What’s TSUTAYA Pilates Like? Is It Easy? Can You Lose Weight? Our Unathletic Writer Tried It out [Nishitsu Ad]

What’s so great about Pilates?

“Lately, don’t you hear about Pilates all the time? Athletes, celebrities, models… everyone seems to be doing it. But what’s it actually like?”

This time, Ashiya Tsushin’s main writer Fu-ko（self-proclaimed unathletic type） tried the newly launched machine Pilates at TSUTAYA Conditioning Nishinomiya Yakushicho, also known as “Raku-Raku Pilates”!

Here it is on the map↓

The address is 2-38 Yakushicho, Nishinomiya, Hyogo.

It’s that TSUTAYA along the Nakatsuhama Line, the one with Little Mermaid and Seria inside, plus a parking lot.

Since Pilates at TSUTAYA is a women-only studio, Shachomi(in women’s clothes) snuck in as an observer (photographer)!

Here’s how it’s different from a regular gym! What exactly is TSUTAYA Conditioning?

TSUTAYA Conditioning, built around the concept of “conditioning” your body, isn’t about “training hard,” but about “getting your body in balance.”

So rather than tough strength training, they offer things you can keep doing comfortably, like AI machines, yoga, and now the newly launched machine Pilates.

There’s a book lounge?!

TSUTAYA Conditioning has been renovated several times. This is the entrance after going up to the second floor.

This time, it had changed a lot again, and somehow it feels so much bigger!!

Before we knew it, the book lounge had been renewed too.

There’s a space where you can relax like you’re at a cafe, read books, or work on your laptop.

They even have tables with power outlets. It’s surprisingly generous that “you can just come read books even if you don’t work out.” Honestly, I’d want to write Nishi2 articles in this lovely space.

A women-only machine Pilates studio

Since it’s small-group＆women-only, it’s easy to feel comfortable even if you’re worried about being watched!

Actually, it just started in February, and apparently the period until the end of March is the best time to join! （We’ll explain why later）

What’s good about Pilates? How is it different from yoga?

Generally speaking, yoga is mainly about flexibility and relaxation. Pilates focuses on posture and core strength.

Yoga also involves holding poses while breathing slowly, but Pilates feels a little more focused on “conditioning the body.” In particular, it seems to make you aware of the pelvic area and deep muscles（inner muscles）, and it can even help with lower back pain prevention!!

What’s good about strengthening your inner muscles?

You often hear the term inner muscles（deep muscles）, but basically, they’re the muscles located deep inside your body. Training them comes with a lot of great benefits.

For example, better posture, relief from lower back pain and stiff shoulders, less fatigue, and more! Shachomi is in his 40s, so this really caught his attention. If Pilates can make your body feel lighter, that sounds amazing.

It can also help with dieting

Strictly speaking, “Pilates = strength training” isn’t quite accurate, but when your core becomes more stable, you can expect your basal metabolism to increase.

Because it helps improve circulation and posture, it’s said to make your body more prone to staying lean over time. Plus, the Japan national rugby team has been incorporating Pilates since 2008. If athletes use it too, that gives it a lot of credibility.

I tried machine Pilates, and it was way “easier” than I expected

When we stepped into the studio, there were specialized machines lined up everywhere.

For a moment I thought, “Whoa… this looks hard…” but the instructor adjusts the resistance to match each person’s level and stamina, so it’s totally fine. Even if you’re not good at exercise, it’s easy to get started casually.

The studio is also women-only＆small-group, and above all, the atmosphere is incredibly welcoming. They give really careful support, too. They gently reassure you that “even if you have concerns about your lower back or shoulders, just do what you can.”

Wake up your core with the “Mermaid Pose”

“Focus on a neutral pelvis” is one of the key points of Pilates. At first, Fu-ko was like, “Where even is my pelvis?!”

But because the machine firmly supports your back and legs, it’s easy and makes it clear which part of your body you should be moving.