In this episode, Sam sits down with Heather Andersen—founder of New York Pilates—to talk about the current Pilates boom, its benefits, and its drawbacks. What actually is Pilates? What's definitely not Pilates? What are all these new studios and instructors getting wrong? How do I breathe while bracing my core properly? And WTF is a Multifidus?

Listen to this episode if you want to know the truth about Pilates in 2026.

Key moments:

01:51 The overlap between ballet and Pilates

04:41 What Pilates ACTUALLY is

06:14 The 7 pillars of Pilates technique

09:31 Why is Pilates having such a moment right now?

16:57 What people get WRONG about Pilates

21:23 What’s unsafe about the Pilates boom

23:31 New York Pilates vs. everyone else

26:47 Weekend certifications and finding the right instructors

29:44 What makes a good Pilates instructor (what to look for in an instructor/class/studio)

33:06 How to brace your core correctly

38:31 Abdominal doming

42:37 How her practice has transformed over time

43:05 Classical vs. contemporary Pilates

50:42 Taking modifications in class

53:58 Rapid-fire Pilates “this or that”

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