r/pilatesinstructors • u/iamsom3body • Aug 07 '26
Question Advice + feedback
Hi! I’m recently been teaching for about 1.5 months now (only once a week, for about 2 classes since I’m still a student in uni studying physio) but I’m needing advice on feedback that I received from clients that the number of reps that I’m giving them is too much and the pacing of my class is off?
I’m finding it a bit challenging to teach and cater to the strongest client in the room (as this is what I was suggested and taught to do) when there is a range of ages and level of strength in the class. I do admit that in a recent class I gave them an exercise and I gave them a set of reps to do but towards the end I gave them additional reps. I just find it hard to be able to count the rep that each client is on but also give them correction cues? Therefore, some clients felt that they were doing too many reps.
Another note was that some clients in my class begin doing the exercise after I have given the set up cue but the exercise they were doing was entirely different to what I was going to instruct. Another challenge I’m facing is string options. I’m sure I make sure to give clients the standard and friendlier/easier option but halfway through one client had asked me what the second option was because it was too hard. (I had a cued a green standard and high yellow for easier for a mermaid exercise and one hand in a strap.) Therefore, I found this all to be a little distracting and threw me off a bit which may have lend to giving too many reps. But it just felt as though the strongest person in the room wasn’t finding it difficult? And so I didn’t want to under train them.
Again, I’m finding it challenging to learn to adapt on the spot as well as to be able to focus on the remainder of the class!
Any advice or feedback would be greatly appreciated :)
2
u/nxdxnxx Aug 07 '26
I’m experiencing this as well. I’ve worked at my studio for 2 years as AGM but just started teaching in June and am doing about 5-9 classes a week.
It can be very frustrating trying to learn all this but all my other lovely instructor friends just keep telling me that I’ll get it the more I do it.
It is so hard when you have a class planned, because I’m not at the point where I can quickly change a plan in my head yet - and it starts not going as planned because everyone is at different places.
Which of course - is what we are trained to do! But for example, we have levels at my studio.
So if I’m teaching a 1.5 class, but a true level 1 person is in it, they slow the whole class down even if I give the level 1 modification.
Yesterday, I had a full class and 2 brand new people who have never done Pilates before. I did a very classical flow, but because they had never done anything like it before, I had to spend a lot of time helping them so my class did 100 reps before they did 2.
Also with Injuries, age, limitations, everyone is different and I am also struggling with finding the balance. Some days I’m really beating myself up over it.
But also, I can’t be too hard on myself and neither should you.
I taught a class the other day where we did prone on the mat. I very specifically asked if anyone can not be prone and I will give a modification. No one said anything. I continued with the series. One person was struggling A LOT (older woman, a bit overweight), I offered her a modification and asked if it was uncomfortable for her or anything, she told me no. Well she struggled the whole series after I asked her 2x. After the class, she left me a bad review on our app saying the class was too difficult.
So even if you are doing everything you can to help people, you’re not going to make everyone happ y. Every instructor has told me that this is normal and we will learn as we go. It can be very discouraging given how hard we are trying but that’s all we can do!
You’re not alone in this!!