Does Pilates hurt?

Pilates should never hurt. It should absolutely be felt, but that's a different thing, and knowing the difference matters.

What you should feel: muscles working. A warm, burning, "this is definitely doing something" sensation in your abdominals, glutes, legs or shoulders. A gentle stretch. Sometimes a satisfying ache the next day, especially in muscles you'd forgotten you owned. All of that is normal and good.

What you should not feel: sharp pain, pinching, joint pain, tingling, or anything that makes you catch your breath. If you feel any of those, stop and tell your instructor. We'll change the exercise or the position, and nine times out of ten it settles immediately.

We teach a lot of people who arrive already in pain, with bad backs, arthritic hips, dodgy knees, post-surgery restrictions. For them, the goal is movement that eases things rather than aggravates them, and we build up very gradually. Many members tell us their long-standing aches improved once they got moving consistently.

The golden rule in our studio: you are always allowed to stop, rest, or do less. Nobody here believes in pushing through pain. Work hard, yes. Hurt yourself, never.