, length, and a truly smarter body.

So when choosing the format – group classes or privates – the question is how much of this kind of personalized feedback do you really want and need?

A private lesson with a good teacher guarantees that you will be working constructively in the right direction for a full hour. There will be no cheating. The pace will be appropriate and safe. Your teacher gets to know you, your body, your goals, and your habits and are right there with you as you move forward. Your teacher is your mentor, analyst, sherpa, coach, pacer, and supporter all rolled into one. You schedule the time and frequency of your sessions that suits your life.

The other extreme – an impersonal large group lesson in a typical gym – almost guarantees that you will not learn the essence of Pilates. It might be a nice workout and social opportunity, but unless you are a natural movement expert, you are likely to keep doing the exercises wrong. Sorry, but that is the nature of the beast.

A small group class offers a nice compromise. You get the social interaction, the routine, and the group energy. A good teacher will have their eyes everywhere and can zoom in to give you just the right correction to keep you on course. Good Pilates studios offer a range of group sizes.

Then there is the question of money. Expertise has a price. We all know this. Doctors, psychologists, consultants, hairdressers, massage therapists – their time needs to be compensated as does the time of the Pilates teacher. In a group class, the expertise and price is spread out over the group – you share the cost and you share the personalization. In a private lesson you pay directly for continuous expertise. A private is more expensive in absolute terms but may be more efficient in relative terms. For example a group class with 10 people, assuming the teacher spreads her attention evenly, will get you one hour of hands on personal feedback every 10 classes. That’s 120 euros for an hour of hands on feedback. For constant hands on feedback you’d be better to do a 1 hour private at 63 euros. Of course you get more raw hours for your euro in a group class than a private.

Talk to your studio owner and teachers and take their advice seriously. Maybe group classes are fine for you. Maybe you need some combination of group and private. Maybe privates are a must. A good studio offers a full range of options that meet your needs and budget – group classes, privates, duets, trios, quartets etc. Your studio may also offer reduced priced private lessons with teacher trainees and new teachers that fit your budget.

Think about your goals, your time, your budget, and how much your health and well-being is worth to you. Make your decision with passion, seriousness, and intelligence. The rewards are worth it.