Why Pilates Is Booming in Sydney: The Fitness Trends You Need to Know
The Pilates industry is booming in Sydney, and across Australia. With the increase in popularity and demand for Pilates classes - including reformer, mat, and emerging new class formats - there are a couple of questions on every aspiring Pilates instructor or business owner’s mind: is there still room for you to make your mark? Are there still opportunities to pursue, and the chance to carve out a lucrative, fulfilling and fun career for yourself?
In order to answer these questions, we need to consider why Pilates is booming in Sydney. Sydney’s fitness trends are diverse and constantly evolving, with new movement modalities, studios and franchises popping up all the time. This brings increasing competition to the fitness industry, but it also opens up endless opportunities for anyone looking to build their career in the industry - with Pilates being one of the areas experiencing the most rapid and significant growth.
Let’s explore why the practice we all love so much is in such high demand, and the fitness trends you need to know which are driving the growth of the industry, and impacting your future prospects in Pilates.
The Fitness Trends You Need to Know in Sydney
Functional training.
Workouts emphasising everyday movement patterns and strength, called functional training, are becoming more and more popular due to their ability to support your range of motion, flexibility and mobility, and your general movement and health in your daily life. This style of training often incorporates both bodyweight exercises, and equipment including dumbbells, kettlebells, resistance bands, and other functional pieces, focusing on preparing your body for better function when performing everyday tasks, from lifting heavy objects (like grocery bags) or bending down to lift something off the floor.
The practical, realistic focus of this training style has seen it increase in popularity over the last few years, with huge franchises like F45 paving the way for newer, smaller studios and chains to open and expand in Sydney.
Pilates builds upon the principles of functional training in the way it prepares yours and your clients’ bodies for everyday movements and activities, emphasising core strength and stability and recruiting large muscle groups and smaller muscles together to ensure your entire body is targeted and challenged. In this way, Pilates taps into the demand for functional fitness, offering a lower-impact approach to ensuring functional, everyday movement patterns are comfortable and safe for your clients.
Outdoor workouts.
Particularly since the pandemic (sorry, we had to go there!) the popularity of outdoor workouts has continued to soar. After we were forced to adapt to new ways of training, only allowed to congregate in outdoor spaces in small groups, we’ve continued to appreciate the benefits of training in nature - the warmth of the sun on our skin, the fresh air, and the calming presence nature plays in our lives.
This trend is another one Pilates can easily tap into. Given certain types of Pilates, like mat Pilates, require minimal or no equipment, they’re incredibly easy to set up and execute outside. Whether you’re hosting small group classes for clients, asking them to bring their own mats and providing easily transported accessories like bands or Pilates rings, or you’re offering 1:1 Pilates sessions using a greater range of small pieces of equipment, Pilates is an excellent way to capitalise on the demand for outdoor workouts. This trend offers a cheaper alternative to renting or hiring studio space, and allows Pilates instructors to simplify their teaching and business processes in many ways.
Mind-Body Practices.
Workouts which involve the integration of both the mind and body are also increasingly popular in Sydney, and around Australia. Practices like yoga, Pilates, breathwork and meditation draw on the mind-body connection to more effectively activate muscles, achieve superior and more effective results, reduce stress levels, and prioritise mental health as much as they do physical fitness.
Pilates draws upon this emphasis on the mind-body connection by incorporating slow, controlled movements and sequences, requiring clients to tune into their bodies and mindfully recruit the relevant muscles and muscle groups to execute movements correctly. Not only does this reduce the risk of injury during each session, it also allows your clients to get more out of each class - as this control that comes from the mindful element of the practice means every movement is more effective and accurate. Plus, the emphasis Pilates places on the mind and the body allows your clients to enjoy the stress relieving, mood-boosting benefits the practice has to offer. All in all, this trend taps right into Pilates’ strengths, offering your clients the benefits of mindfulness and mental health support as well as the physical benefits and improved fitness they can achieve with Pilates. And it enhances their enjoyment of each session along the way.
Low-intensity training.
While HIIT has been all the rage for many years, we’re now noticing a shift towards lower intensity, low-impact movement styles in the fitness industry, both in Sydney and beyond.
This is due to the fact we’re increasingly aware of the impact of HIIT on our bodies - with too much HIIT often leading to hormonal imbalances, excessive production of cortisol (your stress hormone), injuries, burnout and fatigue, and less powerful results than many cardio bunnies hope for.
On the other hand, lower intensity training can still help people improve their health and fitness, while offering a greater opportunity to sculpt and tone their body, and work on foundational physical components like core strength and stability - just like Pilates does. The slower pace of these workout styles means participants can better focus and execute their movements, again using the mind-body connection to get more out of each session.
Lower impact movement styles, like Pilates, also put less strain on joints, bones and muscles, and have a much lower risk of injury. This makes them more accessible and effective for a wide range of abilities, ages and health goals. This is yet another reason Pilates is growing in popularity - it supports the health of so many different demographics and types of clients, giving you the pick of the crop as to who you’d like to work with and support as an instructor in the industry. This means you also get to see the impact your work and classes are having on the lives, health and wellbeing of your chosen clients, helping you feel fulfilled and rewarded by your career.
Nutrition and Wellness.
The emphasis on holistic wellness continues to increase too, with many people turning to nutrition, mindfulness and other health practices alongside their more traditional forms of training to elevate their health. Whether they’re choosing to include saunas, ice baths, supplements, recovery protocols, or anything in between, this trend comes with both negatives and positives.
On one hand, it can help your clients recover between their classes, and encourages them to consider their nutrition and health outside of their Pilates sessions - which is essential for achieving optimal health in any case. However, it can come at a high cost - in terms of money, time and energy - and many of these practices are simply “nice to haves” rather than essentials.
To tap into this trend, consider encouraging your clients to learn more about their nutrition, and how to fuel their bodies for their Pilates sessions. Remind them how important it is that they eat enough to give them the energy they need to be at their best each day, and educate them on the need to include a balanced diet with plenty of protein, carbs and fats to improve their performance and wellbeing.
Point them in the direction of further support if they’re interested.
Luckily, Pilates fits well into the emphasis on holistic health. Instead of pushing your clients' bodies to the limit, like workouts such as HIIT do, it targets clients' health in its entirety, offering a low-impact, strengthening and stabilising solution to health and fitness, recruiting both the mind and body to achieve physical and mental health benefits for your clients. In this way, it’s a very holistic training modality, contributing to its popularity in the Sydney fitness scene.
Group Fitness Classes vs Personalised Training (PT)
Interestingly, we’re noticing an increasing interest in both group fitness classes and individual 1:1 training (or PT). This is highly dependent on each individual as to which style of training they prefer, with some enjoying the personalised approach of individual sessions, and others benefitting from the supportive (or competitive!) environment they experience in group classes.
Again, Pilates offers the best of both worlds here. As an instructor, you can choose to offer both group classes to small numbers of clients at a time, or work 1:1 with clients - or a mixture of both! While group classes may be more financially rewarding in many cases, if you’re choosing to offer 1:1 classes you may not have to invest the same amount of money into equipment, studio premises, staff and so on - so there are definitely benefits to both as an instructor!
Whichever works for you will inform the type of clients you target your class offerings to. Remember, there’s a demand whichever way you go - you just have to choose your niche and be sure to market directly to them!
What does the future of the Pilates industry in Sydney look like?
As you can see, Pilates plays into all of the emerging and continuing trends in the Pilates industry in Sydney, and across Australia. The increasing number of celebrities and influencers promoting their experiences and results from consistent Pilates sessions has also contributed to a growing awareness around the practice’s many benefits, and encouraged many people to give it a try for the first time - particularly clients who previously would never have considered stepping foot into a Pilates studio!
The newfound knowledge and awareness of Pilates means it’s now popular amongst all ages, genders, demographics and abilities, with the low-intensity, low-impact and mind-body connection elements appealing to many different groups of clients. Regardless of a client’s goals, fitness level or physical ability, there is a type of Pilates that caters to them, making it an inclusive and supportive environment and style of movement.
The community aspect of Pilates is yet another reason why people are increasingly interested in committing to this style of workout. It’s a great place for clients to connect with like-minded Pilates enthusiasts, make friends, and to enjoy improving their health and fitness alongside others.
The rapid expansion in the number of studios, and the diverse variety of different Pilates styles and classes they are beginning to offer, means the practice is more accessible than ever - and this growth has allowed and enticed many people to give it a go. Naturally, once they’ve tried it a few times, many people fall in love with the practice, and keep coming back time and time again!
The endless physical and mental benefits of Pilates, including elevated fitness and performance, body lengthening and toning, optimised cardiovascular health, improved core strength and stability, better flexibility and posture, lower stress and injury risk and many more means Pilates is now the go-to choice of workout for many fitness fanatics across Sydney and Australia.
With this in mind, the industry is only expected to continue growing from here! As we increasingly move towards more holistic movement methods, emphasising the importance of mental health as much as physical, and realising the importance of lower-impact fitness styles for hormone health and injury prevention, Pilates ticks all the boxes of what fitness fans are demanding and looking for. So while fitness trends in Sydney will continue to evolve and change, the popularity of Pilates isn’t going anywhere.
Is there room for more instructors and businesses in Pilates in Sydney?
You bet there is! As more people are exposed to and made aware of Pilates and its benefits, and fitness trends continue to encourage people to try it out instead of more outdated fitness styles like HIIT, you can expect to see more and more Pilates studios and businesses popping up. Currently, many popular Pilates studios around Sydney are experiencing fully-booked classes across their timetables, with clients waitlisted far in advance in their eagerness to attend regular sessions. This means there is plenty of room for new instructors or aspiring business owners to enter the industry and make their mark!
If you’re considering starting or growing a career in Pilates in Sydney, now is the perfect time! With greater demand than ever for your services, skills and expertise, figure out the type of clients and classes you want to work with, and go out there and make it happen!
To wrap up, here are some quick words of wisdom for anyone wanting to make their mark on the Sydney Pilates industry:
Differentiate yourself! Yes, there are more studios and instructors on offer than ever before, so it’s important to make yourself stand out from the rest! You can achieve this by targeting a niche group of clients, according to their abilities or goals, or some other characteristic, and marketing your services specifically towards your chosen audience.
Or, you can easily and effectively set yourself apart by completing a higher standard of education than other instructors in the industry - as this clearly communicates to potential clients that you’re the best in the business, you know your stuff, and you have a greater range of skills and knowledge than your competition.
That’s why our APPI Pilates Instructor Certification is in such high demand! It’s entirely science-based, developed by expert physiotherapists and taught by leading Pilates industry experts, and is the most well-respected, recognised certification Australia-wide. Achieving an APPI-certified qualification immediately tells potential clients that you are the one to work with! So easily set yourself apart in the Pilates industry by enrolling in one of our upcoming intakes today, or book a free chat with our course experts to learn more about how this certification can help you achieve your career goals.
Consider making your classes different from your competitors’. How can you make Pilates more dynamic, more challenging, more effective? Can you offer heated classes? Can you invest in state-of-the-art equipment? Can you hire the best or most well-known instructors in the industry if you’re a business owner? Whatever you can do to make your classes unique, do it! A great way to achieve this is to complete one of Unite Health’s upskilling courses - like our Mindfulness for Pilates course.
These courses are specifically designed to add additional skills to your repertoire, so you can differentiate yourself by offering an extra mindfulness element in your classes - and all the many benefits that come along with this!
Commit to continued learning, and never get too comfortable! The industry is continuing to grow and evolve rapidly, so it’s important to stay on top of this and continue growing your skill set and knowledge base at all times! Check out our upskilling courses like our Ante Post Natal course range, which helps you expand the potential clients you can support in your classes, and add additional skills to your skill set.
Get out there and learn from others! Try other instructors’ classes, and go to as many fitness classes around Sydney as you can - even non-Pilates ones! There’s always something to learn from other fitness instructors, whether it’s how to cue certain movements, how to energise a class, or how to not treat clients - the more you get out there and experience, the more you learn along the way for your own practice!
You can also book a 1:1 Mentoring Session with one of our Pilates experts for personalised, individual feedback and support if you’re looking to elevate your teaching and skills with the guidance of an industry success story.
Focus on YOU! Don’t get caught up comparing yourself to others. Focus on YOU and your goals and career trajectory, put in the work, and recognise you deserve to succeed in creating a career you love and feel proud of!
Now go out there and make your mark on Sydney’s Pilates industry! There is plenty of room for you to carve out your dream career and achieve your career goals - you just have to believe in yourself and go and make it happen!
Ready to commit to a career in Pilates? Enrol in our upcoming APPI Pilates Instructor Certification today to kickstart your career ahead of your competition, thanks to the well-respected, evidence-based nature of our qualification - which has established Unite Health as the leading Pilates education provider across all of Australia!
Want to learn more about the course? Book a free chat with our course experts today to have all your questions answered!
Or, if you’re ready to step up in your career and make your goals a reality, commit to ongoing learning and elevate your skill set with one of our upskilling course options now!