A Day in the Life of A Manhattan Pilates Instructor

 

Flexible is a word that many Pilates instructors uses when describing their clients, but usually themselves. Yes, they are probably physically flexible, but Manhattan Pilates instructors needs flexibility in their business model, as well. Independent fitness professionals of all kinds in New York City can find themselves in different areas of the city at any given time and forced to acclimate themselves to different environments for each climates. It allows them to be creative and innovative, much in the same way restaurant owners reconstruct the tiniest spaces into bathrooms for their patrons. Each day in the career of a Manhattan Pilates instructor has many twists and turns.

The majority of Pilates instructors in Manhattan practice mat-based Pilates sessions with their clients. The reasons are very relocatable to the New York City environment. The first is that most instructors are traveling to people's apartment buildings. The sessions are either being performed in their building gyms or in the apartment itself. Mat-based Pilates requires no equipment with the exception of a mat or towel. This type of Pilates is extremely portable. Second, many fitness professionals are getting certified to do Pilates are personal trainers first. This additional certification is an easy addition to their repertoire and adds value to their in-home sessions. You don't need much space to perform mat-based Pilates. Plus, on a nice day, you could do your session outside.

When a Pilates instructor is not running from session to session in client's homes, it is possible that they may have their own home base. This home base would be a Pilates studio. Much like a Manhattan yoga studio, a Pilates studio is usually opened by a more established instructor who has developed a following and has reached capacity in their schedule. They can no longer take on new clients unless they begin to teach group classes or create a space to share with other instructors.

This represents a new level of a fitness professionals career and business model. This home base allows them to use a very specialized piece of equipment called the Reformer. Many clients would like to use the Reformer, but find a trip to the studio hard to fit into their schedules, therefore they opt to stick with mat-based Pilates. For the independent instructor, if you travel from client to client getting a chance to teach a Reformer class at a colleagues studio can be a real treat. In some instances, a Pilates studio, like a personal training studio, may rent out the reformer to independent instructors for an hourly fee.

The New York City fitness community is an interesting place to fulfill a career in fitness. Whether an individual chooses Pilates, yoga, personal training, or massage, their is no shortage of innovative individuals recreating the landscape each and everyday. Manhattan is probably at the epicenter of it all.