Inside the world’s most exclusive workout
IT’S 8.30AM IN an exercise studio in Manhattan, and I am feeling faintly terrified as I self-consciously mount a reformer machine – the bed-like contraption with ropes, springs, pulleys and a sliding carriage, designed for use in Pilates – while flanked by lithe, swishy-haired women in expensive leggings and Forma Pilates-branded grip socks.
Pilates – the low-impact, resistance-based regimen developed by German health and fitness enthusiast Joseph Pilates in the 1920s – is having a resurgence, as a new generation extols its virtue on social media. Forma Pilates, which was founded in April 2020 in LA, is at the epicentre of the revival. Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Demi Moore, Rita Ora, Ariana Grande, Kaia Gerber, Cara Delevingne, Lizzo and Ashley Graham are among its fans. The studio’s founder, Liana Levi, a former A-list red carpet stylist, has become the unofficial face and, perhaps more significantly, glockenspiel-like abs of the movement.
It’s not surprising I’m nervous: just to get in you need an invite, a referral or, at a push, the ‘right’ Instagram followers. I suspect if I wasn’t a journalist I’d never have got past the front desk. To go regularly you also need to be loaded. No wonder The New York Times’ review of Forma was headlined ‘Is this the most expensive Pilates class?’ A spot in an eight-person session costs $75; a semi-private class is $100, while a one-to-one with Liana is $500. (The online version is more accessible – £35.30 a month for UK users – but you need experience to get the most out of it; Liana has long-term plans to bring Forma to London IRL, too.) Also, model Lori Harvey described Forma as ‘the hardest Pilates I’ve ever taken in my life’. And she, unlike me, has abs that could crack walnuts.
On the phone before my class Liana tells me that her method, which incorporates elements of circuit training, boxing and yoga, ‘really works, because it’s private training and can be customised to your needs’. She insists that Pilates can create a ‘lengthening’ appearance by toning muscles without building them up, and can also generally build strength safely. ‘There’s a reason why it’s recommended by physical therapists and why athletes incorporate it.’
Liana is far from the only person extolling Pilates’ virtues: on Tiktok, countless influencers compare ankle weights and side sit-ups; some have been called out for making dubious claims about Pilates’ magical abilities. (Fitness experts point out it is not intrinsically ‘better’ than other forms of exercise, though the fact it is frequently done in small – and therefore expensive – classes, with a lot of instructor attention, may be a factor in some people’s success.) The Pilates resurgence has also been criticised for its often very white, very slim aesthetic – Forma’s corporate identity revolves around Liana’s tiny, taut frame – though she insists that Pilates is not about any one body type. She says she makes a point of telling her clients that body comparisons are futile. ‘You can’t change what you’re born with, you have to work with it.’
My 45 minutes in the Forma studio certainly don’t transform me into Kendall Jenner, but I did appreciate its focus on arms, core and glutes – the areas I know I should work out more – and its Princeheavy soundtrack. At the time, it didn’t feel staggeringly different to the few reformer classes I’ve been to previously for a third of the price, although afterwards my whole body ached. If money were no object, I’d go back again… if I knew for sure I’d get in.