September always brings with it a flurry of personnel changes and this September was no exception.
Departing staff means only one thing to me: auditions!!
And so it was that Jan (she whom I affectionately refer to as the boss of everything) and myself sat down to audition the last applicant on our list on a random Thursday afternoon.
The teacher was absolutely lovely.
A great eye, a soothing voice, targeted instruction.
Still new to the craft, they were able to navigate smoothly through the material with a fair amount of confidence.
Still, there was one little wrinkle.
I didn’t recognize any of the exercises.
Not as Pilates exercises, anyway.
What’s more, the student (read: “guinea pig”) we assigned to be a willing victim, remained flat on her back for the entire 20 minutes executing a series of exercises which fell into two extremes; either barely perceptible to the naked eye, or extremely basic.
Now, I consider myself fairly well versed in this Pilates stuff. I’ve been studying since 1982 and I’ve seen a lot of Pilates. A Lot of Pilates! If I don’t recognize a single move as part of a Pilates curriculum – well, I think that’s saying something.
After 20 minutes of waiting for some recognizable exercise to materialize before me, I had to call a cease-fire.
Call me controlling, but I do feel some obligation to know the material that my clients are paying for.
I’m simply not comfortable walking through the studio and seeing sessions conducted in some type of vague pseudo-exercise mode.
I discussed with the applicant their ideas about Pilates and their philosophy on movement and after some delicate maneuvering, I was informed by the teacher that in their opinion the exercises which had been performed were the most “functional” execution of the Pilates method.
Functional.
It’s a buzz word in Pilates.
Functional implies useful in everyday life.
Functional implies that the body can use these movements, that the body in fact, needs the movements for the most basic activities.
As a physical therapist, I understand functional body mechanics.
I’ve not only seen my share of manual therapy whereby patients are trained to recruit their multifidi while prone on a table and being palpated by their therapist, I’ve also conducted it myself.
But Pilates is exercise, right??
If our applicant was using methods to facilitate proper lying down, I’d say they were right on target.
If, on the other hand, they wanted to effect any actual change in body mechanics, strength, stamina or even alignment, than the routine I saw before me was absolutely NOT functional.
Not by a long shot.
I quizzed the instructor about their choices of material and was informed that the certification program had really “empowered” their teachers to make changes to the material and choices about the exercises.
And then I got really irritated.
Because here’s the thing. (and it may rustle some feathers, but hey, it’s my opinion).
We are fitness trainers.
Not bodyworkers.
If you want to be a physical therapist, massage therapist, applied kinesiologist, feldenkreis practitioner or other such thing, go and train for that.
Pilates is fitness.
It can be slow, or meticulous or both.
It can be corrective in nature.
It can be incredibly healing (as exercise often is).
But it’s fitness plain and simple.
I am seeing more and more often our field a push among instructors to self-aggrandise.
A desire to elevate their craft to something more than just exercise.
As though teaching exercise isn’t important enough. Well pardon me for saying so…..but basic fitness training is likely the MOST beneficial thing you can do for just about anyone. AND I’m offended by teachers who feel that the Pilates method with all it’s variety,l complexity and nuance doesn’t offer enough to their clients to achieve critical benefit in a typical 60 minute session?
Where is our self-respect? What exactly are we trying to accomplish here?
Now this may sound a little harsh but I’m going to say it anyway because …..what the heck!
Here’s a reality check.
As fitness trainers, we are the “help”. The hired help, at that.
We provide a service – that makes us the “help”.
I know it’s not flattering sounding but it’s true.
We are in the business of helping people and we do it for a fee.
It’s not medicine; it’s not some other lofty measure.
Some people don’t even think it’s necessary! But it is!
It’s the most healthful, most accessible and most necessary thing we can do for our planet.
Get people moving!
Now why does it have to be more important than that?
~Alycea
Where do you think our craft is going? Leave a comment!