THE TEMPO PILATES™ METHOD
Tempo Pilates™ is our signature approach to Reformer Pilates, developed and refined over more than 16 years of teaching in London.
It starts with the principles of classical Pilates, with our own focus on pace and challenge. By changing the tempo of a movement, we can change the way your muscles work, build intensity and encourage greater control and precision.
Our signature repertoire gives Tempo classes a consistent foundation. It’s a carefully developed collection of exercises designed to teach the method, with progressions and adaptations that allow the challenge to build as you get stronger and more experienced.
As you progress through our class levels, the repertoire evolves too. Advanced Up-Tempo classes move beyond the signature repertoire, while keeping the principles that define the Tempo Pilates method.
Alongside the repertoire, curated music, flowing transitions and individual corrections all form part of how the Tempo Pilates method is taught. Together, these elements create a challenging, focused approach to Reformer Pilates designed to support continued progression.
What Does Tempo Mean in Pilates?
Tempo is simply the pace of a movement. In a Tempo Pilates class, you won’t perform every repetition at the same speed. Your trainer might ask you to slow a movement down, hold a position, add pulses or work through a smaller, quicker range.
Why? Because changing the pace changes how the exercise works.
Moving slowly can make it harder to rely on momentum and demands more control. A hold can increase the challenge without changing the exercise, while a quicker section can test your coordination and stamina.
And that’s where Tempo 301 comes from. The 301 refers to a 3-0-1 exercise tempo: three counts through one phase of a movement, no pause, then one count through the next. It’s one of the ways we use pace within our classes, alongside different tempos, holds and pulses depending on the exercise, the level and the challenge we’re looking to create.
Every change of pace has a purpose, helping you get more from each movement.
The Eight Principles Behind Tempo Pilates
Our method is built around eight principles. Six are foundational Pilates principles, with the addition of Pace and Challenge to create the Tempo Pilates approach.
| Principle | What it means in your class |
| Breath | Using your breath to support your movement. |
| Flow | Moving smoothly from one exercise to the next. |
| Precision | Paying attention to your alignment and how you move. |
| Control | Staying in control rather than relying on momentum. |
| Centering | Connecting with your centre or Powerhouse (abdominals, lower back, hips, and glutes). |
| Concentration | Staying focused and connected to your movement. |
| Pace | Changing tempo to alter the way an exercise feels and works. |
| Challenge | Progressing exercises so you’re appropriately challenged. |
These 8 principles shape the way we programme and teach every Tempo Pilates class.
A Repertoire That Builds With You
You might notice some familiar exercises returning when you come to Tempo 301 regularly. That’s intentional.
Our signature Tempo Pilates repertoire gives our classes a consistent foundation. By returning to key movements, you can build on what you’ve already learned, become stronger and more controlled, and gradually take on more challenging progressions.
As you get stronger, your trainer can progress an exercise by changing:
- resistance
- pace
- range of movement
- repetitions
- holds and pulses
- coordination and complexity
Building on movements you’ve done before also makes progress easier to recognise. An exercise that once felt difficult becomes more controlled. You might manage a heavier spring, a greater range or a progression you couldn’t do a few months ago.
Over time, that progress isn’t only about what you can do on the Reformer. It’s about noticing the difference in how your body feels and moves as you build strength and control.
Progress Through the Tempo Levels
The Tempo Pilates method is designed to give you somewhere to go as you get stronger and more confident on the Reformer.
| CLASS | WHAT TO EXPECT |
|---|---|
| Level 1 | Learn the foundations of the Tempo method and repertoire, with more time for explanation, technique and control. |
| Level 2 | Build on those foundations with more advanced movements, increased resistance, repetitions and intensity. |
| Level 3 | Also known as our Up-Tempo Pilates class. Move beyond the signature repertoire with more advanced, full-body challenges while keeping the Tempo method at its core. |
Music Is Part of the Method
Music has been part of Tempo from the beginning, but our playlists aren’t simply there to create a good atmosphere. They’re designed around the way you move.
Each playlist follows the journey of a Tempo class, from slower, more focused tracks during technical work to stronger rhythms as the intensity builds, before bringing the energy back down for the cool down.
Our playlists are carefully curated to support:
- Pace – helping set the rhythm of each movement
- Focus – creating space for concentration during more technical exercises
- Challenge – building energy as the intensity increases
- Flow – helping the class move seamlessly from one section to the next
- Recovery – bringing the energy down when it’s time to reset and recover
Small Classes Mean More Attention
With just 11–12 Reformers in each studio, your trainer can actually see how you’re moving and give you individual attention throughout the class.
Our trainers aim to give every student regular corrections, helping you adjust your alignment, improve your control and understand where you should be feeling an exercise. Sometimes a small change in your position, range of movement or spring resistance can completely change what you get from it.
And because everyone in the room won’t necessarily need the same thing, your trainer can adapt exercises to suit you. That might mean giving you a modification when you need it, or a more challenging progression when you’re ready for one.
Why We Train Every Tempo Instructor In-House
To teach the Tempo Pilates method consistently, all of our instructors complete additional in-house training. Before joining our teaching team, they are required to hold a Level 3 Mat Pilates teaching qualification as a minimum.
Our Tempo Pilates in-house training covers:
- The Tempo Pilates method and repertoire
- How to use pace, music and flow
- Exercise preparation and progression
- Cueing and individual corrections
- Modifications for different abilities
- Our class structure and teaching standards
- Reformer technique and equipment
This creates consistency across our studios and trainers, while still allowing each instructor to bring their own teaching style to class.
Where Is the Tempo Pilates Method Taught?
You can take a Tempo Pilates Reformer class at all three of our London studios:
- Shoreditch E1 – close to Shoreditch High Street
- Hackney E8 – near London Fields and Hackney Central
- Elephant Park SE17 – in Elephant & Castle
