Hi fellow teachers! I hope this is an okay topic to bring up with everyone. We are a studio that provides both private lessons and group Reformer classes and there is a new Lagree fitness studio opening up just a block away. We're a small city, so this is the first Lagree studio nearby! I was wondering if any of you have experience with clients asking about Lagree and how it compares and how you approach the subject. I can already imagine how often I'll be asked about the difference and I want to make sure I am not just trying to say why Pilates is better/putting the other business down....anyone have any advice?

Hi Hayley! I have taken several Lagree classes at a couple studios in my town so I can sort of speak to the style of classes. I encourage you to try because while it is “pilates-based” (loosely - haha) it’s quite a work out!

Classes are usually large, up to 12 and about 45 mins long. They focus heavily on planking variations. Literally every planking variation you can imagine and with light springs (1y I’d say). The machines are loaded from the center so you get a different sensation depending which platform you are working on (front/back). They also do lunge variations for days and a tiny bit of arms. I’ve taken probably 10 classes are so and they seem to clump together planking as core and upper body.

The classes are designed for a flow so you will do every single thing on your left side and then everything on your right side. It’s efficiant but can leave you feeling a bit unbalanced. Everything counts down in terms of time and each exercise lasts about a minute.

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As a pilates teacher, I am glad that I understand form because there is very little discussion of anatomy or the “why”. At times, the resistance seems inappropriately heavy. It’s just a lot of burn/shake/sweat. There’s no going deeper with anything. Of course some teachers are better than others.

TBH I started going to get some ideas for classes and there’s not THAT much you can use, it is definitely unique to the machine. They will usually be really open about how they aren’t pilates so it won’t be hating if you mention that to your clients. But again, you should try it. Trying it definitely helped me see how different it was, almost incomparable! Good luck!

I have tried a couple classes and had the same experience. Thank you for your feedback, I love your explanation of everything! I've noticed a lot of their websites say something that kind of sounds like "Pilates but better" which is frustrating but your answer definitely helped me put some of my thoughts in to a more clear explanation. Thanks again!!