What actually happens in a Studio Circuits class?

If you've looked at the Studio Circuits timetable and felt a flicker of curiosity — followed immediately by a flicker of something that felt a lot like 'I don't think that's for me' — this is for you.

The name doesn't give much away. And if you've glanced through the studio window and caught sight of equipment that looks unlike anything you've encountered in a gym or a class before, that's because it is. The studio houses professional-grade Pilates apparatus — the kind used in clinical rehabilitation and specialist training — and in a Studio Circuits session, you'll move through all of it.

Here's what that actually means, and why it works particularly well if you're new to this.

The basics: what to expect

Studio Circuits is a small group class — a maximum of five people. That's not a marketing phrase; it's the number the studio is designed to hold, and it matters. With five people and an instructor, the session has a genuinely personal feel. You're not at the back of a room hoping nobody notices you. You're in a space where the instructor knows your name and can see what you're doing.

Each session rotates through the equipment in the studio. You'll spend time at each station, guided by the instructor throughout. The equipment adjusts to you — your height, your strength, where you are on a given day — so there's no fixed standard you're trying to meet.

The equipment — and what it does

The six pieces of equipment in Studio Circuits are:

The reformer. The piece most people have at least heard of. It's a sliding carriage with springs that create resistance — you can think of it as a full-body workout that's kind to your joints. It builds strength and stability in a way that translates directly into how your body feels day to day.

The trapeze table. This is the piece that tends to raise eyebrows when people first see it — a padded platform surrounded by a four-post metal frame, hung with springs, bars, and straps. It looks, to be honest, a bit like something you'd find in a very organised dungeon. It is not. It's actually the original piece of Pilates equipment, designed by Joseph Pilates himself during the First World War using springs attached to hospital beds — and it remains one of the most versatile pieces of apparatus in any Pilates studio. On the trapeze table, you can work lying down, sitting, kneeling, or standing, with springs that can assist or resist your movement depending on what you need. It's excellent for spinal mobility, core stability, and shoulder and hip work. And because it sits at a raised height, it's also easier to get on and off than working on the floor — something more people appreciate than tend to mention.

The exo chair. A compact piece of equipment that challenges your stability in a very direct way. The chair uses spring-loaded pedals and requires you to control your movement precisely — which sounds demanding, and is, but in a way that quickly teaches your body things it couldn't learn on the mat. It's particularly effective for leg and glute strength, and for building the kind of balance that starts to feel useful outside the studio.

The split pedal chair. Similar in principle to the exo chair, but with pedals that work independently of each other. This is useful precisely because the body rarely works symmetrically — and training each side independently helps identify and address the imbalances that most of us carry without realising.

The ladder barrel. A curved barrel attached to a ladder-like structure. It's primarily used for spinal extension and stretching work — the kind of movement that counteracts the hunched, forward-folded posture that comes from sitting, driving, or spending a lot of time looking at a screen. Time on the ladder barrel tends to feel like a relief rather than an effort.

The fuse ladder. A wall-mounted ladder used for standing, hanging, and resistance work. It allows a range of exercises that build upper body strength and shoulder stability — areas that mat-based Pilates alone can find harder to reach.

Do I need experience to join?

No. Studio Circuits is suitable for complete beginners, and the equipment — despite looking unfamiliar — is part of what makes it accessible rather than intimidating. Every piece can be adjusted for where you are today. Springs can be lightened. Movements can be simplified. The instructor is there throughout, not running a class from the front while you quietly struggle.

What the equipment actually does, in the hands of a good instructor, is meet you where you are. That's not a platitude — it's the mechanical reality of springs and adjustable resistance. There's no version of this class where you're expected to be further along than you are.

What to wear and bring

Comfortable, fitted clothing that lets you move freely — leggings and a fitted top work well. Avoid anything too loose, as the instructor needs to see how your body is moving. Grip socks are strongly recommended for working on the equipment. Water is a good idea. That's genuinely all you need.

Who is Studio Circuits for?

Studio Circuits draws a broad mix of people — late twenties to late sixties, mixed genders, varying levels of fitness and experience. The common thread isn't age or ability. It's usually something more like: I want to move well, and I want to do it somewhere that takes it seriously.

A lot of the people who come to Studio Circuits arrive having tried things before that didn't quite stick — a gym that felt anonymous, a class that moved too fast, a phase of fitness that life interrupted. They come here because the small group setting means there's actually room for them as a person, not just as a body taking up space in a class.

The teaching team at Nutrio are physiotherapists and specialist-trained instructors, which means if you come in with a shoulder that's been complaining, or a lower back that flares unpredictably, they'll know what to do with that information.

Ready to try it?

The introductory offer — three classes for £45, valid for 21 days — includes Studio Circuits. No experience needed. No commitment beyond those three sessions. Come exactly as you are.

Book online at nutrio-studio.co.uk, call us on 01382 520955, or drop us a message at hello@nutrio-studio.co.uk. Whenever you're ready, we're here.