You teach a client a squat. Their first few repetitions look controlled. Then you increase the load. Suddenly their knee starts moving inward. Their pelvis shifts. Their trunk leans. Their movement changes. Movement compensation isn’t automatically a problem. The important question is why the strategy appears and whether it limits the client’s ability to complete the task. A lot of instructors immediately respond with more cueing. “Keep your knee out.” “Stay square.” “Don’t r

Every Pilates instructor has experienced it. Instructor carefully adjusting and guiding client's foot and leg during a Pilates reformer session You ask a client to perform hip extension and their lower back arches. You programme abdominal work and their hip flexors immediately take over. You ask for shoulder flexion and their ribs flare. You cue a squat and their knees collapse inward. You teach a side-lying glute exercise and they somehow feel it entirely in their quadricep

A client tells you they "can't feel their glutes." Another says their shoulders always become sore during planks. Someone else complains that their hip flexors work in every abdominal exercise. Understanding why clients compensate allows Pilates instructors to programme with greater precision and confidence. The instinctive response is often the same. "They must be weak." While weakness certainly exists, it is often only part of the story. In many cases, the issue isn't that