25 Pilates Class Themes to Keep Your Sessions Fresh and Creative
Instructors, are you struggling to feel inspired while class planning? Having a theme to help you plan can be a simple yet effective tool to make your sessions more engaging for both you and your students. At Niche, we love a good theme, and we believe it can bring new energy to your Pilates classes. Themes can help focus your classes around a specific goal or concept, and they can easily be tailored to suit the needs of your students.
A theme could involve a special holiday, a muscle group focus, or an exercise-focused approach. Choosing a theme first and then building a class plan around it can make the process of creating your sessions easier on yourself and fun for the clients. It also gives you an opportunity to introduce variety into your teaching and to keep your students motivated to come back.
We’ve broken down class themes into three categories: Everyday Class Themes, Fun/Creative Themes, and Holiday Themes. You can easily mix and match these ideas to fit your teaching style and the goals of your class.
Everyday Class Themes
1.Contralateral
Work on opposing limbs during this class by focusing on contralateral exercises that help with balance, coordination, and core strength. You can include movements like the Bird Dog, Swimming, or single-arm and single-leg exercises to build full-body strength and stability.
2. Rotation
Rotational movements are key to building functional strength and flexibility. Design a class focused on rotations, like twisting or spiraling movements, which help with the mobility of the spine and improve overall functional strength. This can include exercises like Russian Twists, Spine Twists, and Saw.
3. Unilateral
Sometimes focusing on one side of the body at a time can be incredibly effective. A unilateral theme works on strengthening each leg, arm, or side of the body individually. Exercises like single-leg squats, one-arm planks, and lunges will challenge balance and coordination while also targeting strength and mobility.
4. Bird Dog
This theme can focus on core strength and stability by utilizing exercises like the Bird Dog (from the mat or on the reformer), which targets the back and abs and promotes coordination and spinal alignment. Other great exercises for this theme include Plank, Side Plank, and other balance-focused movements.
5. Hip Stability
A hip stability theme works on strengthening the muscles around the hip joint, which is essential for overall mobility and injury prevention. You can include exercises that target the glutes, thighs, and lower back, such as Clamshells, Hip Circles, and Glute Bridges.
6. Balance
Incorporate a variety of exercises that challenge balance, from standing balance poses to mat work that encourages engagement of stabilizing muscles. This theme can include exercises like Tree Pose, Leg Circles, and Lunges to develop the connection between the mind and body while also improving posture.
7. Cat / Cow
A great way to create a calming, yet effective class is to focus on flexibility and fluidity. Use this theme to guide your students through deep stretches and flowing movements that increase joint mobility. Incorporate spinal twists, hamstring stretches, and hip openers to encourage long, lean muscles.
8. Pilates for Posture
Posture is at the heart of Pilates, and this class focuses on strengthening the muscles that support the spine. Exercises like Chest Openers, Shoulder Bridge, and Scapular Retraction will help your students improve their alignment and prevent tension from building up in their neck and shoulders.
9. Strength
Incorporate a focus on strength-building exercises in this theme. Think slow, controlled movements targeting muscle engagement throughout the entire body, focusing on resistance and endurance.
10. Abduction
Abduction exercises are fantastic for targeting the outer muscles of the body, particularly the glutes, hips, and thighs. This theme focuses on strengthening the muscles responsible for moving the limbs away from the midline of the body. Exercises like Side-Lying Leg Raises, Clamshells are perfect for building strength and stability in the lower body while improving balance and coordination.
Fun/Creative Themes
11. Super Bowl Sunday
A special Super Bowl Sunday class is the perfect way for clients to start their day before the big game. A fun way to enhance this theme is by making a playlist based on whoever is performing at the Super Bowl halftime show that year.
12. Eras Tour Soundtrack
Since the Eras tour lasted over a year, this theme was one we were able to revisit (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!). We can fix your broken heart with Pilates… the punchlines are endless with our girl Tay.
13. Boy Bands and Booty Bands
Adding props to the description of your class is a great way for clients to know what’s coming! One of our favorite props is our Bala bands, perfect for engaging the glutes. These bands are so versatile, so get creative you can use them for more than just the booty!
14. Wicked Soundtrack
Stay on trend and use current movies for your soundtrack classes! These are especially great when you time them with the movie release date or right after. Our clients love these soundtrack classes, and bonus points if you dress up!
15. Bangers and Bala Bangles
This class can incorporate high-energy music and the use of Bala Bangles to add intensity to bodyweight exercises. A fun, rhythmic class perfect for keeping your clients moving and grooving through their workout.
16. Musicals and Mobility
Use songs from beloved musicals to guide your class through a series of mobility-focused movements. Emphasize fluidity, joint movement, and stretching to help release tension and increase flexibility.
17. Kendrick vs Drake
As you can tell, we love soundtrack classes, but they’re even better when you can incorporate two competing artists for a fun riff-off!
18. Pilates and Pancakes
An alliteration is always an easy way to create a fun theme! Last year, we had a Pilates and Pancakes class that was focused on community building. We made pancakes in the lobby after class so clients could eat, chat, and get to know one another better! We had the best time with this event.
19. Mat Pilates & Mocktails
After a great class, make it a fun social experience by offering healthy mocktail recipes and light refreshments, encouraging students to share and connect. This theme combines exercise with community and refreshment!
Holiday Themes
20. Sleigh the Reformer (Christmas Theme)
In this class, get into the holiday spirit by incorporating festive music and exercises that mimic being on Santa's sleigh. We love a long box series for this theme as the sleigh and using the straps for any arm work to "steer the sleigh."
21. Snow Angels (Winter Theme)
Incorporate angelic movements like graceful arm sweeps and extended leg exercises that mimic the shape of snow angels. A theraband for the first half of class to get the clients nice and warm works perfect. Then add the option to ditch the theraband and grab 5lb dumbbells for an extra burn. See our reel for inspiration!
22. Elf (Christmas Theme)
This year, our Instructor Savannah taught a Christmas-themed class revolving around the plotline of the movie Elf. She used scenes from the movie to create the flow and used punchlines to keep the clients entertained. For example, when Buddy starts his journey in the Big Apple and ventures through the mall, he does a split up the escalator. See how Savannah incorporated this into her class here!
23. Boos and Brews (Valentine's Day Theme)
This Valentine’s Day, we hosted a Boos and Brews class, where we invited our clients to bring a special guest (or "boo") along for the fun. It was a great way to introduce new faces to our studio while letting our current members enjoy a unique and festive experience with their loved ones. With our membership perks, each member gets one free guest pass every month, so for this special occasion, they were able to bring their boo absolutely free! It was the perfect blend of fitness, fun, and a little bit of love! Check out our memberships here.
24. Halloween Soundtrack Class
For Halloween, it’s fun to get into the spooky mood with music and create a theme around it. One of our instructors, Maddie, did a Harry Potter Quidditch theme. You’re the coach, and your clients are your team zooming around on broomsticks (carriage). See some inspiration here!
25. St.Patricks Day Rainbow Flow
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, we offered a special member-free class as a token of our appreciation. This year, we encouraged everyone to get creative with their movements, incorporating "rainbow-like" flows to add a unique twist to their practice. One of the featured exercises involved all fours work, with one leg extended, tapping from corner to corner to form a rainbow shape. It was a fun and energizing way to embrace the holiday and connect with the flow of movement!