Currently it has been announced that Personal Trainer rules allow 5 people plus the trainer in a gathering — outside — but I want to point out that this hasn’t really been confirmed by any professional fitness organisation, but has been put forward by the Government when looking at all aspects of social gatherings. We currently haven’t been given any clarity from Fitness Professional Bodies regarding returning to group exercise. There's a number of issues for us as Pilates Coaches, one of
them being from an insurance point of view. Outside classes would involve other Health and Safety and Risk assessment issues so unless a Personal Trainer is already insured for outdoor training this would require a discussion with insurance providers. Couple this with the British summer weather and this would make timetabling of classes very tricky.
Even if and when the 5 person rule is relaxed to the point of being allowed to do this indoors, there remains the 2-metre social distancing requirements, which means that we would only get a limited number of people in a venue — some of the smaller venues we use would limit class size to just 4 or 5, which would have financial implications.
The biggest issue for me though, is the safeguarding of our clients, yes you! The fallout with Covid-19 has made me aware that venues are not inherently safe, and I need to be completely comfortable with being able to run physical classes safely, without any chance of cross-infection between class-members. One of our venues has contacted me to say they are working hard to implement new safety measures, however they are not taking any group bookings until September at the very earliest and
then this will be reviewed closer to the time. Again there will be discussions with insurance providers to understand the implications for us as a group fitness provider. I don’t want to imagine running a class where one class-member with asymptomatic Coronavirus passes the illness onto another class-member...
One thing I have already decided is that our policy of providing mats and small equipment for classes will stop. Cleaning and sterilising equipment to the appropriate standard between sessions would not be possible, so moving forwards we will encourage everyone to bring their own mat and equipment to class, if and when physical classes return.
So we will continue with the uncertainty regarding returning to physical classes, and although September has been mooted as a potential return, as things are at the moment I am still unsure.
Online Pilates Classes
Fortunately, the online Pilates classes are going from strength to strength. We have five live matwork classes each week, one Reformers At Home class, and usually a special class, tutorial or event to round things up. All live classes are well attended, and the recorded classes (if you can’t make a live class, or just want to do more Pilates) are literally viewed hundreds of times a week. Lots of you are particularly enjoying access to the recordings.
I’ve had many of you telling me that they are doing several classes each week at home now, rather than the once a week physical class, so have never been fitter and more flexible in their lives. An increasing number of you have already told me that even if or when physical classes do return, they will not be attending — preferring to continue to do online classes — for safeguarding reasons, as well as for fitness and the absolute convenience and access.
The Way Forward
So therefore, online classes are with us for the foreseeable future. I have been so pleased that they have been taken to heart by you and I am thrilled that your health, both physical and emotional, is improving because of them. Lockdown has been — and continues to be — an awful thing, so I am really pleased that the online Pilates classes seem to help. Long may that continue — during lockdown, and beyond it.
