Congratulations!
You’ve received your Pilates teaching certification and you’re ready to set up shop or hit the studios. Super exciting times. As you get into the swing of your new career you can start to consider what sort of work you want to focus on.
Why being a pregnancy specialist is a good idea
One of the most popular choices for newbie teachers is training to teach pre- and post-natal clients. There’s good reason for this. During pregnancy the body goes through countless changes. Pilates is an extremely effective way of keeping the body healthy during this period of development by addressing these changes and minimising any negative effects. As a result, pregnancy Pilates classes are massively popular with mums-to-be and new mums too.
What do I look out for in a course?
So now you’re back to the question who do I train with to teach pre- and post-natal clients. Here are some things to consider:
TECHNICAL COMPONENT
Most courses will be heavy on anatomy and have a pretty technical element. This is understandable, and desirable, given how much the body changes during pregnancy and postpartum. For this group you really need to understand how to put together a programme based on these changes.
BOTH PRE- AND POST-NATAL SCOPE
Double check to see that they cover pregnancy and the post-natal months. It may be that you need to enrol in two separate courses. The needs of these groups are different.
UK VS OTHER COUNTRIES
The approach to pre-and post-natal exercises is different across the globe. If you’re teaching in the UK, it’s worth knowing that our approach won’t necessarily be the same as in other countries. If you have the opportunity to do a course in more than one country it’s a real bonus as maternity care is dealt with differently around the world. You will learn so much. Now’s a great time to look around as everything is online.
INSURANCE
Check that your insurance provider recognises the course, especially if you’re planning on putting yourself out to be a pregnancy specialist.
DOES IT COVER MAT AND EQUIPMENT
Many pregnancy courses cover only matwork which is a shame because some really great work can be done on the equipment. However, if the course is well taught then you will come away understanding how to programme exercises on the equipment. Personally, I think it’s better to have the equipment included. Pilates isn’t just matwork.
COURSE OPTIONS
I’ve set out below some of the popular courses in the UK and US. I haven’t done them all, but I have done three and every one was worthwhile for different reasons.
BASI (based in the UK)
J Pilates (based in the UK)
https://www.jpilates.co.uk/level-3-award-in-pre-post-nat
Body Control Pilates (based in the UK)
http://www.bodycontrolpilates.com/shop/
Kate Fry (based in the UK and France)
Deborah Goodman with Kinected (based in the States)
https://kinectededu.com/stay-inspired/ (not currently on the schedule but sign up to their mailing list for alerts)
The Center for Women’s Fitness (based in the States)
https://thecenterforwomensfitness.com/online-courses/
Photo by Ignacio Campo on Unsplash
