If I had a dollar for every time someone said this to me, I could probably open a fourth studio.
“I’d love to try Pilates but I’m just not flexible enough.”
It’s the most common thing people say. And I completely understand where it comes from. But it’s a bit like saying you’re too hungry to eat.
Flexibility isn’t the entry fee. It’s the result.
Somewhere along the way, Pilates and yoga got lumped in with gymnastics. People picture a room full of bendy humans folded in half, and assume you need to already be like that before you walk in.
You don’t.
The reformer is actually designed for people who aren’t flexible. The springs assist your movement, which means you can work through ranges of motion your body wouldn’t access on its own yet. You’re not forcing anything. The machine meets you where you are and helps you go a bit further each time.
Yoga works the same way. Every pose has a modification. You’re never expected to match the person next to you. You just do what your body can do today, and it gets a little more tomorrow.
It’s not genetics. It’s not age, though that doesn’t help. It’s mostly just how we live.
The average Australian adult sits for around nine hours a day. Desk, car, couch. Your hip flexors shorten. Your hamstrings tighten. Your back rounds. Your body is very good at adapting to whatever position you put it in most often. For most people, that position is “folded into a chair.”
Here’s the interesting part. Your muscles aren’t actually shorter. They’re neurologically “locked.” Your nervous system sets a protective range of motion based on what it thinks is safe. When you haven’t moved through a full range in years, your brain essentially puts up a roadblock and says “nope, we don’t go there anymore.” Stretching doesn’t physically lengthen the muscle so much as it convinces your nervous system to let go of the handbrake.
That’s why showing up regularly matters more than pushing hard. You’re not breaking down tissue. You’re retraining your brain’s idea of what’s safe.
And it works faster than you’d think. A randomised controlled trial at Chiang Mai University found that eight weeks of Pilates, two sessions a week, significantly improved flexibility compared to the control group. The improvement was measurable at just four weeks, and kept building through eight. Forty-five minute sessions. Nothing extreme. (Phrompaet et al., 2011, Asian Journal of Sports Medicine)
A systematic review of 16 studies found the same pattern. Pilates showed strong evidence for improving flexibility in healthy people, regardless of age or starting fitness. (Cruz-Ferreira et al., 2011, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
My husband Reid is a good example. He cycled for years, was reasonably fit, but couldn’t touch his knees in a forward fold. His hip flexors were concrete. He started yoga when we opened the studio and now he genuinely loves it, can touch his toes, and doesn’t grunt putting his shoes on anymore. If he can get there, trust me, anyone can.
This is the part that surprises people.
You walk in. Shoes off. Someone shows you the reformer, explains the springs, where your feet go. Then you lie down and start moving.
Most of a first class is on your back. Footwork, leg presses, some arm work with straps. The instructor walks you through everything. If something doesn’t feel right or you can’t reach as far as someone else, they’ll adjust it for you.
Nobody is doing the splits. Your instructor is watching you closely and giving hands-on corrections, but the rest of the class? They’re not looking at you. They’re too busy concentrating on their own body. And honestly, half the room felt exactly the way you’re feeling right now before their first class.
“I’m not flexible enough” feels like a physical fact. But most of the time it’s actually just nerves dressed up as a reason. Not wanting to feel like a beginner. Not wanting to look silly. Not wanting to be the stiffest person in the room.
Every single person in every studio everywhere felt some version of that before their first class. Every one.
Flexibility isn’t something you bring to Pilates. It’s something you take home from it.
See you in class,
Mel
P.S. If you’ve been thinking about it but haven’t booked, our free Foundations classes are designed for exactly this. Forty-five minutes, no experience needed, available at all three studios (Hurstbridge, Diamond Creek, and Eltham). No card required, no commitment.
