The new Equinox signature class gives classical Pilates movements a leveled-up, athletic treatment.
Pilates has long been known for helping folks establish a strong mind-body connection and engage deeply with their core, all with restorative, low-impact movement.
But among Equinox members in particular, there has been an undeniable hunger for a contemporary Pilates class that also requires and builds a high level of athleticism, says Chelsea DeLay, a certified Pilates instructor and personal trainer in New York City. So over the last year, DeLay, Equinox Director of Group Fitness Christopher Vo, and other team members brainstormed ways to satisfy that craving. “What we were chasing was the intensity of a [Megaformer] class but in a way that still stayed super loyal to the classical Pilates foundations, where you're talking about a mind-body connection. You're talking alignment. You are talking about beautiful form, super technical,” says DeLay.
The result: Pilates Rise, launching in Clubs on January 3.
The basis of the dialed-up format is layering. Each 55-minute class kicks off with a deep core series, helping you find and practice maintaining your longest spine, then progresses into a deep glute series. A side-facing series comes next, followed by a postural strength movement series. “It's the ultimate crescendo in the class, where you're taking a component from the deep core series, you're taking an element from the deep glute series, and you're also pulling a movement or a muscle activation from the side-facing series,” explains DeLay. “All three of those will show up in that final big series. And you start to understand the purpose of why [you did those exercises] — because it prepared you for this move right here.”
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For example, you might do oblique twists to wake up the core, bridges and clamshells to fire up the glutes, and sumo squats with a Pilates ring to activate the adductors (which support knee and hip alignment) before performing a big, powerful movement like a lunge with rotation, says DeLay. “You see people's eyes widen when they recognize, ‘Oh, I know exactly how to do this. This should be crazy hard, but because I've already prepared in different series before this, I'm totally set up to navigate this in a range that I feel comfortable in,’” she adds. Afterward, you’ll cool down and unwind the body with a mobility flow, she notes.
Although the template carries over from class to class, the instructors still have the freedom to program it creatively. Expect each session to feel unique — and so challenging that your body begins to shake, says DeLay. You’re up on your feet for many movements, utilizing props such as resistance bands, hand weights, small exercise balls, and Pilates rings. You’ll pulse along with the dance music, but you won't be dictated by the beat. “It's a class that hits all three planes of motion, and we'll let everyone feel like they moved every single part of their body in some way and leave balanced and long,” she adds. “They want to feel like their spine is stacked and they're not hunched over, that their posture really reset.”
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DeLay recommends Pilates Rise for any member looking for a leveled-up experience and individuals who are well-versed in the traditional workout. (All Pilates Rise instructors are certified in mat Pilates, so they’re fluent in the specific language of the method.) But she also believes it’s ideal for the folks constantly lifting heavy loads. “Those [individuals] that are out on the floor need this type of class more than anyone; [with] the athletic loads that they're pushing, their mobility really suffers as a result,” the strength coach says. The class will also help people who sit at a desk all day open up their spine and chest.
Regardless of your athletic ability or experience with the traditional workout method, Rise “is going to set you on fire in the best way,” says DeLay. “I think it’s just a perfect example of smart cueing, strong movement, and Pilates — it’s the perfect trifecta.”