Lead the Change: How Pilates Studios and Training Providers Can Thrive in the New Pilates Era
From Instructor Readiness to Business Strategy
In our Mbodies Article this month, “Your Name on the Register: Why Every Pilates Instructor Needs to Be Ready”, we explained what the new National Coaching Register means for individual Pilates instructors. But what about the businesses behind them: the studios, training academies and international providers whose reputations depend on compliance, quality and trust?
This article is part of a continuing series that will keep you informed and up to speed as these major changes take shape. It looks at the same reforms through a different lens; that of strategic adaptation. While the register defines standards, how you respond to it will define your market position.
The Sector Reset
Pilates has outgrown its fragmented past. The reforms now underway, strategically led by Sport England and UK Sport and implemented through NGBs (National Governing Bodies) including EMD UK and other partners, will create a federated professional system built on transparency, safety and accountability. Every instructor you employ or certify will soon sit within that framework, and every course you deliver or endorse will, in time, need to align with an approved Scope of Practice once those frameworks are finalised.
Strategic Risks for the Unprepared
Compliance exposure remains a key concern. Non-registered instructors could invalidate insurance, raise liability issues and create difficulties for employers under national compliance requirements. Many legacy or “generic Pilates” qualifications are unlikely to meet future scope-specific criteria without revision. Reputationally, clients and employers will soon expect visible compliance; those without it may appear outdated and will be easy to compete against in marketing and social media.
Strategic Opportunities for Early Movers
Thousands of experienced instructors will seek bridging assessments and CPD between now and 2027 if they do not currently hold the qualifications that will make them compliant for their preferred scope of practice. Employers and training organisations should begin reviewing their CPD provision now. Directing instructors towards assessed CPD, rather than attendance-only courses, will align with the forthcoming standards. Employers who do this will find that structured annual learning becomes a valuable retention tool, while training providers will gain a sought-after revenue stream.
Collaboration will also be vital. Employers can work with training partners to manage costs and satisfy insurer expectations, while UK providers should consider partnering with international schools to deliver UK-compliant “bolt-on” modules for global courses that are unlikely to change solely for the UK market. Publicly promoting “fully registered instructors” will quickly become a hallmark of quality and trust.
What Studios and Providers Should Do Now
Begin with an audit of your instructor workforce for DBS, safeguarding, insurance and CPD readiness. As the Pilates scopes become available, review how your staff and or training qualifications might map to them and be ready to update curricula and assessment methods to reflect EMD UK and CIMSPA standards. Consider how you will build a reliable CPD structure, including verified and self-certified learning, and communicate clearly with your teams and clients that compliance is a strength, not a burden.
How Mbodies Is Responding
At Mbodies Training Academy we are treating this not as an obstacle but as an opportunity to lead. We are already preparing to redesign our courses so they can be mapped precisely to the emerging Pilates Scopes of Practice once those are finalised. We are building modular pathways for instructors and providers, developing bridging assessments for the legacy workforce, and working closely with insurers and sector bodies to ensure a smooth transition to register compliance when the system launches. Our goal is to make adaptation a genuine competitive advantage for ourselves, our partner studios and the wider industry.
A Leadership Moment
From my consultancy position, with links to the EMD UK Pilates Advisory Committee, one truth is clear: those who engage early will shape the standards that others will later follow. This is a rare alignment of ethics, professionalism and market opportunity. The register is not simply a policy change; it is a leadership test. The Pilates businesses that act now will define the future of our profession.
Chris Onslow
Pilates Business Consultant and Director, Mbodies Training Academy
Read our instructor blog “Your Name on the Register: Why Every Pilates Instructor Needs to Be Ready”
Download or read my full report,
Compliance Pre-Conclusion of Standards – Updated October 2025,
for a detailed overview of the reforms and how to prepare
Author: Chris Onslow - Pilates Consultant
Chris Onslow, has run Pilates focussed businesses since 1998. He and his team specialise in supporting Pilates entrepreneurs and business owners. With a rich history of owning and running successful Pilates studios in the UK, and supporting others in Europe and the Middle East, Chris has broad expertise in maximising profitability and optimising operational efficiency. His agency provides top-tier advice on selecting new, pre-owned, and hireable Pilates equipment from renowned brands such as Align-Pilates, Balanced Body or Stott-Pilates/Merrithew. As the founder of Mbodies Training Academy, Chris continues to revolutionise Pilates education, offering premier online and hybrid CPD and qualification courses for Pilates apparatus instruction and special population CPD.