For anyone looking to get a pilates certification, you have probably been surprised to find an endless list of programs online.

Many of these programs offer different experiences, and considering the cost of these certificates, it may be rather nerve-wracking to part with your money before having any knowledge or experience with them.

To be able to instruct your students securely, you need to have a solid understanding of what you are doing.

There are a few distinct variations of Pilates, including Classical and Contemporary, as well as several distinct certifications for Pilates instructors, such as a Full Comprehensive Certification and more specific certifications for mat or reformer Pilates.

So which pilates certificate is the best for you? As part of your research, you should do a lot of research

To help you out, we have reviewed eight distinct certificates, including Comprehensive and Specialized Certifications, for both Classical and Contemporary pilates, as well as a variety of other certificates.

1. Power Pilates

Pilates-Style: Classical

Power Pilates is a variation of Classical Pilates that provides a thorough training program for beginners, intermediates, and advanced students.

Their curriculum enables you to acquire proficiency in Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Barrels, Ped-Pull, and Magic Circle exercises. You should be able to work with kids of all ages and abilities upon completion of the program.

Power Pilates divides its training into three distinct segments (Apparatus I, Apparatus II, and Apparatus III). You may pay for the full package, which includes all three of these segments, or you can pay separately for each one.

Having the course divided into 3 modules that you can take at any time may be very convenient for full-time students or those who do not have a lot of spare time.

Because many students may have full-time jobs or other commitments, having each module divided into three parts might be more economically feasible.

Certifications Provided By Power Pilates

Comprehensive Scheme (Includes All Modules)

• Price: $4,995.0
• Duration of Certification: 600 hours

Power Pilates comprehensive curriculum consists of 3 apparatus levels.

Beginner Level – Apparatus I

• Price: $1,300
• Duration of Certification: 1 to 3 Months

The objective of Apparatus I is to provide students with a foundational understanding of mat, reformer, high chair, and Cadillac work. After completing this level, students should be able to teach fundamentals.

Prepare to attend three days of lectures and complete around 75 hours of observation, performance, and practice instructing.

Intermediate Level – Apparatus II

• Price: $2,500
• Duration of Certification: 2 to 6 Months

After completion of this program, you should be able to show a comprehension of progressions.

You must attend 6 lecture days (about 36-40 hours), practice 150 hours of teaching intermediate exercises, and attend 1 evaluation day (3-6 hours).

Advanced/Multiple Levels – Apparatus III

• Price: $1,300
• Duration of Certification: 2 to 6 Months

Apparatus III is the program’s advanced level. After finishing this module, you should be able to instruct clients of all levels and grasp the philosophy, anatomy, and history of pilates.

You will achieve expertise in mat, Cadillac, reformer, Pedi Pole, and Barrel upon completion of Apparatus III.

Prepare to attend 3 days of lectures (18-20 hours), 250 hours of teaching, practicing, and watching teachers, and 1 day of final evaluation.

2. Basi Pilates

Pilates Style: Classical

Basi Pilates provides a Comprehensive Teacher Training Program in the Classical style.

Their comprehensive curriculum provides students with a solid fundamental understanding of Pilates philosophy, exercises, and techniques.

After completing Basi’s Certification, you should be able to instruct students from beginning to intermediate levels.

Their training emphasizes having a solid understanding of the Mat, Ped-a-Pul, F2 Arm Chair, F2 Spine Corrector, Ladder Barrel, Wunda Chair, Cadillac, Reformer, and other ancillary equipment.

While the training for this certificate is a bit challenging, you will quickly get the hang of it and appreciate the hands-on experience.

The training should prepare you to take the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) examination!

Certifications Provided By Basi Pilates

The Basi Certification program is divided into two parts:

• Foundation Scheme
• Graduate Program

Foundation Scheme

• Price: $2199
• Duration of Certification: 500 Hours (check their site for specific breakdown allocation)

The Basi Foundation Program consists of six distinct Modules. After completing this course, you should have a solid grasp of how to use basic Pilates concepts in teaching and demonstrations, identify postural concerns, and teach individual and group sessions.

The curriculum teaches a variety of Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Ladder Barrel, and Wunda Chair exercises.

Graduate Program

• Price: $1999
• Duration of Certification: 500 Hours (check their site for specific breakdown allocation)

The graduate program represents the remainder of its Comprehensive Program.

Students must first finish the Foundation curriculum and demonstrate proficiency with the Ped-O-Pul, Spine Corrector, Arm Chair, Wunda Chair, Ladder Barrel, Cadillac, Reformer, Mat, and some other auxiliary gear.

After completing this course, you will be able to instruct customers at an advanced level, give answers to clients’ diverse physical concerns, and successfully instruct and show exercises.

3. Polestar Pilates

• Pilates-Style: Classical
• Price: $7600
• Duration of Certification: 497 Hours (check their site for specific breakdown allocation)

Polestar provides a complete teacher training curriculum for both professional and personal development. Their schedule is divided into three parts; Polestar Principles, Mat Foundations, and Teacher Training.

This course will help you to think critically about topics, as Polestar teaches in a Classical Pilates Style. Both in-person and online Modules are included in the course content.

The certification program will teach you to use the Reformer, Trapeze Table, Chair, Ladder Barrel, and Spine Corrector with proficiency.

In addition, you will appreciate their use of Neuro-linguistic approaches and images to convey relevant messages.

The only downside to this pilates certification is that this is a lot more expensive compared to most others on this list.

4. Romana’s Pilates

• Pilates-Style: Classical
• Price: Visit their website
• Certification Duration: 2 years plus

Romana’s Pilates teaches the traditional approach with an extensive instructor training program (ITP).

All instructors are selected by hand and supervised by their Level I professors.

The course’s objective is to prepare you for a career in Pilates instruction. Their curriculum is offered in more than 15 countries, and they have more than 40 training sites globally.

The Romana style attempts to adhere as closely as possible to Joseph Pilates’s original principles.

Be prepared to embrace the six Pilates principles: Control, Centering, Concentration, Precision, Breath, and Flow!

To be eligible for the ITP, you must complete an initial evaluation. Then, each student will be evaluated and provided with a customized training plan tailored to their specific needs.

Certifications Provided By Romana’s Pilates

The teacher training program is divided into three “stages” consisting of the following:

• Stage I – “Primary”
• Level Two – “Intermediate”
• Level III is “Advanced.”

Each stage consists of four tasks that must be successfully performed to proceed to the next stage.

After finishing each stage, you must participate in group seminars, individual study, private lessons, and a stage evaluation.

Check out this certification if you’re looking for a truly authentic classical Pilates certification!

5. Stott Pilates

Pilates Style: Contemporary

Many refer to Stott Pilates curriculum as the “Ivy League” of Pilates instruction. Their teacher education program is directed by educators with years of expertise.

In a manageable amount of time, Stott’s Comprehensive program teaches you intermediate and essential exercises. This helps your body to gradually and efficiently adjust to the routines.

Stott’s curriculum takes a far more deliberate approach than the majority of other programs.

You will discover the biomechanical concepts of breathing, core stability, and alignment as you are guided through each exercise with a detailed explanation. In addition, they incorporate alterations to enhance or decrease difficulty/intensity.

You will be recognized as a Stott’s Pilates Certified Instructor after finishing the course.

This is one of the very best pilates certifications you can get thanks to its high quality and comprehensive education.

Certifications Provided By Stott Pilates

There are two Comprehensive Certification programs offered by Stott. These are:

• Comprehensive Matwork & Reformer (CMR)
• Exhaustive Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels (CCCB)

Comprehensive Matwork & Reformer (CMR)

• Price: $2,890
• Duration of Certification: 310 Hours

Functional anatomy and the biomechanical concepts of Stott Pilates movements are taught in the (CMR) course.

The training typically lasts between 12 and 15 weeks and is followed by an apprenticeship. The course was designed to make you a skilled mat and reformer Pilates instructor.

Comprehensive Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels (CCCB)

Price: $1,520
Length of Certification: 165 Hours

Typically, the Comprehensive Cadillac, Chair, and Barrels course last eight weeks, followed by an apprenticeship.

You should be able to teach personal and circuit programs to clients with general fitness and sports conditioning goals upon completion of the course.

Stott provides more certifications, but these ones are the most common.

6. Peak Pilates

Pilates-Style: Classical

Peak Pilates provides certification in Classical Pilates. Their curriculum is separated into three Modular levels.

You will become proficient with mat, reformer, tower, chairs, barrels, and auxiliary equipment with an emphasis on establishing a solid Pilates foundation.

You will like their course’s comprehensiveness and straightforward program timetable.

The course was designed to be done at your own speed, which is ideal for those with full-time jobs or other obligations.

However, you must put in the necessary effort and be fully devoted and self-motivated.

To get the Full Comprehensive Certification, you must complete each of the 4 levels that are offered by Peak Pilates. The levels themselves are split into modules.

You may either pay for the entire course or each module separately.

Level I

• Check their website for pricing
• Certification Duration: 120 Hours

Level I is divided into four Modules. After finishing the first modules, you will have a better grasp of human anatomy and kinesiology fundamentals.

Module 1

Module 1 focuses on fundamental mat exercises and building components. It takes around 20 hours and is a 5-step process.

Module 2

Module 2 focuses on the reformer, tiny barrel, high ladder barrel, cueing, and touch transitions.

Module 3

Module 3 includes low chair workouts, intermediate-level reformer activities, and ladder barrel exercises.

You will acquire more sophisticated teaching approaches for determining correct body alignment.

Module 4

This module focuses on teaching, methodology, and Assessments. You must do high ladder barrel exercises, conduct teaching practice, and review all exercises.

After finishing the fourth module, you will get a certification for Peak Pilates Level I.

Level II

• Check their website for pricing
• Certification Duration: 60 Hours

Level II should only be taken after completing Level I. This section has a total of two modules.

Module 1

Module 1 contains intermediate-level exercises on the mat, reformer, and Cadillac.

The attention to perfecting transitions and maintaining static body alignment is one of the most important aspects of this module

Module 2

Module 2 comprises of intermediate-level Barrel, Chair, Teaching Method, and Evaluations.

Certification at Level II will be granted upon completion of Module 2.

Level III

• Check their website for pricing
• Certification Duration: 60 Hours

Level III should only be attempted after Levels I and II have been completed. This section has a total of three modules.

Module 1

Module 1 includes advanced-level exercises on the mat, reformer, and Cadillac.

Module 2

This module is comprised of an advanced-level chair, barrel, auxiliary equipment, teaching methodology, and evaluations.

Module 3

Module 3 contains a Final Comprehensive Assessment that lasts around six hours.

This one-day evaluation consists of a written and practical examination, so be sure to study!

7. Balanced Body

Pilates Style – Contemporary

Balanced Body Pilates delivers a Certification Program with a firm basis and a comprehensive grasp of how the human body functions.

Their courses are extremely exciting and are divided into easy-to-do class sessions.

Certifications Provided By Balanced Body

To become a certified Balanced Body Instructor, you must finish the following three courses:

• Comprehensive
• Mat
• Reformer

Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Education

• Pricing: See Website
• Length of Certification: 520 Hours (check their site for specific breakdown allocation)

Mat, Reformer, Chair, Barrel, and Apparatus are included in the Comprehensive Program. For each session, complete instructions and video content are provided.

Mat Instructor Certification

• Pricing: See Website
• Length of Certification: 134 Hours (check their site for specific breakdown allocation)

Mat Instructor Training consists of three courses, each lasting around 16 hours. This curriculum teaches you all there is to know about Mat Pilates.

The objective of the course is to teach private sessions to practitioners of all ages and skill levels.

Additionally, the course curriculum includes best practices for addressing injuries and particular populations. The workout involves rings, rollers, and bands to promote total-body strength and flexibility.

You are expected to complete a written and practical test after the course, so prepare well!

Reformer Instructor Certification

• Pricing: See Website
• Length of Certification: 214 Hours (check their site for specific breakdown allocation)

The Reformer Instructor Training is comprised of three courses and is intended to help you develop programs that maximize your customers’ potential.

There are now criteria for educating elder clients, as well as prenatal and postnatal clients.

You will learn a range of supine, sitting, and standing exercises for beginning, intermediate, and advanced students throughout your Reformer Instructor course.

Their attention to care when treating osteoporosis, lower back pain, and other problems was much appreciated.

Each module becomes progressively more difficult, so be prepared to work!

8. Fletcher Pilates

Pilates-Style: Classical

The Fletcher Pilates Program provides extensive worldwide instruction in Pilates. The foundation of their curriculum was based on Joseph and Clara Pilates’ work.

It is also the only training program that Ron Fletcher endorses.

Certifications Provided By Fletcher Pilates

The Fletcher Pilates Comprehensive Program consists of four individual courses:

• Preparatory Training
• Foundation Scheme
• Professional Application

Preparatory Training

• Cost: Check their website
• Length of Certification: 20+ Hours (check their site for specific breakdown allocation)

The purpose of Fletcher’s Preparatory Course is to provide you with a student’s perspective. Their ideology is knowing how the body moves.

Foundation Scheme

• Cost: Check their website
• Duration of Certification: 600 Hours (check their site for specific breakdown allocation)

After completing the Preparatory Course, students must enroll in the Foundation Program.

This course is comprised of more than 600 hours of material, including classroom sessions, anatomy study, and evaluation sessions.

This is one of the longest certification programs available, but considering its comprehensiveness, it is well worth your time.

Professional Application

• Cost: Check the site for pricing information.
• Duration of Certification: 400 Hours (check their site for specific breakdown allocation)

After finishing the Foundation Program, the following course to be taken is the Professional Program.

This course contains more than 400 hours of material, including 90 hours of casework practicum, 120 hours of classroom instruction, 120 hours of observation assisting practicum, and much more.

Summary

Getting your pilates certification is the major step in becoming a pilates instructor.

There are many certifications out there that focus on the different aspects of pilates, so be sure that you choose the one that interests you the most, as well as the best one for your learning and teaching style.