The Optimal Pace To Progress Beginners

I recently received this question from one of my teacher trainees:

When I correct a beginner student, should I keep it basic and just gently build on getting them moving correctly?

What an excellent question! Here we go:

Not all beginners are the same.

Let's look at these three potential Pilates beginners:

1. Student A has never taken a Pilates class before but has plenty of experience with her body from other sports or dance.
2. Student B has an anatomical background. She might be a doctor, nurse, or physical therapist.
3. Student C hasn't exercised in a long time and as a result doesn't know her body very well, at all.

    

I’m sure you can see how very different these three situations would be.

I suggest - as a first step - to perform a fitness screening and/or postural assessment to understand the person's needs.

You’ll get a better idea of the person's needs. During this assessment, you will already be able to tell how quickly the person translates your instructions into movement.

Once you begin your regular work with them, progress will happen faster with somebody who knows their body well. On the other hand, someone who practices a specific sport may have very strong patterns, that will require lots and lots of focused attention to change. Their body might have created strong restrictions due to repetitive use, which will take more time to change.

For somebody who has not done any formal exercise, Pilates is a very new experience and they might have a more difficult time understanding what you want from them. You might have to choose very different words, to get through to them. (Belly/gut instead of transversus abdominis, tuck your pelvis versus reach the sit bones to the backs of the knees).

Don’t get impatient, they might not be able (nor feel the need) to progress faster. They are fully focused on sending the message from their brain into their body. Asking them to do more, will not lead to better results because they are not ready to take the next step.

Bottom line there are no rules as to how quickly or how slowly a beginner can progress in Pilates.

Everybody's different. That’s why individualized instruction is the ultimate path in Pilates. Once you or your students have enough experience, and really get the power of the method, they will realize it’s the best way to go.