Welcome to the Pilates Central May newsletter. Pilates Central sends out a  regular newsletter packed with news about the studio and the world of Pilates.

May Highlights:

• Rita praising Pilates
• Paddy Power
• I’ll be back
• Post-apocalyptic Pilates

Rita praising Pilates

Rita Ora seems to have become a worldwide ambassador for Pilates. First the Daily Mail featured her arriving at a Pilates studio in Sydney, where she was filming for The Voice, looking super-fit as the singer “showed off her washboard abs and incredibly toned figure in a black crop top and high-waisted leggings.”

A week later Rita was in New York promoting her single Praising You featuring Norman Cook and sampling Praise You by Fatboy Slim, and of course doing Pilates. The Mail gushed: “Rita Ora sends temperatures soaring as she flaunts her very toned abs in a black sports bra while leaving Pilates in New York City.” She was drinking a coffee and, “putting on a very leggy display in cycling shorts.”

While in New York Rita had a night out at the Prince’s Trust Global Gala with Kate Moss (who had just told the Financial Times that among the 31 things she couldn’t live without was her Reformer machine) and Sienna Miller. After that Rita was back in the UK performing at the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest and being interviewed by Glamour magazine, telling them that she was in “the best shape of her life” thanks to Pilates. Rather like her new single, it seems Ora is a great advocate for praising Pilates.

Paddy power

“Just as you think you’re fit as f**k Pilates comes and punches you straight up the neutral spine!” declared Paddy McGuinness to his two million Instagram followers. The irreverent Top Gear and Question of Sport host presented a less carefully-curated and certainly more blokey version of Pilates than Kim Kardashian and co. The Bolton comedian, 49, had been advised to try a Pilates class in Manchester after tearing muscles in his back and shoulder.

“I did it for the first time this morning. Oh god it’s brutal. It is brutal,” he said to camera. “I walked in this room. It was full of women of a certain age. I’m thinking ‘this isn’t for me’. But I thought while I’m here I’ll give it a whirl it will be a doddle. God, it was so hard. It was so hard. And these girls in the class were absolutely smashing it, me, on my a**e!”

But Paddy ended up a convert after his mat session, saying: “When you’re thinking you’re fit and go to the gym, give Pilates a whirl. I was sat down doing nothing and shaking. How can sitting down be hard? I’m going to go again. It’s brilliant, it is brilliant, but it is so difficult.” Now all he needs is some top gear for his next class.

I’ll be back

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s muscle-bound son Joseph Baena is showing no signs of terminating his Pilates classes. The Daily Mail’s headline reads, “Arnold Schwarzenegger’s lookalike son Joseph Baena, 25, flaunts his ripped physique on Instagram after steamy hot Pilates session.” The son of Terminator star and former Governor of California Arnold captioned his Insta post “Hot Pilates is no joke”, over a picture of himself glistening with sweat in just a pair of tiny grey shorts.

For the uninitiated Hot Pilates is the latest LA trend of combining a core workout with HIIT and weight training in a heated room. Arnie’s lad attended the Hot Pilates session with model Savannah Reller, who wrote on Instagram, “Dragged @joebaena to @heatedroom with me… we died.”

By day Baena is a real estate agent, though he has recently followed his father into acting, starring with Morgan Freeman and Like Hemsworth in the forthcoming film Gunner. We can’t confirm if Joseph left his Hot Pilates session saying “Hasta la vista, baby”, but with all those muscles to keep toned we’re sure he’ll be back.

Post-apocalyptic Pilates

Post-apocalyptic Pilates is not something that we usually have too much demand for – but that might change after the new BBC comedy series Henpocalypse! Danny Dyer told Metro of his new role in the series about a group of women on a hen party trip in a remote Welsh cottage who emerge to find a post-apocalyptic world where ninety per cent of men have been wiped out. The plucky hens have to adapt to the end of days, but in their battle for survival soon realise they are not alone as, “they have serious competition from a bunch of radicalised Pilates instructors.”

We can’t wait to see how the Pilates teachers get on up against the hen party. Former EastEnders star Dyer plays the role of mentor to one of the bridesmaids and told Metro: “When I saw the pilot for Henpocalypse!, I pi***d myself laughing and I was so honoured to be asked to be a part of such an amazing job. You’re all gonna love it – it’s hilarious.”

Filming is now talking place in the Wirral and Snowdonia. Henpocalypse! also stars Elizabeth Berrington (The Responder, The Pact) as Zara’s formidable mother Bernadette, Lucie Shorthouse as demanding bride Zara, and Callie Cooke as put-upon chief bridesmaid Shelly.

We’re pretty sure the teachers at Pilates Central would cope very well in a post-apocalyptic world, and would soon have the hen party concentrating on their breathing and improvising some Reformer machines from the post-industrial detritus, though we hope it’s never put to the test.

Next Pilates News
You can signup for our Pilates News by using the quick signup on the website.

or join us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram?

The Pilates Central Team