“I can’t feel my glutes.” Pilates instructors hear this constantly. The client is doing bridges, side-lying leg work, scooter, lunges or squats. You have cued the pelvis. Changed the foot position. Asked them to squeeze harder. Told them to imagine pushing the floor away. They still say: “I just can’t feel it.” At that point, many instructors assume the muscle is not activating. But “not feeling” a muscle does not necessarily mean it is not working. Likewise, a strong burning

For years, women have been told that the answer to staying fit through their 40s, 50s and beyond is to eat less and do more cardio. Feeling a muscle and effectively training it are not always the same thing. Load, joint position and exercise mechanics all influence muscular demand. Walk more. Run more. Do another high-intensity class. Choose lighter weights. Keep moving, but don't lift too heavy. Then perimenopause or menopause arrives and suddenly the things that used to wor

Ask most Pilates instructors what determines the effectiveness of an exercise and they will describe the exercise itself. The name, the setup, the alignment cues. What is far less commonly considered is tempo, and yet it is one of the most powerful variables available to an instructor who wants to create genuine physiological change in their clients. Deliberate tempo cueing is one of the simplest and most effective ways to increase the training stimulus in a Pilates session.