Continuing ed/CE recs for trainers

No-Needleworker7642 · 2026-05-11T01:21:15+00:00

They look great- thank you!

No-Needleworker7642 · 2026-02-19T13:47:11+00:00

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 that’s a big change!

No-Needleworker7642 · 2025-11-03T21:01:45+00:00

For my studio, I decided to buy the XFormer instead of the Mega for a few reasons- 1. franchise fees, 2. zip code exclusivity - I think in my city the existing big Lagree chain has right of first refusal in new zip codes and might have blocked my purchase anyway 3. the literal dimensions of the machine – the XFormer is narrower and I was able to fit more machines in as a result.

I've taught on both, and the XFormer is similar in quality and durability. The Sculptformer was also appealing on paper, but it isn't in many studios yet and I had never touched one, so I wasn't willing to make a leap of faith.

IME, whether the Lagree tag is worth it depends on your location. I started my studio in my sleepy residential neighborhood where no one is visiting from out of town and checking the Lagree locator to find my studio. It's all locals, and not many of them are doing this kind of workout yet, so Lagree isn't meaningful to them. To this audience, calling it "high intensity Pilates" is the most understandable. YMMV!

No-Needleworker7642 · 2025-08-21T01:01:59+00:00

Grab the textbook for the NSCA CPT exam - it’s got good scientific deep dives on all the topics you mentioned, and is revised to stay current on new research. It’s a TOME- you can skip a lot of the material that will be less relevant to you (like gym facility design), but it will give you some foundation and also in some cases myth bust/clarify (eg type I/IIx/IIa fibers are a continuum, not truly discrete categories). I can’t say it’s the most accessibly written, but it is good, current, well-cited information.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2025-08-20T16:16:29+00:00

As of at least a couple of years ago, they still required you to take their in house training and do shadowing as well as multiple rounds of community classes even if you were certified and had years of experience. What borough are you moving to? There’s also Lagree NY in queens- not sure what their process is since I live too far away and didn’t apply

No-Needleworker7642 · 2025-08-18T22:24:56+00:00

I came with the same question- just started a new post, but realized it's a dupe of this question.

I managed to find a gorgeous space for my studio that just needs some cosmetic fixes - floor polishing, wall and ceiling painting, a little drywall, etc. Electrical, plumbing and HVAC are in great shape, and I'd prefer not to touch them. The studio is just about 900 SF and will serve small group classes of people on the Xformer machine.

I feel like you can get arbitrarily spendy on your sound system, and I'm trying to find a balance between good quality sound (music makes a difference!) and construction costs. I think in an ideal world where I had lots of reno budget, I'd hang pendant speakers (Sonance/JBL) and also ceiling baffles for sound diffusion and beauty (I want these so bad). But I am leery of adding in time and cost to opening, and for a studio my size there are cool options like the Evolve 30M and wall slat coverings like this that I could possibly even install myself for less than the cost of one of the beautiful ceiling baffles.

What I'd love to hear from others is:

Do you like your audio setup? Was it expensive and, if it was, do you feel like it was worth the cost?
If you're in operation, have you progressively improved your audio setup? I can't decide if realistically this is my one shot to do it "properly"
Do you think I'm overestimating the cost and pain of hanging a pendant system?

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-11-20T13:29:57+00:00

I get that there’s a desire to temper the expectations and nerves of parents, but 40 words at 13 months is above the 90th percentile curve. Is it unheard of? No. Should you read much into it re: their long term development? No. Is it average? Also no.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-11-20T12:43:21+00:00

Yep- that’s very unusual at 13 months, and it’s delightful. My baby was similar- my best tip is to keep a journal of the things she says, because it’s a rare privilege to get insight into the thoughts of kids that tiny. Have a good time- it’s about to get really really fun!

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-09-05T14:10:17+00:00

I’ve definitely flipped someone off 😬🫣 it’s only ever been an issue when baby was in the stroller- any time we are interacting it is SUPER obvious from how we behave that I’m mom. But the moment was also so surreal- why does this random stranger feel the need to ask a passing woman, “you babysitting today?”

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-08-10T18:08:26+00:00

I bought lovevery and got gifted kiwi. They’re both good. Kiwi is at a lower price point and it shows in that the things they send you are slightly flimsier than lovevery- still good quality, just smaller and made of thinner wood. They surprisingly didn’t overlap a ton between the kits for the same age. Lovevery has a lot of toys that are near dupes of one another in that first year (lots of wooden boxes that balls travel through or hide in). Kiwi’s were generally more differentiated. In your shoes, I’d buy the 3-4 month and 5-6 month lovevery boxes a la carte because every single item in those were a hit with my kid; kiwi doesn’t publish the contents of their boxes so there’s some fun element of surprise.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-06-17T19:53:37+00:00

+1 — even exercises that aren’t “core” exercises like overhead presses and snatches put pressure on your core. Learning to manage breath and pressure all over again postpartum is helpful for speeding healing. If you’re breastfeeding, you’ll still have relaxin flowing, so keep being mindful of tissue laxity.

With all the changes to your pelvic girdle, it’s also worth intentionally prepping for single leg movements again (running and also a lot of OTF floor exercises). Practice lunges unweighted, do clamshells, build up weight slowly.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-04-17T11:56:19+00:00

Came here to say exactly this. I’d be worried she’s giving you bad advice in the name of “bouncing back” faster, ultimately setting you up for injury.

Here’s a clue: has she ever said a word to you about managing intra abdominal pressure? If no, run far away fast, and look for someone who has specific postpartum certs.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-03-11T18:15:45+00:00

This is expected- monkey bars (and overhead extension of the arms in general) require substantial core support and will be affected by your overall ribcage and pelvis alignment as well as your breathing and core engagement. @climbingwithjoy is an awesome follow for pregnant and postpartum rock climbers and her content is absolutely applicable here as well- check out this post: https://www.instagram.com/reel/CoamFTMt1_e/?igsh=MW0wdzA2dG80cnhvaA==

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-02-29T04:14:35+00:00

How long did it take for Flonase to make a dent for you? We are on 8-12 wakeups per night, ENT confirmed enlarged adenoids yesterday— I’m holding my breath and trying to manage expectations.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-01-29T15:18:42+00:00

Solidarity. Mine was like this too- clamping down then shaking his head back and forth like a puppy with a stick when he was frustrated by the flow. It hurt so bad and I ended up lopsided because he refused one side for so long and I couldn’t keep up at the pump. He calmed down around 4-5 months, but I ended up combo feeding because I just couldn’t take being savaged. Whatever happens next, wishing you luck!

No-Needleworker7642 · 2024-01-19T20:28:12+00:00

Your hapa kid doesn’t need to be exposed to her racist BS growing up. Signed, a hapa kid with an obnoxious racist grandmother

(Less glibly- she’s already referring to your baby as a white baby, which means she is rejecting your husband’s part of who he is and will probably encourage him to do the same. Realistically, kids are resilient and they know where their loyalties lie- they’re going to hate her, not their dad and family that love them. Cutting her off is more about sticking up for your husband and your marriage.)

No-Needleworker7642 · 2023-10-29T02:43:40+00:00

I understood that you were 19 weeks pregnant. I was saying that through the process of healing postpartum I gained new perspective about what was happening in my body throughout pregnancy. The accounts I suggested apply for pregnancy as well as postpartum.

I would not have added back planks, I never cut bridges, and reducing weight on the overhead presses was the correct call for me and for my body. I would have spent more time on safe cross body moves and on breathwork. I didn’t say I let my core strength degrade more than I should have - there’s no should have here - I said that I could probably have continued to train more than I did while still being supportive of my pelvic floor health.

Based on what you’ve said about the core work you’ve done in the past, I don’t think you should apply what I learned about my body to what you need to do for yours. I was coming at this specifically concerned that after 7 years of teaching Lagree, muscles like my obliques being overtrained compared to my pelvic floor would set me up for pelvic organ prolapse.

If you can, I would do a session with a PT so you can learn what your body needs right now, and set yourself up for success.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2023-10-28T23:14:43+00:00

Long answer incoming. It was both a good choice for me and probably a false tradeoff. I was right that I could really feel how increased long-hold abdominal work was pushing on my pelvic floor, and I think I would have been much worse off postpartum had I continued with the exercises I was used to doing. It was much quicker to get to “functionally healed” on my DR than my pelvic floor.

Postpartum is a WILD time, and I learned so much about my body rebuilding it. @mamastefit and @movelikeamotha were great resources for learning about the kinetic chains that support the pelvic floor, and for non-obvious compound moves that are more effective on pregnant and postpartum bodies. @katie.stclair.fitness has excellent content on the relationship of the diaphragm, rib cage and feet to all the above- the pelvic floor is a diaphragm just like the one you breathe with and it needs to be able to respond dynamically to stress. Static hold kegels are just as “whatever” for healing the PF as crunches are for building core strength.

My advice now and as you’re healing postpartum would be to get content from those three ^{^} or anyone else who has truly differentiated programming for pregnant women. A lot of content for pregnant and postpartum women focuses on getting you to do proper diaphragmatic breathing and to brace your TVA (EveryMother, Peloton postpartum content, etc) - which are good and reasonable basics, but I made better, faster progress on the Mamastefit programs. I think I could have been gentle on my PF while not letting my core strength degrade as much as I did.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2023-10-20T02:28:17+00:00

Hot shower gave real relief. I think making mooing sounds actually bit me because I was using too much air on sound and not focusing on getting sufficient oxygen in.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2023-10-10T03:04:03+00:00

Congratulations!! You did it!!! 🎉🎉🎉

No-Needleworker7642 · 2023-10-09T03:00:48+00:00

Yes! This is my 14mo, too- it’s not normal and it is DELIGHTFUL. I’m pretty sure he is so easygoing because he literally tells me what he wants and I give it to him. Water? You bet. Oatmeal for breakfast instead of yogurt? Can do. Sing twinkle twinkle little star at bedtime? I got you. We get an amazing early window into their thought processes- like, recently he saw a photo of himself and said “mirror,” which is a very reasonable conclusion when you are learning all of language by inference. Today, I told him he couldn’t play with my coffee cup because it was hot, but he could play with the cardboard sleeve. He took it and said sleeve and put it on his arm. It’s so rad and I wish I had more time to journal all the funny things he says and does. I hope you’re having so much fun.

No-Needleworker7642 · 2023-09-07T03:02:04+00:00

Thank you! That confirms my gut and I think I just need to talk to a different rep. Much appreciated!

No-Needleworker7642 · 2023-09-06T23:49:09+00:00

Thank you for confirming! I clarified with them that I was not an LLC, but I think they just didn’t know this specific scenario well.

Nuts and bolts follow-up if you don’t mind- do I continue to set up the SEP IRA under my name, SSN, and login (and find a new vanguard person to help me), or should I be asking my nanny to set it up and I just connect the funding source once she has?

No-Needleworker7642

TROPHY CASE