Day 102: Pilates Posse

The CAC offers group Pilates classes in a special studio set up with eight reformers, four of them that are elevated and include the typical tower equipment.  The Pilates programming has changed over the years, as members used to be able to sign up for an unlimited number of group classes each week, as long as you called the day before to register.  Within the past few years, the policy has changed to allow members to officially register for two free classes per week, with each additional class costing $10 as well as a $10 charge for no-shows or not cancelling your registration at least four hours prior to class time.

However, there's also still an option to call two hours prior to any given class to take a free walk-in spot if space remains, so if you know which classes tend to fill up and which tend to be less popular, you can often still take more than two free sessions each week.

I first started with mat Pilates at The Princeton Club in Madison in early 2001, and I hadn't taken any reformer classes until we moved to Sacramento and joined the CAC.  I'm really glad that I began with mat Pilates, as I find that approach much more challenging in many ways since, you have to completely rely on your form and core to properly execute the various positions, whereas the reformer offers a different type of support that occasionally allows you to "cheat" a bit if you're feeling tired or sore.  At the same time, there are certain exercises that you can only do on the reformer, so I definitely appreciate and enjoy my weekly sessions.

Even when I was training for marathons and had to prioritize the majority of my workout time for running workouts, I always made sure that I stuck with my Pilates practice as well, as I know that the core work, balance, and stretching involved in Pilates bring numerous health and wellness benefits to my life, not to mention the advantage of having a network of other folks who comprise my Pilates "posse" as regular attendees in each class.