Reclaiming the Reformer: Women Fight to Make Fitness Accessible Again

As Pilates experiences a surge in popularity, with participation increasing nearly 40% since 2019 according to a 2025 Sports and Fitness Industry Association report, a growing number of women are working to make the practice more accessible and inclusive for people of all backgrounds, body types, and abilities.

Despite Joseph Pilates’ original vision of creating a method that could serve everyone—using apparatus like the reformer as “training wheels” to support more advanced mat work—many studios today reflect some of the whitest and most affluent spaces in wellness, creating barriers that contradict the method’s inclusive roots.

High price points, racial biases, and branding that often appeals narrowly to thin, white women have contributed to perceptions of Pilates as a luxury or privilege, sometimes reinforced by social media content that frames the practice as a status symbol rather than a form of movement accessible to all.

In response, a new generation of instructors, studio owners, and advocates is actively challenging who gets to take up space in the Pilates studio and who gets to embody what it means to be a “pilates person.” Their efforts focus on expanding access while honoring the method’s integrity, emphasizing that the essence of Pilates lies in its foundational principles of controlled movement, breathwork, and core strength—not in the equipment or aesthetic surrounding it.

Lindsey Leaf, a 43-year-old former high school athlete who turned to Pilates after a yoga injury led her to physical therapy over a decade ago, founded Fat Body Pilates to advocate for size inclusivity and accessibility. She uses her platform to challenge stereotypes about what athletic bodies look like and what they can do, demonstrating that strength and capability come in many forms.

Beyond size inclusivity, advocates are promoting trauma-informed and adaptive approaches to Pilates instruction. Instructors certified in these modalities prioritize creating safe, supportive environments for people recovering from injury, managing chronic conditions, or navigating mental health challenges. This includes modifying exercises for wheelchair users, offering seated variations, and using language that avoids assumptions about fitness levels or body image.

Continuing education in areas such as prenatal/postpartum Pilates, neurodiversity-aware cueing, and geriatric fitness is helping teachers meet students where they are—both physically and emotionally—reinforcing the idea that the method can be adapted to serve a wide range of needs without compromising its core principles.

Black-owned Pilates studios are also playing a vital role in redefining the practice, transforming it into more than just a fitness routine. These studios are redesigning class formats, payment models, studio culture, and instructor pipelines to center identity, representation, community, healing, and access—making Pilates a space where people feel seen and welcomed.

While reformer-based classes often carry higher costs due to equipment and specialized training, many practitioners and educators emphasize that the apparatus is not essential to practicing Pilates. Mats, resistance bands, and even household items can be used to apply the method’s principles, reinforcing that accessibility does not require expensive tools.

The movement to make Pilates more inclusive is not about abandoning the method’s history or effectiveness, but about expanding its reach so that everyone—regardless of size, race, ability, or income—can benefit from its physical and mental rewards. As one advocate put it, the goal is to reclaim the reformer—and the practice itself—for the rest of us.