A Pilates Challenge Can Shake up Your Routine

Shake Up Your Routine with a New Pilates Challenge

Ready to try a Pilates Challenge that can actually change your body and your mind-muscle connection? Let’s do it! We all have our favorite instructors who know exactly how to motivate us, but sticking to the same voice every day can lead to a plateau. It’s time to mix it up.

Why You Need Fresh Voices

Your muscles get bored just like your mind does. Switching up your routine keeps your body guessing and your mind engaged. Why?

• New Cues: Different instructors explain movements differently. One fresh cue might finally help you nail that Teaser.
• Muscle Confusion: Every teacher has a unique sequencing style, forcing your muscles to adapt to new patterns.
• Renewed Focus: You have to listen harder to a new voice, which keeps you present on the mat.
• Variety: Avoiding burnout is easier when you don’t know exactly what playlist or joke is coming next.

There are so many interesting instructors to choose from! Whether you like a slow and steady vibe or a spicy hot one, there really is someone for everyone at Peloton. Currently the On Demand Library features classes with Aditi, Ally, Anna, Emma, Greta, Hannah C., Irene, Jess K, Johanna, Kendall, Kristin, Mila, Rebecca, and Sam. Some of these are with instructors no longer at Peloton and some were part of the initial 2020 modality rollout. And we expect one more addition to the roster soon: Ash!

Join the Peloton Pilates Challenge Through 2/28/26

Recently, Peloton dropped a brand new Pilates Challenge through February 28, 2026, designed to ignite your core. Challenges are fantastic for accountability, especially if you like to earn badges. With this one, which is active now, you can earn Bronze, Silver or Gold based on taking 5, 10, or 15 Pilates classes in the timeframe. And guess what… even stacking short classes counts, and can sometimes even be a better strategy to hitting your goals!

Fresh Faces: Greta Dopp and Johanna Ricouz

If you haven’t explored Peloton’s latest Pilates offerings, now’s the perfect time. Greta Dopp and Johanna Ricouz have newly launched in the Pilates tab, after making their Peloton debut late last year in Yoga and Sculpt flow classes. If you’re a bit wary of jumping in to 30 minutes with them, try a 5 or 10 minute class first. You’ll get a sense of their cueing, musics, and personality.

Stay Curious and Build Habits

The key to long-term success isn’t just grinding it out; it’s staying curious about what your body can do. We often think we need a power hour to get a “real” workout, but that mindset kills consistency. Being open to trying a 10-minute class or a new instructor is how you build sustainable change.

As discussed in this article on building sustainable habits with Peloton, add short, bite-sized Pilates classes to your existing routine. This is a low-pressure way to make a massive impact over time. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

My Pilates Challenge Experiment

I decided to do my own “Pilates Lab Day” and check out the new instructors as well as revisit some that I hadn’t taken in awhile. I generally take Anna’s classes exclusively for Pilates and Yoga + Pilates (more on that here) and I have taken some of Aditi’s and Rebecca’s offerings as well. I admit I’m a creature of habit but I’m trying to change that this year.

Building Heat and Pulling Back

I’ve already tried Greta and Johanna in multiple classes and I can tell when I will like them for different workouts based on my mood and energy level on different days, particularly in Sculpt Flow. Their music preferences and personalities are distinct. Personally, I need some heat to get through Pilates, but sometimes you need that chill vibe too. I fortuitously planned the stack to start this way, building slowly with Greta, anticipating Johanna’s playlist and energy would be the peak and I was right.

It’s been a while since I spent time with Emma, but she recently returned to the Pilates platform with new classes. As the queen of “Crush Your Core,” she certainly knows her stuff. I haven’t used my Pilates Ring in awhile due to some forearm/wrist overuse rehabbing, but it was interesting to try a purely upper body class, which I never do. It felt a little crunchy to me but I kept it easy and did my own modifications. This was sort of a recovery section in my stack.

Something New

Adding in Robin’s Core class using the foam roller was a Pilates-adjacent move today. It was a lot of wrist work for me but I liked the concept (using the foam roller to simulate sort of reformer-style core movements). I haven’t done a Robin core class in awhile and was pleasantly surprised that she expressed gratitude to members for trying something new with her and for engaging with a curiosity mindset. Prepare to feel awkward but accomplished by the end.

Mila was my choice to close it out, and I’ve never once taken a class with her even though I do take the German instructors now and then (I also recently tried Assal’s BBP which was great). I don’t know how I managed this, but it was the perfect class to end this stack. Mila has a lovely tone of voice and her movements were slow and controlled. It felt like solid work but also almost stretching. I was ready to cool down at the end!

My Findings

With five classes under my belt (haha), I earned Bronze in Peloton’s Pilates Challenge for my stack today! I can’t say I felt as (good) sore or sweaty after this hour than I do after half this time with Anna in a nonstop Yoga + Pilates class but that’s ok. My brain was getting a workout so my body could rest a little. And I had plenty of opportunities to work on Pilates breathwork having done many more “Hundreds” than I would have in a single 30-45 minute class!

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