Tom's Guide backs slow Pilates

Pilates is having one of those moments where the pitch is changing in real time. Not “get abs fast.” More “move better, hurt less, and build strength without beating yourself up.” That shift showed up in two very different places this week: Tom’s Guide pushed a slow, controlled Pilates oblique exercise as a smarter alternative to crunches, and Pilates Addiction said it’s opening a second McKinney studio in Craig Ranch with classes built around strength, control, and mobility. ### What was the actual news? The media side was a May 12 workout piece from Tom’s Guide. The local business side was a May 11 expansion story from Community Impact. Pilates Addiction’s new Craig Ranch location will be the company’s second in McKinney, and it’s being opened by franchisees Naomi and Alex Calle, who live in Allen. ### Why does the Tom’s Guide piece matter? Because it framed Pilates in a very specific way. (tomsguide.com) The move wasn’t sold as a calorie-burner or a bikini-body trick. It was sold as a slow, controlled exercise that works the internal and external obliques while also improving shoulder and hip mobility and building deep core strength. That’s a different promise from old-school ab coverage, which usually starts and ends with crunches. ### Why is “slow” the point? Slow Pilates is the hard version. Momentum can fake a rep — especially in core work. Slowing down forces the trunk, hips, and shoulders to do the job without swinging through it. Basically, the body has to stabilize first and move second. That’s why these exercises often feel less flashy but more demanding. Tom’s Guide leaned right into that framing. (tomsguide.com) ### What’s happening in McKinney? Pilates Addiction is turning that same idea into a business bet. The Craig Ranch studio is already collecting VIP sign-ups ahead of opening, and the company says the location will offer four signature classes. Community Impact’s report says those classes are built around strength, control, and mobility. The brand’s own presale page is also pitching early access, founding memberships, and launch events. (tomsguide.com) ### Why does Craig Ranch make sense? Craig Ranch is already a very fitness-forward area. It has a big health-club footprint and a community identity built around active living, so a boutique Pilates studio isn’t dropping into empty space. It’s joining an existing wellness ecosystem. That matters because Pilates studios do best when they can become part of a routine, not a one-off class people try once. (communityimpact.com) ### Is this really different from older Pilates marketing? A bit, yes. Pilates has always had a posture-and-control story, but mainstream coverage often flattened it into “long, lean muscles” and “toned abs.” What’s showing up now is more functional language — obliques tied to rotation, hips tied to daily movement, shoulders tied to range of motion, and classes organized around control as much as aesthetics. Even older Pilates material around oblique work connects those muscles to spinal health and injury prevention, which fits this newer framing. (craigranchliving.com) ### So what’s the bigger shift? Pilates is being marketed less like punishment and more like maintenance. That’s a smart fit for people who want exercise to support running, lifting, desk posture, recovery, or just getting through the day without feeling locked up. The catch is that “gentle” still doesn’t mean easy — slow controlled work can be brutal in its own way. ### Bottom line? (blog.clubpilates.com) This week’s story is small but clear. A national fitness outlet and a local studio expansion are both pushing the same message: Pilates is no longer just the abs class. It’s being sold as mobility-first strength work — and that’s probably why demand keeps spreading. (tomsguide.com)