In 2018, Beth Crain took a leap of passion-filled faith and said “au revoir” to her 15-year career as a retail buyer to open BEYOND Studios in Frisco.
Beth’s bold leap from large corporate business to entrepreneur and small business owner couldn’t have happened at a better time. Her personal discovery of Pilates and its benefits were life-changing during what was otherwise a challenging season in her life.
Her newfound passion for Pilates, coupled with a rise in the popularity of boutique group fitness in the area, gave her just the nudge she needed to go for it.
A frightening reality for new businesses? Many of them go under within the first year to 18 months. Beth’s Frisco studio is approaching that 18 month mark with confidence and vision for the future.
Her business has not only grown steadily but has soared beyond her wildest expectations. Frisco can’t seem to get enough of Beyond's 50 minute Pilates Hybrid Interval Training (PHIT) concept. Beth continues to add new classes and instructors to their weekly fitness schedule.
Is there something unique about BEYOND's Approach to Pilates?
BEYOND Studios Frisco tossed the fitness mat aside and moved Inventor Joseph Pilates' Reformer to center stage. They've put a unique twist on it by adding PHIT interval training to their sessions, as well as fun, energizing music.
BEYOND's signature style of contemporary and functional Pilates movement intervals on the reformer performed to tempo-specific beats is designed to burn mega calories within minutes. Beth likes to say “it's the fastest 50-minute workout in town.”
Think typical Pilates with a dose of espresso or a shot of caffeine… It's anything but boring. Class winds down with slower movements during the recovery phase. Each instructor brings their own unique personalities and energy to the class.
What is Pilates, exactly? The Pilates methodology was originally created by Joseph Pilates as a unique approach to exercise during WWI. Joseph worked as a nurse and experimented on his patients with the apparatus, attaching springs to hospital beds to help bedridden soldiers exercise against a form of resistance to strengthen and tone weak muscles.
Pilates legend has it that during the great flu epidemic of 1918, not a single one of the soldiers under his care died. He credited his technique for the prisoners' strength and fitness — remarkable under the difficult conditions of internment camps that were hit especially hard by this deadly flu.
Reformer 101: Meet “The Bed”
It's a little intimidating when you first see it, but the reformer is BEYOND's secret to success.
Ole Joe's modern-day Pilates reformer is a bed-like frame with a flat platform on it, called the carriage, which rolls back and forth on wheels within the frame. The carriage is attached to one end of the reformer by a set of springs…a Pilates client's best friend.
The springs allow you to make the tension lighter or heavier while performing movements – simply by removing or adding a spring. The springs are color coded so you know how to predict the resistance levels. Both newbies and Pilat-a-holics can attend the same class but workout to their own fitness level and still achieve significant results.
Don’t underestimate the power of sans springs… While you might feel inclined to start unhooking springs during your first few BEYOND workouts, for most, this lack of resistance makes the moves too difficult, requiring mega core muscles to stabilize and control the machine.
At the spring end of the reformer, there's an adjustable bar called a footbar. The footbar can be used by the feet or hands as a practitioner moves the carriage. (Don't forget your grip socks!) The reformer also has long straps with handles on them that are attached to the top end of the frame. They can be pulled with legs or arms to move the carriage as well.
The best part? The reformer's parts are adjustable for differing body sizes, resistance, and levels of skill.
Reformer Benefits
So why is BEYOND Studio’s ever-growing number of clients so addicted to their classes? It might be because they're realizing the amazing benefits that Pilates supports such as lean muscles, joint mobility, improved flexibility, strength, and endurance. And of course, a rocking, strong core!
Our “core” isn’t just the abs but also encompasses our entire torso, hips, shoulders, and neck region. Strong core or trunk muscles help stabilize and keep us balanced. By creating strong core muscles, you'll improve your performance in other areas of fitness as well.
Maybe this is why so many men are joining the BEYOND movement, too!
When you hear the phrase “boutique fitness” you might imagine that the studio is filled with only women, but as the members' hubbies have watched their wives transform their bodies, many of them have opted to join as well. Professional football players, high school athletes… This challenging, body-changing workout is for everyone.
What's NEW at BEYOND?
Although you'll burn mega calories during a class, unfortunately, it's no match for an entire box of Twinkies or bag of Doritos post-workout. To help her clients tweak poor habits that inhibit their health and fitness goals, BEYOND joined forces with Lesa Nelson, a Certified Fitness Nutritionist.
Lesa specializes in working one-on-one with clients to transform their body composition, replacing excess fat with lean muscle. Lesa creates a custom workout and nutrition program for each coaching client and supports them every step of the way with regular check-ins and program updates to ensure they reach their health goals.
Lesa has worked with clients ranging from teenage athletes up to seniors, both men, and women. (You don’t have to be a member of BEYOND to sign up for Lesa’s nutrition coaching program.)
Also coming soon, BEYOND Studios knows how much Frisco loves to torch calories so they'll be introducing a second BEYOND concept in early 2020 that will take Pilates Hybrid Interval Training to a whole new level with a serious cardio component! New equipment, a new approach, and more of the BEYOND that we love in a second Frisco location.
Are you ready to go BEYOND?
The Heartbeat of BEYOND? The Community. BEYOND’s members love the relationships they form in the small group classes along as much as they do the results they see and feel physically. To check out their memberships or to schedule a class at, visit their website.
Connect with BEYOND Studios in Frisco:
PH: 469.980.7077
Email: [email protected]
Location
4851 Legacy Drive #503, Frisco, TX 75034
The post It's Not Your Stereotypical Pilates Studio. It's BEYOND. appeared first on lifestylefrisco.com.
