Why Strong & Steady?
Bed Pilates has become a popular part of the Mobilates timetable, giving members the opportunity to enjoy Pilates from the support of their bed without needing to exercise upright or get down onto the floor.
Now there’s another way to enjoy exercising from a bed or mat.
Strong & Steady Bed & Mat Pilates is a new six-week programme led by Kerry, designed to help you build strength, stability and confidence through slow, controlled movement.
The class builds on the accessibility of Bed Pilates but brings a different focus, with more dedicated strength and resistance work, a different instructor and a whole new feel and experience.
At the heart of Strong & Steady is a simple idea: Connect, Strengthen and Challenge.
Rather than everyone being expected to perform the same version of an exercise, Kerry aims to offer three phases for almost every movement. This allows you to choose the option that works best for your body, energy and ability on that particular day.
The aim isn’t to reach the most challenging phase. It’s to find the right challenge for you.
Why Was Strong & Steady Created?
Strong & Steady has grown from the popularity of Bed Pilates and the opportunity it provides for people to exercise from a supported position.
Kerry wanted to offer something in addition to Bed Pilates that included more dedicated strength and resistance work, while retaining the accessibility and support of exercising from a bed or mat.
For members who find it difficult to be upright, it provides another opportunity to exercise without upright movement needing to be the starting point.
It also adds another class with a different instructor and approach. And with Kerry teaching, you can expect plenty of ways to adapt each movement!
Finding different options is one of Kerry’s strengths as an instructor, and Strong & Steady has been designed around that same principle – helping each person find a way to participate that works for them.
What is Strong & Steady Bed & Mat Pilates?
Strong & Steady uses Pilates-based exercises alongside resistance and strengthening techniques.
Rather than concentrating on completing lots of repetitions, the emphasis is on slow resistance, control and making each movement count.
This might include an isometric hold, where the muscles are activated and held in a still position without moving the joint, or deliberately slowing down the lowering phase of an exercise.
This means a movement doesn’t necessarily need to be large, fast or repeated lots of times to challenge the muscles.
Working from a bed or mat also provides additional proprioceptive feedback — the information we receive from our muscles and joints that helps us understand where our body is and how it is moving.
Exercises can be explored in a variety of lying positions, including on your back, side and front, with variations available in kneeling and sitting too.
Connect, Strengthen & Challenge
One of the defining features of Strong & Steady is the choice of three phases for almost every exercise.
Connect
Connect provides a starting point for exploring the movement and activating the muscles involved.
You might choose a smaller range of movement, little or no resistance and fewer repetitions – perhaps between one and six.
For example, instead of lifting into a bridge, you might begin with a heel press and glute squeeze, activating the muscles while remaining supported on the bed or mat.
Strengthen
Ready for a little more?
The Strengthen phase builds on the same movement by introducing a greater range, a few more repetitions or some light resistance.
Our heel press and glute squeeze, for example, might now develop into a small bridge.
Challenge
Challenge offers another option if you would like to progress the exercise further.
This might mean adding resistance, holding a position for longer, moving one limb at a time or making the lowering phase slower and more controlled.
The bridge could now include a slow lower or heel lift.
But Connect, Strengthen and Challenge aren’t levels that you have to work your way through.
You might choose Challenge for one exercise, Strengthen for the next and Connect for another. You can move between the phases throughout the class depending on your body, your energy and how you are feeling that day.
Connect, strengthen and challenge – your way.
Adapting Strong & Steady for Mobilates Members
At Mobilates, we know there is no single version of an exercise that will work for everybody.
Strong & Steady has choice built into the class from the beginning.
As well as choosing between Connect, Strengthen and Challenge, exercises can be adapted through position, range of movement, resistance, repetitions and the amount of support you use.
You may work lying on your back, side or front, while kneeling and seated alternatives can also be offered. Cushions, towels and other supports can help you find a comfortable and supported position.
And you don’t need to be able to get down onto the floor to take part – your bed can become your exercise space.
There is also no expectation that the option you choose at the beginning of a class will remain the right option throughout. Bodies, symptoms and energy levels can change – sometimes from day to day and sometimes during the same session.
Strong & Steady gives you the freedom to respond to those changes and choose what works for you.
What to Expect in a Strong & Steady Class
Each 45-minute session will begin with a warm-up to gradually get the body moving and increase blood flow to the muscles.
Kerry will then guide you through a selection of controlled strengthening exercises, offering different phases and adaptations along the way.
Rather than focusing on lots of repetitions, you might spend time slowing a movement down, holding a muscle contraction or adding resistance to increase the challenge.
Each session will use just one or two pieces of equipment, helping to keep things simple while still giving you different ways to explore resistance and strength.
The class will finish with a gentle mobility-based warm-down.
Throughout the session, the emphasis remains on quality rather than quantity – taking time to notice what your body is doing and choosing the amount of challenge that works for you.
The Benefits of Strong & Steady
Strengthening our muscles can support many aspects of everyday movement, and you don’t necessarily need big or fast movements to work them effectively.
Strong & Steady provides opportunities to work on:
muscular strength
stability and control
body awareness
coordination
confidence with movement
controlled movement through different ranges.
The slower pace also gives you time to concentrate on how an exercise feels and how your body responds, rather than feeling that you need to keep up with a particular speed or number of repetitions.
And because you choose between Connect, Strengthen and Challenge, there are opportunities to progress while still recognising that the right amount of challenge may look different from one day to the next.
Who is Strong & Steady For?
Strong & Steady is open to all levels, and no previous Pilates experience is necessary.
It may be particularly suitable for people who find it difficult to exercise upright and would benefit from working from the support of a bed or mat.
But you don’t need to fit into any particular category to join the class.
With three phases, different positions and Kerry’s many ways of adapting movements, the class has been designed so that people with different movement abilities can find an appropriate starting point.
You don’t need to be exercising at the Challenge phase to benefit from Strong & Steady. Connect is just as much a part of the class as Strengthen or Challenge.
Whether you’re already a fan of Bed Pilates and would like another opportunity to exercise from your bed or mat, want to introduce more strength work into your week, or simply fancy experiencing Pilates with a different instructor and a new approach, Strong & Steady gives you another way to move with Mobilates.
How to Prepare for Strong & Steady
Before the class begins, find a space where you feel comfortable and well supported.
You can take part from a mat or use your bed if getting down onto the floor isn’t comfortable or accessible for you.
Have any cushions, squishies or towels that you normally use for support nearby. These can help you adjust your position and find what feels right for your body.
As with all Mobilates classes, wear something comfortable that allows you to move freely and keep a drink nearby.
What You’ll Need
You won’t need lots of equipment for Strong & Steady.
Kerry plans to use just one or two props in each class, which might include:
a long resistance band
weights
a squishy ball.
Kerry will let you know which equipment is being used so that you can have everything ready before the class begins.
And remember, equipment is there to add another option to an exercise — you can still choose the version of the movement that works for you.
Try Strong & Steady
Would you like to experience Strong & Steady before joining the new class?
Kerry has recorded a Strong & Steady Sample Class so you can give it a try.
The sample class gives you an opportunity to experience Kerry’s teaching, explore some of the movements and adaptations and get a feel for the slower, controlled approach at the heart of Strong & Steady.
You can try the whole session or simply explore some of the exercises and see how they feel for you.
Ready to Join Strong & Steady?
Strong & Steady Bed & Mat Pilates begins on Wednesday 7th October and will initially run for six weeks.
Wednesdays from 7th October
1.30pm
45 minutes
With Kerry
Whether you choose to Connect, Strengthen or Challenge, Strong & Steady is about finding the movement that works for you.
Book Your Place
We’d love you to join Kerry and discover a new way to get Strong & Steady
Ready to Try a Class?
Mobilates offers a range of online Pilates and movement classes via Zoom, supporting people with long-term health conditions, reduced mobility, and anyone looking to improve strength, mobility, and confidence through safe, accessible exercise.
Already a member?
Book your online Mobilates classes here.
New to Mobilates?
Then you can book your free online Mobilates trial here.
Other Blogs in this series:
Mobilates CIC provides inclusive, adapted exercise for people living with long term health conditions, chronic pain, fatigue and disability.
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