As the popularity of Pilates classes has grown, so has the number of Pilates classes and as a result the number of Pilates-related injuries has also grown.

It has been reported in the media recently that fewer than 40 per cent of the 16,000 or so Pilates instructors are trained to an adequate level. There are a number of Pilates classes that have too many students to just one instructor, which adds to the risk of potential injuries as attendees cannot receive the required level of supervision.

The popularity of Pilates can be seen by a quick search on the internet, even for (more…)

David Beckham has been using a Pilates routine to help him lengthen his career.

The 34 year old football star and A list celebrity says he has been using a one hour long daily Pilates routine to get him into the best shape he’s been in for years.

The subject of football film Bend It Like Beckham is keen to show Fabio Capello that he is capable and fit enough to play in the World Cup next year in South Africa and fit enough to play on for a few more years yet.

Beckham says he first started doing Pilates when (more…)

The NHS has given a real shake up to the way they intend to treat those with a bad back.  Surgery and injections are being discouraged and instead exercise classes such as Pilates classes are being encouraged along with counselling.

Lower back pain is remarkably wide spread and most of us will experience it at some point in our lifetime.  Our modern lifestyle with a lack of exercise, long working hours and poor posture, means one in three adults suffer from lower back pain each year and we lose around five million working days because of this.  More than 2.5 million adults seek help from their GP every year.

Just last month, the (more…)

Pilates is a great form of exercise and it is estimated around 1 million people in the UK and 25 million in America take regular Pilates classes. Pilates has the great advantage that it is suitable for everyone, young or old, fit or not.

Only this week, actress and singer Hilary Duff hit the headlines when she was spotted on her way to her regular Pilates class in Los Angeles, no doubt chilling out and keep fit following her latest film What Goes Up where she stars alongside Steve Coogan.

Other celebrity Pilates fans include Oprah Winfrey, Liv Tyler, Claudia Schiffer, Denise Richards, Liz Hurley and Courtney Cox.

It is easy to become a Pilates addict, as is the case with (more…)