
07 Nov How is studio Pilates different to mat Pilates?
Many people have heard of Pilates as a form of exercise and fitness.
There may, however, be some confusion as to what exactly Pilates is, how it works, and the differences between the different forms of Pilates as they exist today.
The word “Pilates” is commonly used to refer to a style of exercise and fitness training.

Pilates founder Joseph Pilates
The common idea of Pilates is a form of exercise that is done on a mat using the body’s own weight as resistance for strength training.
This is true of mat Pilates, while studio Pilates actually incorporates a variety of machines and various equipment in its regiments for targeted muscle workout routines.
There are some key differences in the practice of mat Pilates and studio Pilates.
One key difference between the two types of Pilates training is that studio Pilates is typically done in a classroom type environment and has far more exercises to choose from than mat pilates.

Mat Pilates can be practiced at home with just a mat.
Mat Pilates is much more of a generalized set of exercises which covers a wide spectrum of body types and fitness goals, while mat Pilates tends to be more precise in terms of its focus on specific goals of it’s participants and targeted muscle groups.
In many cases, mat pilates is used to prepare a participant for more rigorous and customized studio pilates sessions in which pilates instructors will devise a custom session with highly specific exercises to match each unique individuals goals and fitness needs.

Studio Pilates incorporating a variety of equipment.
Both types of Pilates will require some initial form of instruction from an instructor of Pilates expert, but studio pilates will continue to require training under supervision, while mat pilates can be taken and done as homework after a certain level of proficiency is achieved.
Studio Pilates continues to be developed and new moves and exercises are constantly being invented and added to the repertoire of moves, while mat pilates tends to consist of the same moves originally invented by the inventor of the original Pilates routines, Joseph Pilates.
One final difference between the two types of Pilates is that mat pilates could be seen as a form of maintenance for people who have already attained their fitness goals using studio Pilates, while studio Pilates is less of a maintenance and more of an initial attainment of higher fitness.