Reformer Pilates is One of Fitness's Fastest-Growing Specialties and ISSA Has Built the Certification to Meet It

ISSA opens the waitlist for new Mat and Reformer certifications as reformer training surges across the fitness industry

PHOENIX, Oct. 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), the organization behind more than one million certified fitness and wellness professionals since 1988, today announced a waitlist for Mat Pilates Instructor Certification, Reformer Pilates Instructor Certification, and Pilates Instructor Certification: Mat + Reformer, offered as a bundle covering both credentials in a single course. The waitlist opens today, ahead of full enrollment, as Pilates dominates conversation at fitness conferences across the U.S. and around the world.

As reformer Pilates transitions from a niche studio offering into mainstream commercial fitness, ISSA is delivering a flexible, fully online credential designed to break down traditional cost barriers while maintaining rigorous instructional standards.

The new Pilates portfolio includes:

• Mat Pilates Instructor Certification: A complete standalone credential covering the classical 31-exercise mat repertoire, functional anatomy, verbal and visual cueing, and population-specific program design.
• Reformer Pilates Instructor Certification: A comprehensive standalone credential covering reformer safety, spring mechanics, progressive cueing, and the full 27-exercise repertoire. Open to mat-certified instructors from ISSA or any nationally recognized program.
• Pilates Instructor Certification: Mat + Reformer: The bundle option. An all-inclusive, continuous pathway allowing students to earn both independent certifications in a single enrollment.

The Reformer curriculum was developed with on-camera instructor Josh Vela, a fitness professional and Pilates master trainer with more than 18 years in the industry, whose background spans studio, gym, and digital training. Pairing his real-world teaching experience with ISSA's in-house education team helped shape a curriculum built for how Reformer is actually taught today.

ISSA certified 35,293 personal trainers worldwide in 2025, up 12.8% from 31,298 in 2024 and brings that same learn-at-your-own pace approach to Pilates.

"I went into a mat Pilates class thinking I was in pretty good shape and it was stunningly hard," explained Andrew Wyant, ISSA CEO. "The instructor's attention to form and her precise cues changed the entire workout showing why a well-trained instructor makes such big difference. Pilates is one of the fastest growing areas in fitness and ISSA has built these certifications so more people their passion for movement into their next opportunity."

"Mat and Reformer aren't two separate skills bolted together, they're two views of the same method," explained Jenny Liebl, CPT, CNC, Senior Product Developer at ISSA and IFBB Pro, with 18 years of experience in personal training, collegiate strength and conditioning, and professional volleyball. "Mat teaches instructors to see movement without a machine doing the work for them. Reformer adds a moving carriage, springs, and an entirely new set of variables on top of that foundation. Understanding both is what actually makes someone a complete Pilates instructor, and that's what we built this program to do."

Pilates by the Numbers

• 13.8 million Americans practiced Pilates in 2025, up from 12.9 million the year before and 9.9 million in 2020, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association's (SFIA) 2026 Single Sport Report.
• 3.38 million of them are core participants who practice 50 or more times a year, up from 3.1 million the previous year, according to SFIA.
• Americans ages 18 to 24 have the highest Pilates participation rate of any age group at 7.9 percent, according to SFIA.
• More than 30% of core Pilates participants are 55 or older (14.5% ages 55 to 64 and 15.8% ages 65 and up), according to SFIA.
• Scottsdale, Arizona ranks as the most Pilates-obsessed U.S. city, with 35.6 Pilates studios per 100,000 residents, according to Acuity Scheduling's 2026 analysis of the 100 largest U.S. cities.

The waitlist opens today, Monday, October 12 and ISSA will notify waitlist members first when enrollment opens, ahead of general availability.

Pilates in America: 5 Cities and 5 Surprises

Where Pilates is thriving, and who is practicing it, according to the latest data.

Pilates has outgrown its studio-only reputation. It is on the schedule at big-box gyms, boutique studios, resorts, and community centers, and the people showing up are more varied than the stereotype suggests. As ISSA opens the waitlist for its new Mat and Reformer Pilates certifications, we took a closer look at where Pilates is strongest and who is behind the growth. The headline number: 13.8 million Americans practiced Pilates in 2025, up from 9.9 million in 2020, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association's (SFIA) 2026 Single Sport Report. Of those, 3.38 million are core participants who practice 50 or more times a year.

5 U.S. Cities Where Pilates Is Thriving

Acuity Scheduling ranked the 100 largest U.S. cities using studio counts, studios per 100,000 residents, search volume, introductory-offer availability, and average drop-in price. Its data is accurate as of July 16, 2026. Here are the top five.

1. Scottsdale, Arizona. With 35.6 Pilates studios per 100,000 residents, Scottsdale has the highest concentration in the study, according to Acuity Scheduling. A resort and wellness culture makes Pilates a natural fit for locals and visitors alike.
2. Miami, Florida. Miami has the highest Pilates search volume per 100,000 residents in the study, according to Acuity Scheduling, a sign that interest reaches well beyond a small group of devoted regulars.
3. Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta is one of the most welcoming cities for beginners: 70 percent of its 111 Pilates studios offer introductory class deals, according to Acuity Scheduling.
4. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Even in a city known for the outdoors, 80 percent of Pilates studios offer introductory deals, tied for the highest share among the top cities, according to Acuity Scheduling.
5. Portland, Oregon. Portland ranks as only the 28th-largest U.S. city, yet it has 95 Pilates studios, according to Acuity Scheduling.

Did you know? Los Angeles, the city most associated with the modern Pilates boom, did not make Acuity Scheduling's top 20, as reported by Athletech News.

5 Surprising Facts About Who Practices Pilates Today

Pilates has a familiar image. The data tells a fuller story. All figures below come from SFIA's 2026 Single Sport Report (2025 participation data).

1. Adults 55 and older are a major part of the community. Among core participants, 14.5% are ages 55 to 64 and 15.8 % are 65 and older, for more than 30% combined, according to SFIA.
2. Gen Z is leading the way. Americans ages 18 to 24 have the highest Pilates participation rate of any age group at 7.9%, and 10.3% of women in that age range practice Pilates, according to SFIA.
3. Men are part of the picture. Women make up 70% of the U.S. Pilates participants, according to SFIA, which means roughly three in ten participants are men.
4. Pilates lovers are also lifters, runners, and hikers. 39.4% of Pilates participants also use dumbbells or hand weights, 24.1% run or jog, and 32.3% hike, according to SFIA. Participants are also more than three and a half times as likely as the general population to take part in high-intensity training, according to SFIA.
5. It is practiced across income levels. 5.1% of people in households earning $100,000 or more practice Pilates, compared with 3.8% of those in households earning less than $25,000, according to SFIA.

Built for Where Pilates Is Going

Whether someone is a college student, a lifelong athlete, or a grandparent rediscovering movement, the people walking into Pilates classes are looking for an instructor who knows what they are doing. ISSA's new Mat Pilates Instructor Certification, Reformer Pilates Instructor Certification, and Pilates Instructor Certification: Mat + Reformer are designed to help more people turn their passion for movement into a meaningful career.

Sources

• Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), 2026 Single Sport Report: Pilates Training (2025 participation data), as summarized by The Pilates Journal, September 9, 2026.
• Acuity Scheduling, "The U.S. Cities Most Obsessed With Pilates," August 2026 (data as of July 16, 2026).
• Athletech News, "These Are the Most Pilates-Obsessed Cities in the US," August 20, 2026.

About International Sports Sciences Association

International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA) is the world's most connected fitness and wellness ecosystem. Since 1988, ISSA has gone beyond traditional certification to build the industry's career operating system, giving professionals the skills, confidence, and connections to build meaningful futures, while providing operators with the trusted, work-ready talent they need to grow. Guided by the truth that when professionals succeed, operators succeed, ISSA turns passion into opportunity. Its premier workforce platform, Career Connect, bridges a global community of over one million students across 176 countries with more than 23,000 global partner locations. ISSA aims to connect 100 million people to healthy living by 2030.

SOURCE International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA)