Today a new Pilates ProWorks studio is opening up in Alexandria. Located at the intersection of Henry Street and Queen Street, Pilates ProWorks will give you the hardcore workout you’ve been craving. Just eight blocks from the King Street Metro Station, this 3,000 square foot space will provide the tools you need to tone your entire body. And for those of you who think pilates isn’t a serious workout—think again.
“We do offer pilates classes for people who want to do something lower key, but our signature product is really pilates pro classes, which people like to say is pilates on steroids,” says Betsy Weissman, the studio owner.
The Pilates ProWorks exercise routine harkens back to Joseph Pilates’ philosophy. Joseph Pilates invented the now-famous workout in the early 1900s and originally dubbed it “contrology” because of how closely the mind has to control every muscle in the body in order to get the most out of the exercise.
Pilates ProWorks takes theses basic tenets—like a controlled core and breathing—and adds machines and weights to make the exercise more high-energy. This helps participants burn calories and shed body fat more quickly.
“(For) 55 minutes you work out really hard, and you feel great for the day,” Weissman says. “I don’t have much time so the slow-paced class that feel good but don’t give me what I need—I don’t have that luxury.” An attorney at Wolters Kluwer, she says she got into Pilates ProWorks because she is a barre devotee who wanted to add more intensity to her workout without causing any undo damage to her body. “ProWorks is for both men and women,” she adds. “It’s a very challenging workout, but it’s very easy on the body (so) you don’t (have) the wear and tear.”
Classes at the Alexandria location are $28 each. If you purchase a 10-class package to use over 30 days it’s about $17.50 per class. Private sessions are $80 each and unlimited use of the studio is $225 per month.
In the coming weeks, Weissman plans to add other classes such as Barre Pro, MatBox, and yoga, along with instructional nutrition lectures.
Mollie Bloudoff-Indelicato is a freelance science, health, and environment reporter based in Washington, DC, whose work has appeared in National Geographic, NPR, Scientific American, The Atlantic, Newsweek, and Nature.
