Workout Wednesday: Charlotte Pilates | Davidson Pilates

I’m trying out a different workout class each week and reporting back for your entertainment every Wednesday. Homegrown fitness concepts all the way up to the big national franchises. Follow along here, browse our fitness archives for more, send class suggestions to [email protected].

Vitals

Name: Charlotte Pilates | Davidson Pilates (CPDP)
Class: Group Reformer
Location: 725 Providence Road, Charlotte | 202 S. Main Street, Davidson
Class schedule: see schedule here
Class duration: 1 hour
Drop-in rate: $30 small group (3-4 people), $40 duet (2 people), $70 private
Monthly membership: N/A. Classes are sold in bundles of 5  or 10. There’s a new client special offering 3 sessions for $150.
Pros: Low impact. Personalized instruction. Different class every time.
Cons: Expensive. Complex equipment (probably unfamiliar to most people) requires a bit of a learning curve.

How to dress and what to bring

Fitted spandex or some other stretchy material is ideal here since you’ll be moving around a lot and don’t want baggy clothes getting tangled up in the equipment. You’ll be barefoot so no need to worry about footwear. I brought water but forgot to bring it to the machine with me and didn’t miss it during class.

What to expect in class

Each class is different, especially if you’re in a private class tailored to your needs. Our class centered on the reformer–a pilates machine with a spring-loaded sliding platform, straps and pulleys–and also utilized a pilates ring and smart bells.

We moved through a series of moves to target different areas of the body. Some, like lunges, looked familiar but are made more difficult with the added challenge of resistance and balance on the reformer. Other moves–like the one above where I’m balancing on a ball, moving my arms and legs in opposition and using the pulleys to slide the platform up and down–couldn’t be replicated without the machine.

Instead of using heavy weights, workout relies on core stabilization, balance and resistance to wear muscles out.

Where you’ll feel it the next day

Everywhere. Pilates burns out muscles you didn’t know existed. I was sore all over.

Locker room situation

There is no locker room or changing area at the Charlotte location. Come ready to work out.

My take

Pilates is one of my favorite workouts. I like that small, subtle, seemingly simple pilates moves result in a full body muscle burn the next day. I also like that the low-impact nature of the moves makes it a workout you can do as you age or recover from injury. But don’t let that fool you into thinking it’s easy. I consider this one of the most effective ways to transform your body–whether that’s for vanity (muscle tone, inches lost) or quality of life (posture, balance).

I always say that if I could afford one of these beastly reformer machines, I’d put it in my house. But the reality is I don’t think I’d know what to do with it. That’s why working with a pro is a good idea.

Michele Pulaski, the owner and my instructor for the day, was outstanding. She delivered a challenging workout sequence with easy to follow cues that made a relatively foreign class approachable for me on day one.

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