Your Future Health is a Systems Approach
Over the years I have coached and trained many students wanting physical transformation. What I have noticed is that the ones who adopted a systems mindset had the most success. According to a study published on PubMed Central (PMC), individuals working with a personal trainer show vastly superior fat reduction and muscle mass improvements compared to those training alone. Whether you participate in Pilates classes (in our studio we offer small groups classes of 3 people) or Pilates privates, you open the possibility for powerful, scientifically proven results. But did you know that they target very different physiological and psychological pathways?
Group Classes thrive on energy, group dynamics and shared struggle. Psychologically, they provide the following benefits:
Stronger Habit Adherence: Social accountability is a massive factor for consistency.
Enhanced Emotional Well-being: From a socio-evolutionary standpoint, the biggest benefit is the opportunity to support and be supported by others. Even though there is ample opportunity to work more independently, which on its own has cognitive and reinforcing benefits, the teacher’s eyes are moving across 3-4 different bodies rather than just one. Seeing others struggle or succeed alongside satisfies a fundamental psychological need for connectedness, reducing feelings of isolation and boosting your overall mood.
Enhanced Motivation (The Köhler Effect): People naturally push themselves harder when exercising with others. The friendly competition and shared energy increase your pain tolerance and willingness to complete tough sets.
Integration of The (Pilates) Work
Pilates was designed to be progressive, intuitive and deeply personal. Classes provide the space for more focus and attention to your movement and your body. While you are guided through the process, the power of the work is in noticing and tuning into the quality of your movement when the teacher isn’t watching over you. This fundamental aspect is what provides you with the confidence to do it anywhere and any time. As a result, Contrology follows you even after you leave the studio.
Cognitive Benefits
We know that exercise increases the size of the hippocampus, the brain area responsible for verbal memory and learning. In addition, it also provides the brain with neuroprotective myokines: when muscle fibres contract, they function as an endocrine organ, releasing signalling molecules called myokines, also known as BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). It is a molecule that helps stimulate brain plasticity in the hippocampus and forms new neurons between brain cells. Pilates doubles down on the cognitive benefits, meeting not only the exercise requirement (exercising three or more times per week has been associated with a 40% to 50% lower risk of diagnosis with dementia), but also draws on memory recall. Actively engaging in deliberate memory recall builds cognitive reserve and, according to the same study, helps the brain build alternative neural pathways.
Private Sessions offer benefits too, including reduced social anxiety, higher motivation, and higher accountability. For beginners especially, having a dedicated expert by your side eliminates the intimidating guesswork of navigating a class, making the overall experience more predictable and less intimidating. There is also high extrinsic accountability; knowing someone is waiting for you at a predetermined time is highly motivating. Another benefit is targeted strength progression. Private sessions track your specific metrics to ensure progression and challenge, focusing entirely on you as well as relying on movement assessments and greater precision. This makes it an excellent choice for specific athletic training, post-injury recovery or specific injury prevention.
The best approach is a blend of Personal training with group dynamics—a system that provides you with the social and cognitive benefits of group dynamics, with expert guidance. Private and semi-private training that provides expertise, accountability and flexibility (but not too much flexibility that it results in non-compliance) is the sweet spot. That is where membership options offer the greatest value.
Look for memberships that do not lock you in—the goal shouldn’t be to penalize you if a strategy you’ve implemented does not work. Memberships work because you have signed onto a system that works for you. It is a structured, weather-proof environment that fosters consistency, provides access to equipment and services and offers a built-in expert with a supportive community.
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Further Reading:
Baylor College of Medicine. (2024, February 13). Benefits of exercise classes and groups. BCM Blog Network. bcm.edu
Harvard Health Publishing. (2026, April 20). Memory. Harvard Medical School.
Harvard Health Publishing. (2026, April 17). Exercise can boost your memory and thinking skills. Harvard Medical School.
