07/16/2025
Is Pilates “corrective exercise”?
That depends on how you define it, and more importantly, how you apply it.
Lately, I’ve heard it said we should reject the term outright, arguing that “corrective” implies a rigid right vs. wrong. This binary might serve a good-vs-evil fairytale narrative but rarely holds up in real life (or in the body).
In the world I come from, which is shaped by Jay Grimes and rooted in Joe Pilates’ method, correction isn’t about nitpicking or pointing out flaws. It’s about observing, guiding, and knowing when someone is ready to progress. As Sandy Shimoda in her Contrology Handbook says (get the book ) :
“Rather than endeavoring to correct every part of your movement superficially, you allow the regular repetition of Joe’s exercise to correct your functioning over time.”
That’s the kind of correction I believe in: patient, practiced, earned. And yes, by that definition, Pilates is corrective exercise.
🧠 New blog post coming soon: Corrective Without the Complex.
