What Is a Layer?

A Framework for Teaching Mixed-Ability Reformer Classes

The number one problem we have to solve as group Pilates teachers is that we are always teaching a spectrum of abilities.

Even in a beginner class, people are not the same.

One person may be strong but stiff.
Another may be flexible but not strong.
Another may have strength and flexibility, but struggle with coordination.

This is why beginner, intermediate and advanced are limited categories. They can be useful, but they are not precise enough for excellent group teaching.

Every movement is made from three dimensions:

Strength - The ability to create force against an external load (contracting a muscle ‘wilfully’ as hard as you might, will not increase your ability to move weight in a push up or a bench press)

Range of Motion - The movement available through joints and muscles - we should be clear on the difference between joint range of motion and muscle range of motion and the the difference between passive rom vs active or loaded rom

Skill - The ability to coordinate strength and range of motion into efficient movement - everything we do with our bodies is a skill. Everything. Including force production.

A layer is a way of adjusting one or more of those dimensions so that different people in the same class can be challenged appropriately.

The Simple Definition

A layer is:

A movement progression that increases challenge in increments.

That challenge may increase through:

• Load

• Range of motion

• Skill

• Or a combination of all three

A good layer allows the class to stay together while different people work at different levels of challenge.

This is the basis of the phrase: Everyone rides together.

The goal is not that everyone does the same version.

The goal is that everyone keeps moving, keeps working, and receives an appropriate challenge for their current capacity.

Why Layers Matter

If a movement is too easy, the client does not improve.

If a movement is too hard, the client cannot practise it effectively.

If a movement is impossible, the client is forced to stop, watch, or feel as though they have failed.

Layers solve this problem by giving the instructor a way to move people along a continuum.

Instead of thinking:

“This is the exercise.”

We start thinking:

“Where does this movement begin, and how does it become harder?”

This is a major shift.

A Half Rollback is not just a Half Rollback. It may be the beginning of a progression that leads towards a Roll Up, a Single-Leg Roll Up, a Tuck Up, or a more complex abdominal sequence.

The movement is not a discrete unit.

It is part of a continuum.