What's behind the popularity of Pilates on Longboat Key?

Mike Condensa said that throughout the course of his 20 years running Pilates classes alongside his wife, Emily, he’s seen how she’s been able to help people recover from sometimes serious injuries. 

“Over the course of time, the trend has been fantastic,” Mike Condensa said. “People have realized Pilates is a solution.”

Going down the 11 miles of Longboat Key, residents and visitors could pick a couple different places for a Pilates class, from the Condensas’ Performance Pilates studios on the north end to Pilates LBK farther south. 

Mike Condensa said their online portal to sign up for classes often has a waitlist for classes.

Lisa Baskfield with Pilates Longboat Key in the Centre Shops said that she’s seen more and more people becoming interested in Pilates since she opened the studio about five years ago. 

What is Pilates?

“Pilates” was created by Joseph Pilates, a German circus tumbler and gymnast who was taken into custody during World War I by the British. 

While in the prison camp, he led exercise routines for other inmates while developing his fitness ideas. 

After the war, Pilates was able to learn from other medical professionals to hone those ideas. Working with injured soldiers allowed him to refine his methods and develop an apparatus that would eventually become known as a reformer. 

Photo by Carter Weinhofer

In the 1930s, Pilates and his instruction became a reputable form of therapy for injured dancers. His fitness ideas were then published in his first book in 1934. 

Over time, more Pilates machines came to fruition, beyond the universal reformer. 

Though it wasn’t accepted at first by the medical community, it picked up steam in the 1980s and 1990s with doctors and the media. All this led to the current popularity of the Pilates lifestyle. 

“Studios and health clubs, teacher training programs, celebrity endorsements, and extensive media coverage now regularly extol the benefits of studying Pilates,” states an article from the Pilates Method Alliance. 

Pilates as a lifestyle

Emily Condensa is a master Pilates instructor, and though Mike isn’t a certified instructor, he helps teach some classes like the Fuse Ladder — a dynamic, full-body workout that uses the Fuse Ladder machine. 

Both group classes and individual, private classes are offered at Performance Pilates and Pilates Longboat Key. 

Mike Condensa said there are different levels of Pilates enthusiasts he’s seen on the island. There’s casual class-takers, those who take classes almost every day and then there’s those who come to Emily looking to use Pilates to address specific issues or injuries. 

The Condensas realized there was a high demand for Pilates on Longboat Key, and their classes continue to be filled. 

That’s what led them to open a second studio a couple doors down from their first Longboat Key location. Mike Condensa said they wanted to open more space to serve the community even more. 

The Battleground, as it’s now called, created a separate space to focus on classes like Fuse Ladder and Power Bar. 

Nate Sipos also joined the team. He also offers functional strength training. Though not identical to Pilates, the training Sipos does has similar components, like focusing on stretches and something called “knees over toes.” 

According to Sipos, knees over toes is a philosophy that promotes movements where the knees extend past the toes, like deep squats or walking backwards with a weighted sled. 

Those movements stretch the muscles in ways that strengthen the joints. Sipos’ classes are also becoming increasingly popular in Whitney Beach Plaza. 

But Pilates isn’t something that’s just popular on Longboat Key. 

Condensa commented about how Pilates has been an emerging trend among professional athletes, too. 

“Over the course of time, the trend has been fantastic,” Mike Condensa said. “People have realized Pilates is a solution.”

What are the benefits?

What started as fitness for war prisoners and a method of physical therapy for dancers has evolved into something that people are doing every day to stay fit and recover from injuries. 

“The trend now is people are seeing that Pilates isn’t just a form of exercise, it’s a lifestyle for healthier living,” Mike Condensa said.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, Pilates offers numerous health benefits like improved flexibility, core stability and muscle tone. 

Moves done as a part of Pilates can help to loosen tight muscles and help with alignment, which could also alleviate back pain. 

A lot of the movements also focus on balance and stretching, which help with flexibility and coordination. 

There’s also the suggestion of Pilates helping with breath control and overall mental health. During a Pilates class, blood flow is increased and some have expressed that the blood flow mixed with stretching can also be calming.

Baskfield said many of their clients at Pilates Longboat Key have spoken about how the classes have improved overall health, balance, flexibility and helped them to regain confidence in their ability to remain active at an older age. 

She also said there have been clients who have come in with injuries like muscle tears, back disc issues and conditions like Parkinson’s disease looking for relief. 

“After working with us in our studio, they comment to us on how they see improvement in their movement, strength, overall well-being, including their mental well-being,” Baskfield said in an email. 

Whether it’s people looking to stay in shape at an older age or wanting to recover from injuries, Pilates has continued to grow into a popular lifestyle.