Balanced Body Pilates Certification Virginia

Balanced Body®, the leading designer and manufacturer of innovative Pilates equipment, has announced its partnership with Sport & Health Company, Washington D.C.'s largest family of full-service health clubs. The partnership enables Sport & Health Company to offer comprehensive Pilates programming at 29 clubs throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. Balanced Body supplies Sport & Health Company with Pilates equipment and accessories, and provides training and certification for the clubs' fitness instructors through its educational partner PowerHouse Pilates.

“Balanced Body provides a simple, comprehensive solution for both our equipment and instructor training needs, ” said Adrienne Shaughnessy, corporate program director for Sport & Health Company. “We've already experienced tremendous success with our Pilates classes. Locations offering individual and group reformer lessons have consistently sold out, and mat and prop classes are regularly at full capacity. We're excited to bring Pilates to our clubs, and offer our 80, 000 members one of the finest programs available.”

Sport & Health currently offers comprehensive Pilates programming at many of its locations, including free basic mat classes and fee-based intermediate mat, prop, individual reformer and group reformer classes. The company also features three locations with full-scale Pilates studios for private, one-on-one personal training sessions.

According to IDEA Health & Fitness Association, Pilates is the fastest-growing exercise format in clubs, posting a 53% increase between 1997 and 2002. “To meet the rising demand, clubs must implement Pilates programs quickly and efficiently, while maintaining high standards of quality, ” said Ken Endelman, president and chief executive officer of Balanced Body. “We simplify Pilates program implementation by providing an effective turnkey solution.”

Balanced Body works with the world's leading educators, such as PowerHouse Pilates, to provide Pilates training and certification to personal trainers and group exercise instructors worldwide. PowerHouse Pilates is working extensively with Sport & Health Company to train instructors in the Pilates method, safety, appropriate class size, proper equipment use and exercise administration. Today, Sport & Health Company's staff consists of 60 certified Pilates instructors.

“Our goal is to offer Pilates classes company-wide on the highest quality equipment, taught by properly-trained instructors who ensure the integrity of the Pilates method itself, ” said Shaughnessy. “Balanced Body and PowerHouse Pilates will help us do that.”