Pilates Under Scrutiny: How Mbodies is Raising the Bar on Safety

for access email:  info@mbodiesacademy.com

Introduction

In recent weeks, the Pilates community has been shaken by a series of high-profile legal cases that have cast a shadow over the safety practices in Pilates Reformer studios.  Notably in the UK, a violinist was awarded a significant compensation for an injury sustained during a Pilates Reformer Class.  This has led to a surge in media coverage, highlighting similar incidents and raising concerns about the safety and professionalism within our industry.

Understanding the Issue

The unfortunate truth is that these incidents highlight a longstanding issue within the Pilates world:  a lack of comprehensive understanding and implementation of health and safety standards.  At Mbodies Training Academy, we have always emphasised the importance of Pilates Studio Safety and proper training by requiring that all of our customers taking a Pilates apparatus education course also take our 2 hour Studio Health and Safety Course.  However, it's clear that more needs to be done industry-wide to ensure that all instructors are fully aware of their legal obligations and the best practices for maintaining a safe environment for their clients.

The Role of Health and Safety in Pilates

Health and safety in any fitness setting should be non-negotiable.  Yet, many Pilates instructors and studio owners remain unaware of the full scope of their responsibilities.  When we developed our modular Pilates apparatus education in collaboration with major Pilates instructor insurance companies, we recognised the need for a dedicated Pilates studio health and safety course.  This course includes a comprehensive overview of legal obligations, best practices, and a multiple-choice test to ensure understanding.

Enhancing Safety Measures at Mbodies

In light of the recent bad press, Mbodies are taking further steps to enhance our Health and Safety guidance.  Over the next month, we will be developing more specific guidelines that focus on:

1. Proper Use of Pilates Apparatus: Emphasising the importance of using equipment as intended and understanding the risks of improvising exercises.
2. Clear Identification of Pilates Exercises: Ensuring that exercises advertised and taught as Pilates can be clearly traced back to authentic Pilates heritage, reducing the risk of clients feeling misled.
3. Thorough Risk Assessments: Encouraging all instructors to regularly perform risk assessments and update their health and safety policies accordingly.
4. Client Education: Informing clients about the safety measures in place and educating them on how to use the equipment correctly and safely.

Moving Forward

It's crucial for the Pilates community to come together and address these safety concerns head-on.  By improving our health and safety standards, we can restore confidence in Pilates studios and ensure that all clients have a safe and positive experience.

Conclusion

At Mbodies Training Academy, we are committed to leading by example and providing our students with the knowledge and tools they need to uphold the highest standards of safety in their practices.  

We encourage all Pilates professionals to join us in this effort, by taking a couple of hours to make sure they are up to speed with their obligations to Health and Safety by offering for the throughout July the content of our Health and Safety course free of charge on our YouTube channel,  if you drop us an email to info@mbodiesacademy.com asking for access, we will send you a link to the private video. 

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