Taking a deep breath, the athlete stretches and contorts their body into different

positions and angles. The pilates exercise is a great way for the athlete to train their

entire body.

Pilates, a combination of core exercise and yoga, aims to strengthen the body,

as well as encourage flexibility. After a couple of decades of relative obscurity, the

exercise has seen a resurgence in popularity, especially on TikTok and other social

media sites. The hashtag “pilates” has garnered 5.7

billion views so far on TikTok, and it continues to

grow. John Torrey, the fitness instructor at PHS,

recognized the benefits of this popular trend.

“Any type of education towards [pilates] would

be beneficial to the students,” said Torrey. “I

certainly think it could be incorporated into the

[school] curriculum.”

Pilates, which was invented in the 1920s by Joseph

Pilates, has had a long and successful history in

the world of athletics. The fact that it can be done

without any instruments at all shows it’s a cheap

and simple form of exercise that anyone can do.

The availability of information on the internet

allows for people to be introduced to many new

types of workouts. Pilates is a unique and niche

type of exercise, which newcomers to fitness may

not be aware about. According to Torrey, this kind

of exposure to fitness information is extremely

beneficial.

“There’s probably a lot more information on the

internet now than when I was your age,” said Torrey.

“I really had to search for books and magazines to learn

how to strength train and do body building.”

While pilates has many similarities to exercise routines

like yoga, pilates has one key difference which sets it

apart. Unlike yoga, which usually requires the person to

hold a pose, pilates poses are matched with leg and arm

movements, which put strain on the core, adding to the

exercise.

Because of its accessibility, it has potential to be very

beneficial at PHS, where exercise and working out is very

popular. The PHS fitness room is routinely packed with students during lunch and

after school. Evan Weinstein ’25 goes to the gym after school, and to him, fitness

trends like pilates are great ways to get fit.

“I think that 99 percent of the time, fitness trends are helpful,” said Weinstein.

“Obviously there are some less helpful or even harmful [trends], but people should

be able to … make decisions for themselves.”

At the PHS fitness center, strength training and yoga are some of the more popular

forms of exercise, which is exactly what pilates is based on. Newcomers to pilates can

get a lot out of just going to the PHS fitness center for a workout.

One of the benefits of the pilates trend is the sense of community. It’s a common

sight to see people sending positive, and motivational messages in the comment

sections of workout posts. These messages only help to strengthen the community,

and make fitness goers more motivated to work out. To Weinstein, these messages

are nice, but not helpful.

“I think it’s nice and obviously anyone who says it has nice intentions, but I think

[motivational messages are] becoming overused, diminishing

their meaning,” Weinstein said. Still, Weinstein

understands that these messages can

bring motivation for those who need it.

Another benefit of pilates and other

fitness trends is that they discourage

sedentariness. With technology taking

up a greater role in people’s lives, fitness

trends inspire people to get moving.

Jordy Paredes ’23 is a regular at the

gym, and understands the significance

of fitness.

“Hard work will always pay off; just

because others are not pushing doesn’t

mean you should stop,” said Paredes.

“Working out builds mental strength

and physical strength.”

Of course, pilates and internet

fitness trends aren’t all completely

perfect. Students routinely find

that they compare themselves with

others online, creating unrealistic

expectations for themselves, which can lead to

lowered confidence. The desire to see physical results

can lead athletes to consume dangerous substances for

faster gains. For Torrey, understanding what is natural

and healthy is of key importance.

“[With] the advent of the internet and social media sites like Instagram, there

are a lot more fitness influencers, but you don’t know how credential they are,” said

Torrey. “You don’t know what type of supplements or illegal drugs they’re on to get

in that shape, and a lot of them don’t look like that year round.”

Because pilates has a wide range of difficulty, it is much more manageable for

newcomers to administer a healthy routine, and not be influenced by questionable

supplements. Overall, pilates is a healthy way to stay fit, and will give you massive

benefits in the long run.