Pilates, pilates, pilates. It’s everywhere. Thanks to TikTok and Instagram, pilates has blown up and if you are anything like me, you tried it to see what all the hype was about, and you got hooked! The low-impact movements are challenging, fun, and don’t leave your body feeling completely fatigued (which I love, because who wants to feel utterly exhausted after trying to take care of their body and enhance their health, right?).
After trying pilates, it quickly became my favorite form of exercise, and that’s coming from someone who gets bored of doing one form of exercise very easily. I have been doing pilates consistently for about two years now, and at this point, I think I have tried almost every pilates platform under the sun. But, finally, after a lot of trial and error, I have narrowed down my top 3 favorite virtual pilates platforms that I use every single week, and I feel entirely confident both seasoned and novice pilates enthusiasts will enjoy them.
Are You Ready to Move With Nicole?
When I am looking for a relaxed, FREE, and fun pilates class to take to feel energized and excited for the day in front of me, I head to YouTube and get ready to Move With Nicole. Nicole is a certified pilates and yoga instructor from Australia who created her YouTube channel, Move With Nicole, to share her passion for movement with others and to guide people to feel their best selves. Move With Nicole has over 1 Million subscribers and the content ranges from beginner to advanced pilates, yoga, and barre workouts. All of her workouts are simple and straightforward but are still challenging and provide great exercise. So, whether you are brand new to pilates or have been doing it for a while, there is something for everyone to enjoy on the Move With Nicole channel.
My personal favorite classes Nicole shares on her channel are the 20-minute pilates classes. I love that they are short and sweet, but still super effective. I always work up a sweat by the time the class is over, and I feel so much more energized than when I started. The best thing about Move With Nicole is that it is totally and completely free to use. As long as you have access to WiFi, you can log onto YouTube and work out from anywhere, which is incredible. Another great aspect of the workouts on Move With Nicole is that they require zero equipment; you don’t even need a yoga mat if you don’t want to use one or if you don’t have one lying around. How great is that? I typically will just queue up Nicole’s newest pilates workout on my laptop, clear some space next to my bed, and get moving right on the carpet. So all in all, I highly recommend Move With Nicole, especially if you are just getting into pilates and don’t know where to start because her workouts are approachable, easy to follow, and so much fun!
Who is a Picture of Health? Melissa Wood Health!
Oh man, where do I even start in expressing my love for Melissa Wood Health? Melissa Wood Health is an online subscription pilates and yoga platform created by Melissa Wood, a certified pilates and yoga instructor, and wellness aficionado. There are over 300 workouts (with new workouts posted Mondays and Fridays) and 20+ meditations on the Melissa Wood Health platform that you can access for only $99 a year. That is less than $0.27 a day! And, listen, I get it, college is expensive and most of us college students don’t have the expendable income to dish out on fancy workout classes, but forking over $0.27 each day to take care of your body and mind is worth it in my book. But, don’t fret, before handing over your subscription fee for the year, you are able to start a 7-day free trial to make sure that this platform is something you want to commit to. The Melissa Wood Health platform was the first virtual pilates platform that I tried when I decided to jump on the TikTok train promoting pilates day in and day out, and boy am I glad I did! Melissa blends yoga and pilates to create both a calm and invigorating workout experience that always leaves me feeling so good in my body and mind. Melissa also has such a wonderful way about her; she is poised, calm, and incredibly passionate about sharing her love of pilates and yoga with her members. Melissa has been an advocate for holistic health and wellness for years now and is definitely someone who takes taking care of their mental and physical health seriously. So, as a consumer, I am always curious to hear what new regimen she is adding to her daily routine to elevate her overall well-being. She is a wealth of knowledge and certainly a picture of holistic health.
Most of the workouts available on the Melissa Wood Health platform are less than 20 minutes in length so they are perfect to squeeze in before class or in between study sessions. But, of course, since there are over 300 workouts available on the platform, there are also workouts that range anywhere from 5 minutes to 55 minutes, so there is something for every amount of time you have in your day to take care of yourself, which is amazing. Little to no equipment is required to complete a Melissa Wood Health workout, all you need is a little bit of space and your laptop, tablet, or phone. You can access Melissa Wood Health online or through the Melissa Wood Health app that you can download onto any of your mobile devices, which I love because it makes working out simple and easy. My favorite thing about the Melissa Wood Health platform is that it is heavily focused on the breath and the mind-body connection. Melissa is a huge proponent of meditation and taking care of your mind before and while you are taking care of your body, so she always incorporates mindful breathing into the beginning and end of her workouts to get you grounded in your body and centered in your mind. I am a huge fan of the Melissa Wood Health platform and I recommend it to anyone who is looking to strengthen their connection to their mind and body and is wanting to find quick but effective workouts to squeeze into their busy schedules.
The What Society? The Sculpt Society!
Okay, okay, I know I said I narrowed it down to my top three favorite virtual pilates platforms, but I have to confess, The Sculpt Society is my absolute favorite platform of them all. The Sculpt Society was created by former professional dancer turned fitness instructor Megan Roup and it aims to empower women through movement. The Sculpt Society provides a wide variety of workout classes and programs ranging from dance cardio classes, to sculpt classes, to a slow and controlled program that focuses on bringing focus and control into every movement. There is a beginner program, an advanced program, and a quickie program that offers short and spicy workouts ranging from 5-23 minutes long to sculpt muscle tone in your legs, booty, abs, and arms. The Sculpt Society also offers stretching classes, guided meditations, and yoga classes, and new classes are added to the platform every Monday.
Megan has such an infectious, inspiring energy that makes you want to get up and move, which is exactly what I need in the morning to perk me up before heading to class. Now, The Sculpt Society is definitely more expensive than any of the other platforms I mentioned at $179.99 a year, but I will say, it is 100% worth it (and, The Sculpt Society offers a 7-day free trial as well, so you don’t have to commit to paying $179.99 right off the bat). The Sculpt Society’s mission to empower women through movement is entirely executed by Megan and her team, I always feel so good in and about my body after completing a class on The Sculpt Society. Megan makes a conscious effort to take the focus of exercise off of what your body looks like and redirect that focus to how you feel in it. Do you feel strong? Do you feel capable? Do you feel healthy? I really appreciate this shift in dialogue around exercise because so often I hear fitness instructors talk about exercise as a means to get the “perfect” body or “tone up” and that just makes me feel less inspired to work out and less confident in my body. So, Megan’s messaging around exercise alone is enough to make The Sculpt Society worth it for me, but of course, the expansive variety of classes offered through the platform is incredible, and I never feel bored or uninspired by the content Megan puts out there.
Also, Megan puts together a weekly schedule for you to follow so you don’t even have to think about what workout you want to do in the morning, or whenever you are ready to work out, because it’s already picked out for you. All of the workouts on The Sculpt Society are able to be modified without equipment, but many of the workouts use 2 or 3-pound hand weights or a resistance band, so that is something to keep in mind if you are someone who likes to workout with minimal equipment or doesn’t have access to those pieces of equipment. Now, I know that this article is centered around pilates platforms and I’ll admit, The Sculpt Society is not a traditional pilates platform; it definitely is a pilates fusion platform, incorporating low-impact pilates movements into the sculpt classes or the dance cardio classes. But, nonetheless, it is an amazing platform that I very much enjoy and would recommend to anyone looking to get a great sweat on, because, whew, The Sculpt Society workouts do not hold back! The workouts may be low-impact, but that does not mean easy. All of the workouts are challenging and so much fun! As a college student, I’d say it’s rare to find joy in doing anything before an 8:30 AM lecture, but working out with The Sculpt Society provides that opportunity for me. And, if that isn’t motivation enough to try it out, I don’t know what is!
Now it’s up to you!
So, whatever you are looking for, these pilates platforms are primed and ready to offer it to you. If you are looking for a free, low-commitment workout, head over to YouTube and check out all of the workout classes Move With Nicole has to offer! If you are looking for a calming yet challenging workout head over to Melissa Wood Health and get your 7-day free trial started! If you are looking to sculpt muscle tone throughout your whole body and dance around while doing it, head over to The Sculpt Society and get your groove on! These virtual workout platforms have helped me feel excited and inspired to workout every day, and I know they will make you feel that way too. Don’t just take my word for it, though, try these virtual pilates platforms for yourself! But, I promise you can take my word as truth on this one: if you weren’t a pilates lover before, you definitely will be after trying these virtual pilates platforms!