Walsh Pilates of Baton Rouge

Another fitness studio I frequent often is Walsh Pilates on Jefferson Highway in Baton Rouge. The studio is a classical Pilates studio featuring the reformer, the tower, the chair, and other classic Pilates equipment. My Instructor of choice is Melody Benton-Thompson, and I started by taking her Reformer/Tower Therapeutic Pilates classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, later progressing to her Pilates Reformer Level 2 classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11:00. As someone who took mat Pilates for years in college I thought I was totally ready for these classes, they would be a breeze, and I’d be in the most advanced classes within two weeks. Yep, that wasn’t the case! Turns out the difference between simple mat Pilates and Pilates on the equipment are so day and night they might as well be completely different disciplines. I was constantly challenged and tested in classes, and welcomed the challenges whole-heartedly. At times the machines and exercises tapped into my inner circus performer, which left me giggling. My OCD loves how clean the studio is, the instructors and students are all pleasant, and I love the individual attention I receive in my classes (classes are limited to four people, so no one is overlooked- very important for form and all sorts of good stuff). This is one of my favorite places to take classes in Baton Rouge and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a studio offering classical Pilates in a way Joseph Pilates would approve of.

Yoglates II South Review (Highlandia Location)

So I’ve been going to Yoglates 2 South for on and off once a week for about half a year. I typically attend the 9:15 class on Mondays, and the instructor is usually the unsinkable April and she was definitely a drill instructor in a previous life- and I mean that in a good way. I came into Yogalates expecting some powderpuff pseudo-exercises, some stretching, some feel good mantras, and some rest and relaxation. What did I get? Sore muscles for a week. This surprised the heck out of me. I am a hardcore gym attendee and haven’t been sore from working out in probably a year yet this exercise class had me feeling the pain. It was a major, yet pleasant, surprise. The temperature is amped up to a grueling 250 degrees. Ok, so it’s not 250 degrees, but dang is it hot! You stretch, of course, but you also lunge, plank, squat, and perform other amazing feats of epic pain until your body is slenderized, sculpted, and exhausted, guided by the encouragement of your instructor who is simply not going to let you slack on it. You are left feeling sweaty, somewhat Superwoman-ish, and ready to take on the day. Yoglates is great for those who need something to reboot their fitness regime, want something a little different than your typical Bikram Yoga, or has become tired with the traditional fitness classes.