Category: In Club

MOVATI has been known for its ever-popular Mat Pilates classes. A class where members utilize body weight exercises to target a whole-body workout. In the spring of 2023, select clubs will be introducing Pilates Reformer classes, taking the Pilates experience to a whole new level. 

What Are the Benefits of Pilates?

Traditionally, Pilates is used to stretch, strengthen and balance the body, while focusing on breathing techniques to create a more powerful mind-body connection.

How is Reformer Pilates Different from Traditional Pilates?  

Reformer Pilates, a more modern approach to Pilates training, utilizes slow and controlled movements, with the assistance of a machine that uses a sliding platform (a carriage). Reformer classes allow you to experience the benefits of a total body workout, along with muscle specific workouts like our Core & Glutes or Cardio & Core classes to help mimic a more traditional strength training workout (without the barbells and weights). The reformers are targeted to help improve strength, posture, balance and coordination. 

With 6 class types to choose from, Pilates Reformer will keep your mind and body challenged with each workout. Come check us out and experience the difference with Pilates Reformer.

MoveActive Grip Socks

Good News! A selection of styles, designs and sizes are available at participating locations. Members can ask their Pilates instructors or the front desk for assistance. Here is some information about MoveActive Grip Socks!

 Why use MoveActive grip socks? 

MoveActive grip socks are specifically “designed to improve stability, safety and performance for yoga, pilates and barre styles of exercise. Crafted from high quality, breathable cotton, with built-in compression arch support, it’s a little slice of heaven for your feet.”

Where can you purchase MoveActive Grip Socks? 

MoveActive grip socks are available for sale at MOVATI clubs that offer Pilates Reformer services. (WDM, BARR, GUE, RCH and BUR)

Are MoveActive products sustainable? 

“MoveActive believes the future of our planet and the fashion industry depends on our company’s commitment to our environmental impact. The journey to creating a sustainable and ethical product is one that requires constant development, learning and refinement and as a company, we are committed to constantly evolving our business practices to ensure we’re working towards contributing to a sustainable industry.

Our products are packaged in sustainable packaging. We use biodegradable courier bags and environmentally friendly packing accessories to deliver products to our customers. We have a no plastic policy (where necessary) and believe all packaging should exist for a cause or purpose. Most of our accessory products are packaged in mesh bags which are designed to reuse or to carry the product in.

We constantly invest in the research and development to source fabrics and packaging that are not only high-quality and durable, but also have sustainable qualities.”

Enhance your Pilates, Yoga & Barre workouts today!

Click here to find out if Pilates Reformer classes are available in your club today.

Blog written by Courtney O’Reilly, National Manager – Specialty Programs, MOVATI Athletic

With our MOVATI app, we can assist you with getting you started and/or help you maintain your healthy habits! 

Here are some interesting facts about Habits:

• Habits are the ultimate energy and time saver.
• Over 40 percent of what you do is habitual.
• It takes on average 21 to 30 days to change a habit.
• A habit becomes part of your day to day routine and lifestyle without even knowing it.

Here are some hacks to make your new healthy exercise habits stick! 

1. Set your alarm to make sure you get up and get moving!
2. Get your workout clothes ready. Sometimes the trick is buying something you look forward to wearing
3. Start small, one day and step at a time
4. Celebrate the small victories
5. Have fun
6. Take rest days 
7. Do not skip on planned exercise days 

Here is how you can track your workouts and create habits using the MOVATI app. 

Open your MOVATI app, once you do, you will see this screen:

Click on workouts on the bottom of the screen, as shown in this image.

Once you clicked on workouts, you will then be able to add in any workouts that you like by clicking on the + sign on the top right. Once you create a workout it will appear on this screen under training plans. By having a training plan, you will have a scheduled workout that you have committed to.

If you do not have a “my workout” created under training plans, this is what will come up once you click on the arrow on the top right. Once you click TRACK WORKOUT, you will be able to create your own workout regimen based on date and time.

Now, you can choose between strength, sport, fitness classes, endurance, mobility and so much more! All you have to do is click on the “+” sign located on the right hand sign of each workout to add this to your regimen. This is a great guide to help you stay on track and reach your goals.

If you are the type of person that needs that extra push by setting an overall goal, check out the next step to complete this process.

To set a goal, head back over to the starting page, once back on the main page, you will click on “progress”. You will then see a section that says “your goals”- click on set goal. This page on the right will pop up.

You can choose between number of workout days, calories burned, workout duration and workout distance. Once you click on one of the goals, you will be able to select exactly what your goal is (workout 4 times a week, 500 calories a day, 5 k a day) for example.

This will then be your go to page- to keep track and find the motivation that you need.

Happy habit tracking and goal setting. We hope that this guide can assist you with how to use the app to reach your training goals and build healthy habits.

In MOVATI’s Speed & Power cycling class, learn more about your cycling with your Functional Threshold Power (FTP) number. 

What is the significance of knowing your FTP?

In cycling, FTP stands for Functional Threshold Power.  Or an easy way to think of it as your hardest sustained effort or power output over a 30-to-60-minute period.  We measure this in unit of WATTS.  

FTP is an important metric for cyclists, since it is quantifiable way to measure your fitness on the bike, and to gauge the level of difficulty for any particular ride for any given day.

When getting ready to start the FTP test, it is important that you have prepared before hand by warming up your body; muscles and increased heart rate.  Sprints and RPM pickups will help with the warmup, as you build to the start of the test.  Once the test has started, you want to have a enough resistance to maintain the effort and the pace / pedal rhythm from start to finish, keeping your watt output constant, and in a seated position.   Do not start out too hard at max output, our it will be difficult to maintain the effort to the end of the test, become short of breath, and burn out.  Also, you don’t want to take the test too easy where you feel like you could have pushed yourself significantly more at the end.  

To reiterate, you want the test to be your maximum sustained effort from start to finish, where you feel between breathy (able to speak) and breathless at the end.

For our indoor classes at our clubs, the FTP tests can range in duration from 3 minutes 5 seconds to 5 minutes where the rider is at their hardest sustainable effort.  The average watts for this duration is measured, and then a calculated FTP result is made for the cyclist.  For this example since the rider has not performed the test the 1 hour, the calculation is based on what the effort would have been IF the test was for 1 hour.  Thus, your FTP result for that particular class that day will be approximately 80-85% of the effort.  

In that same token, if the duration is increased to an FTP of 20 mins, the result will be 95% of the effort, since you are riding at your hardest sustained effort for a longer period of time, slightly less effort than if you were riding up to a 5 minute FTP.

Now, you have an FTP number.  This is your personal fitness measurement when it comes to cycling.  What do you do with that number?  You FTP number can now be used as training tool.  Now you can work in different training zones, or intensity zones. 

Try to maintain your FTP number or improve it when you ride in a power cycling class.  Remember it also depends on how you feel any particular day.  If you are feel great, crush your FTP score!

One thing to also remember is that FTP is also dependant you your body mass.  As you decrease in weight or mass, your FTP score can go down as you are pushing with less power to go at the same speed.  

So don’t worry, it is you vs you!  Enjoy the bike, enjoy the class, get the most out of your FTP score, and keep pedaling!

Find a Speed & Power class using the Group Fitness Schedule on MOVATI website or through the  MOVATI member app.

Written by Brian Pfuetzner

On Friday, November 30th, we had the pleasure of having Stella Acquisto from Breakfast Television stop by our Richmond Hill location. We put Stella through the paces where she got to try a variety of our classes and offerings including: MOVATI Fuel, Bungee Workout, Anti-Gravity Yoga and MOVATI Ignite. In case you missed out the segments lives on Friday, you can find them below:

Stella Live at MOVATI – Part 1 (MOVATI Fuel)

Stella Live at MOVATI – Part 2 (Bungee Workout)

Stella Live at MOVATI – Part 3 (Anti-Gravity Yoga)

Stella Live at MOVATI – Part 4 (MOVATI Ignite)

Just like keeping fit and healthy, we’re continually working to make our club facilities the best they can possibly be. In fact, this year marks one of our biggest investments in club improvements in our history. We are refreshing, renewing and revitalizing all of our club locations, all to ensure that our members fully enjoy each and every visit, and get the most out of the time they spend here.

As an innovator and leader in the fitness industry, Movati Athletic has always strived to stay ahead of the curve by offering the widest and best range of equipment and amenities. Across our clubs, we’re undertaking numerous endeavours to raise the bar even higher and set the standard for what a health club can be. This includes everything from core items such as new state-of-the-art cardio and strength equipment to less obvious features – things like newly renovated change/locker rooms, upgrades to pool areas, freshened decor, even improvements to our WiFi and café lounge offerings.

From the moment you step into one of our clubs, we think you’ll notice the difference between us and those other places. Because for us, the ultimate goal is to offer an environment where our members will always feel welcome, feel comfortable and feel healthy. We invite you to come in and discover for yourself just how enjoyable and rewarding fitness can be at Movati Athletic.