Face-to-Face learning starts to gain popularity again in 2024: Mbodies Training Academy widens its training styles to meet varied client preferences

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 In 2024, students at Mbodies Training Academy are for the first time since 2019 showing a preparedness to attend face-to-face courses, marking a significant shift from the predominantly online training necessitated by the COVID19 pandemic. 

The pandemic brought face-to-face courses to an abrupt halt, pushing all training to move online. This sudden change together with financial pressures on self-employed fitness instructors left many unprepared to prioritise ongoing professional development training in Pilates, with concerns about the implications of travel, accommodation, and the increased costs associated with face-to-face training in an inflationary world driven, following COVID19, by the Ukrainian war.

During the immediate post-pandemic period, the hospitality sector faced challenges, and inflation led to a steep rise in travel and accommodation costs.  This resulted in a significant split in preferences, with many favouring online or hybrid training over face-to-face sessions.  Training companies, including ours, faced difficulties between 2021 and 2023, with low momentum and insufficient demand for scheduled face-to-face courses, leading to numerous cancellations and a predominant focus on online training.

However, 2024 has seen a positive shift within the Pilates instructor market.  Confidence is returning, and there is a renewed interest in face-to-face training.  At Mbodies Training Academy, we are responding to this change by adapting to the varied needs of our students rather than dictating their training methods.

We offer our course materials as fully online training, providing students with several options:

1. Online-Only Training: Students can complete the training entirely online and be assessed at the end by their tutor.

2. Personalised Support: Students can opt for regular face-to-face or Zoom-based support, ensuring they receive the personalised attention they require whilst using the online course material as reference and support learning.

3. Regional Group Sessions: With growing confidence in face-to-face training, we are opening regional group sessions.  Students prepare for these whole day or weekend sessions using regional studios to practice their online training (if they lack access to equipment such as a Reformer or Chair.) These face-to-face sessions are condensed into intensive small group sessions, adding value by building on pre-learned material.

A prime example of this approach is our summer 2024 Pilates Reformer training for physiotherapists and existing Pilates Matwork-trained Pilates instructors in conjunction with our Regional studio partners.  Courses in the North of England, including Manchester, and Liverpool/St Helens Contact Nisha at Yoga Anatomy Pilates, as well as in Witney, Oxfordshire in central southern England Contact Kelly at Bodyfit solutions.  These courses are designed to provide small group support, complementing enrolment in our online training. For some the advantages of small group work, where students benefit from diverse questions, different body types, and tutor tips, cannot be underestimated.


The future of CPD training and qualifications in the Pilates and fitness industry will likely continue to need to prioritise the varied needs of students.  We foresee a trend where the consistent root of the training is high quality in-your-own-time online training material matched to various methods of completion that suit students' geographical locations and preferences for supervision and tutoring.

This hybrid approach of offering multiple learning styles to meet customer needs is poised to shape the future of training at Mbodies Training Academy and beyond.

Author:  Chris Onslow - Pilates Consultant

Chris Onslow, has run Pilates focussed businesses since 1998.  He and his team specialise in supporting Pilates entrepreneurs and business owners.  With a rich history of owning and running successful Pilates studios in the UK, and supporting others in Europe and the Middle East, Chris has broad expertise in maximising profitability and optimising operational efficiency.  His agency provides top-tier advice on selecting new, pre-owned, and hireable Pilates equipment from renowned brands such as Align-Pilates, Balanced Body or Stott-Pilates/Merrithew.  As the founder of Mbodies Training Academy, Chris continues to revolutionise Pilates education, offering premier online and hybrid CPD and qualification courses for Pilates apparatus instruction and special population CPD.  Discover more about how Chris can support your Pilates Business or home exercise choices at www.pilates-consultant.co.uk 




Location: Witney, UK

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