Is Pilates Having an Identity Crisis?

Reformer. Classical. Contemporary. Heated. Athletic. Sculpt. Tower. Megaformer. Pilates has never been bigger, but what actually counts as Pilates anymore?

Pilates is having quite a moment.

Actually, "moment" probably doesn't do it justice. What was once a relatively niche form of movement has become one of the biggest categories in fitness. Reformer studios are opening everywhere, waitlists are growing, activewear brands have embraced the Pilates aesthetic and social media has transformed the reformer itself into something of a cultural symbol.

Pilates isn't simply something people do anymore. Increasingly, it's something people identify with. But as Pilates has become bigger, the definition of what actually is Pilates has become considerably blurrier.

Book a Pilates class today and you could find yourself doing a slow, controlled classical mat sequence. You could be on a reformer working through a contemporary repertoire. You could be in a heated studio holding weights. You could be doing an athletic, high-intensity class with music turned up and your heart rate considerably higher than you expected.

All of them might have the word Pilates above the door... Which raises a fairly obvious question.

What actually counts as Pilates anymore?

Joseph Pilates Probably Didn't Imagine This

Pilates began as Contrology, the movement system developed by Joseph Pilates around principles including control, concentration, precision, breath and deliberate movement. It wasn't created alongside neon signs, curated playlists and matching activewear.

Yet our understanding of bodies changes. Training methods develop. Equipment evolves. The people walking into studios today have different expectations, lifestyles and reasons for exercising.

Fast-forward to 2026 and the spectrum of what we call Pilates is enormous.

At one end, you have instructors and studios dedicated to preserving classical Pilates and its traditional repertoire. At the other, you have classes incorporating heavier weights, cardio, heat, strength training and movements that might leave a Pilates purist wondering what exactly happened along the way.

Some people see that as dilution while others see it as evolution.

I think the interesting answer probably sits somewhere between the two.

The Reformer Changed Everything

The reformer has undoubtedly played an enormous role in Pilates becoming what it is today.

It's tactile, versatile and incredibly adaptable. Springs provide resistance and assistance. Exercises can be progressed and regressed. The same piece of equipment can deliver a very different experience depending on who's teaching and how the class has been designed.

But the growth of boutique reformer studios has also created a new challenge: differentiation.

When another studio opens down the road, businesses naturally look for ways to create something distinctive...

Classes become stronger. Faster. Hotter. More athletic. Weights get added. Playlists become part of the experience. New class names appear and traditional Pilates starts mixing with strength training, barre and other styles of movement and I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing.

In fact, I think it's one of the reasons so many people have fallen in love with movement who perhaps never felt at home in a traditional gym environment.

But it does mean that two people can both say they're going to Pilates and be talking about two completely different workouts.

If Everything Is Pilates, Does Pilates Eventually Mean Nothing?

This is where I think the conversation becomes important. I'm all for evolution. Radiant itself is part of that evolution!

But there has to be some honesty about what we're offering.

Clients deserve to understand what they're booking. Instructor education matters. Technique matters. Programming matters. Safety matters. And attaching the word "Pilates" to any workout simply because Pilates happens to be commercially attractive isn't particularly helpful to anyone.

There is a difference between a contemporary interpretation of Pilates and an entirely different workout being given a Pilates label.

Where exactly that line sits is much harder to define. And perhaps that's why the debate within the industry has become so passionate.

For people who have spent years studying and teaching the method, protecting Pilates matters. I understand that. When something grows very quickly, there is always a risk that the thing that made it valuable in the first place becomes diluted.

But I also don't believe protecting Pilates means freezing it in time.

Does It Actually Matter What We Call It?

In one sense, you could argue that it doesn't, if someone finds a class they genuinely love, starts moving consistently, becomes stronger, feels more confident and looks forward to exercising, does it really matter whether every exercise would appear in a classical Pilates repertoire?

I'd argue yes and no.

It matters because language creates expectations.

If I book a yoga class, a strength class or a spin class, I should have some understanding of the experience I'm about to receive. Pilates should be no different.

But within that category, surely there is room for variety.

Not everyone wants the same thing from movement. Some people love precision and control. Some want to feel strong. Some want intensity. Some want rehabilitation. Some want 50 minutes where they concentrate on absolutely nothing other than the movement in front of them.

The fact that Pilates can meet so many of those people is arguably one of its greatest strengths.

Where Radiant Sits

This is something I've thought about a lot while building Radiant.

We've never pretended that everything we offer is classical Pilates.

Some of our classes stay much closer to traditional Pilates principles. Others deliberately bring in strength, intensity, heat or influences from different styles of movement. We offer reformer, mat, tower, HOT, Strong, Sculpt and Barre because I don't believe there is one perfect way that everybody should move.

What matters to me is that there is intention behind what we're teaching.

That our instructors understand why they're asking someone to perform a movement. That classes are programmed properly. That people can progress. That technique and safety aren't sacrificed simply because making something harder looks better on Instagram.

And, perhaps most importantly, that people actually enjoy coming. Because the best movement method in the world isn't particularly useful if nobody wants to do it.

So, Is Pilates Having an Identity Crisis?

Maybe? But I'm beginning to think it might simply be having a growth spurt.

Whenever something moves from niche to mainstream, there will be tension between the people who want to protect where it came from and the people interested in exploring where it could go next.

I think Pilates needs both.

We need people who care deeply about its foundations, history and principles. And we need people willing to innovate, experiment and make movement accessible to people who might never otherwise have discovered it and the responsibility sits somewhere in the middle.

Because if everything becomes Pilates, eventually the word means very little.

But if we're so determined to protect Pilates that we refuse to let it evolve at all, we risk making the method less accessible to the very people who could benefit from discovering it.

Maybe Pilates isn't losing its identity.

Maybe we're simply watching its next one being created.