Pilates without the powerhouse… isn’t Pilates. It’s just fancy movement on a box…
Is the Powerhouse Being Forgotten?
By Melody Morton-Buckleair
Peak Pilates® Education Center Director | Studio Owner | Movement Educator
Pilates without the powerhouse… isn’t Pilates. It’s just fancy movement on a box.
That may sound bold — but if you’ve been in the industry as long as I have (23+ years), you’ve seen the shift. Today, beautifully choreographed content fills our feeds, but often what’s missing is the very essence of the method: the powerhouse.
💡 What Is the Powerhouse — Really?
The powerhouse isn’t just a cute Pilates cue. It’s your body’s built-in support system — anatomically and biomechanically.
Let’s break it down into the three parts of the powerhouse model:
🔻 1. The Lower Powerhouse – Pelvic Girdle Stability
This is your deep foundational center. It includes:
Transverse abdominis
Diaphragm
Pelvic floor
Inner thighs + glutes
Obliques and rectus abdominis
This entire unit functions like a pressure chamber — stabilizing your spine and pelvis so your limbs can move efficiently.
🌉 2. The Bridge – Your Spine as Suspension
Between your shoulder and pelvic girdles lies your spine — a mobile yet deeply intelligent structure that acts like the guy-wire suspension system on the Golden Gate Bridge.
When your powerhouse is active, the spine can float, elongate, and transfer force safely.
When it’s not? The entire system collapses — cue back pain, shoulder dysfunction, and instability.
🔺 3. The Upper Powerhouse – Shoulder Girdle Stability
The shoulder girdle often gets ignored in contemporary programming — but it’s just as essential as the pelvis.
Mobilizers:
Latissimus dorsi
Trapezius
Rhomboids
Pectorals
Stabilizers:
Rotator cuff group (Supraspinatus, Infraspinatus, Teres minor, Subscapularis)
Serratus anterior
Teres major
These muscles stabilize the foundation for healthy shoulder mechanics, optimal breathing patterns, and upright spinal alignment.
🧠 Pilates = Biomechanical Wisdom
When Joseph Pilates designed his system, he may not have used modern anatomical language — but he understood the interconnected intelligence of the body.
He built a method where your body works as a whole — from grounded, stable centers outward. That’s why true Pilates begins and ends with the powerhouse.
When you teach this way — with anatomical clarity and classical integrity — you’re not just offering a workout. You’re offering a neuromuscular education.
🔬 Scientific References:
Shoulder and pelvic girdle injuries: a review for physical therapy practice (NIH)
The importance of core stability in functional movement (PubMed)
Most physical therapists report that shoulder and pelvic instability are leading causes of pain, injury, and compensatory dysfunction — second only to knee injuries in athletes.
💬 Final Thought:
Pilates isn’t just movement. It’s memory. It’s method. It’s a conversation between your spine, your breath, and your brain.
So let me ask you — if you’re not teaching from the powerhouse…
Are you really teaching Pilates?
📣 Want to Learn How to Teach from the Powerhouse?
If you're serious about teaching Pilates the way it was meant to be taught — with depth, precision, and purpose — join us at The Good Space, a Peak Pilates® Education Center.
Our program doesn’t just show you what to teach — it shows you how to teach. You’ll learn on the full spectrum of classical equipment (Mat, Reformer, Tower, Chair, Barrel) and graduate with the confidence to lead group classes, privates, and true classical sessions rooted in core integration and biomechanics.
👉 Explore the Peak Pilates® certification pathway:
https://peakpilates.com/education
👋 Curious but Not Ready to Commit?
If you’re interested in taking a class with us — or just want to see what Peak Pilates® is all about — contact Mimi, our Peak Pilates Student Ambassador! She’s a recent Level 1 grad and currently going through Level 2. She’ll get you set up with the right class for your level and interests.
Getting started is easy:
Stop by the studio
Create a quick account with us
Let us know you’re curious about the Peak Pilates Education Program
We’ll drop a free class into your account — just for checking us out.
Come move with us. Feel the difference.
See you soon at The Good Space.
Let’s ride.
—
Melody Morton-Buckleair
Peak Pilates® Education Center Director
Studio Owner | Movement Educator
https://elmwoodplacetx.com
https://thegoodspacepilates.com
Instagram: @thepilatescowgirl
Blog: https://thepilatescowgirl.blog
