Pilates instructors are the bridge between participants and the exercises that help them stay strong and flexible. Pilates participants rely on their instructors to safely improve body strength and stability through exercise form.
This means the skills instructors have, matter! At RTR Pilates, our instructors stay on top of industry best practices and changes that can make a difference in overall safety and success.
Here are some of the many reasons why continuing education is an important aspect of long-term growth for all Pilates instructors.
Learn by Observing
In the dynamic world of Pilates, instructors can stay ahead of the curve by continuing to expand their knowledge. One easy way to do this is to attend classes to experience how other instructors lead.
This opens instructors to new exercises, variations, and sequences to incorporate in the classes they lead.
Being an active participant in other classes demonstrates new ways that instructors are engaging with participants of different backgrounds, attitudes, and abilities.
This can be highly beneficial for making an instructor’s classes more accessible and functional for everyone.
Along with learning new exercises, attending classes or educational courses can allow Pilates instructors to discuss new findings in areas such as anatomy and rehabilitation.
Because science is always making advancements in this area, it’s helpful to regularly revisit what professionals think they know.
Staying current with exercise science and research is a good way to make sure classes are as beneficial as possible for enthusiasts both new and old.
Maintaining Best Practices
The core of Pilates centers around being mindful and self-focused. In other words, participants are encouraged to pay attention to both their inward state of being and also the physical forms of their bodies.
By pursuing formal continuing education, Pilates instructors stay on top of best practices in the field including ways to reduce the risk of injury and strain, improve outcomes, and create classes that are providing the maximum benefit to demographics of all types.
This also includes advances in equipment, such as new reformer machine models, magic rings, and other tools. As instructors, the more knowledge we have, the better we can benefit our students.
Practicing With Other Professionals
Even the best Pilates instructors tend to fall into habits; maybe it’s a couple of their favorite stretches or a preference for certain exercises over others.
Continuing education for an instructor keeps contact with other professionals, opening our minds and providing helpful critique on a peer-to-peer level. As class leaders, we are unable to fully assess ourselves.
However, being in the presence of other experts can keep us on the right track and ensure we’re offering the best we have to our participants by being good examples ourselves.
Certification Programs
When choosing a Pilates instructor, beginners may not know where to start, but often know to look for teachers who have achieved a level of certification in Pilates.
From reformer certification to achieving recognition in a specific type of Pilates practice, good teachers will have successfully completed applicable certification that demonstrates their knowledge and skills.
The instructor learning experience isn’t over once these certification programs are completed. Pilates instructors must remain committed to gaining industry knowledge through continuing education credits.
Enrolling in continuing education opportunities serves to maintain their certifications, expand their expertise, and ensure the safety of their participants.
While each certification may have slightly different requirements, it is common for continuing education to be a regular part of an instructor’s yearly schedule.
Try Pilates and Expand Your Knowledge
Pilates is an easily accessible means of boosting your strength while also improving balance, flexibility, and stability throughout the body.
In order to achieve the best results, you have to entrust your learning to someone who has experience and demonstrates a dedication to the field of Pilates through consistent engagement with continuing education opportunities.
At RTR Pilates, we are proud to be home to an instructor community made of high-quality educators who are committed to providing the best outcomes for our participants, whether they are trying Pilates for the first time or looking to level up to a more advanced class.
Our instructors are experienced, not only in general Pilates, but in the use of the reformers that we use for our classes. RTR Pilates proudly incorporates continuing education into the annual expectations of our instructors because we believe that learning is never done.
Due to the dynamic nature of athletics and its intersection with new and exciting discoveries in science and kinesiology, we strive to stay on top of every new development. Contact RTR Pilates to try one of our classes and see the difference our instructors make.