A few notes on the Pilates Workout Tricks Monthly system
I’ve been following the Pilates Workout Tricks Monthly curriculum for about eight months now, and I want to give you an honest look at how it actually works in practice. I'm not here to sell you anything. The program is a monthly-delivered digital guide that cycles through equipment modifications, breathing patterns, and progression tricks meant to take you past plateaus on reformer, chair, and mat work. Each month delivers a PDF workbook plus a set of video demos. The workbook covers one primary focus — for example, hip flexor recruitment during leg circles, or foot articulation on the reformer carriage. The videos show the movement from multiple angles with tempo variations. There is no instructor chat, no community forum, just the materials. That simplicity is either a benefit or a limitation depending on who you are. The monthly cost runs about $19 to $24 at the time of this writing. The core content resets each month so you can subscribe for three months and get a full quarter of material, or cancel after one. The website has a straightforward checkout and instant download on PayPal or credit card.
How the content is structured in practice
Here's what a typical month looks like inside. The opening section explains the physiological mechanism behind the trick. For example, they might break down why engaging the transverse abdominis before initiating a hundred sequence changes rib cage expansion and allows more breaths before fatigue sets in. This isn't vague motivation talk — they provide anatomy references and cite a handful of peer-reviewed sources on core stabilization. Then you get a drill breakdown. Each trick has three progressions: the base pattern, the loaded version, and the advanced variation. They note roughly how many sessions it takes before most people feel the difference. Usually three to five sessions over two weeks. I timed this myself on the spinal twist drill from the January issue and it took me four sessions across 18 days before I could hold the position without compensating through my lumbar spine. After the drills there's a template routine that stitches the tricks into a complete 45-minute class. It's designed for someone with at least intermediate reformer experience. If you're brand new to Pilates, some of the sequencing will go over your head until you understand standard terminology like shoulder brackets, jumbo ring, long box, and footbar settings.
What most people miss about these tricks
The biggest mistake I see beginners make is treating the tricks as additions to their existing routine rather than replacements. The author of the guide emphasizes this repeatedly, but I watched an entire Facebook group of subscribers try to layer every new trick on top of their usual 30-minute reformer flow. After six weeks they reported more stiffness, not less. The correct approach is to pick one trick per week and build it into a single existing exercise. Swap your standard arm pull for the modified scapular depression variation. That's it. One change per week. Another overlooked detail is the breathing counts. The videos often show breath patterns but don't emphasize them enough on screen. In my experience, the breath holds in the intermediate level tricks are what create the actual adaptation. Skip the breath work and you're just doing a slower version of the same exercise with no additional benefit.
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A specific edge case I ran into
During the March issue, the focus was on the lateral flexion series on the long box. The trick involved rotating through the thoracic spine while maintaining pelvic neutrality. I hit a wall where my right side would unlock early and my lumbar would compensate. I spent two weeks trying different foot positions, changing spring tension, and experimenting with arm placement. Nothing worked. The workaround came from re-reading the footnote on the PDF where they mentioned that people with tight psoas on one side often mask the issue by gripping the front of the box with their hands. I loosened my hand grip, let my weight sink into the seat bone, and reset the alignment. The movement unlocked within the third attempt. It was a small detail buried in the text that most people probably scrolled past. That's one reason I keep a highlighter handy when working through each month.
Downsides and where it doesn't work
Be honest about a few limitations. The program assumes access to a full studio setup — reformer, chair, barrel, long box, and a range of spring tensions. If you only have a mat and a ring, roughly half the monthly content is unusable. You'll get value from the mat-focused tricks, but the reformer-specific drills won't translate. There is also no personalized feedback. If your form is off, the videos won't correct you. You'll need a qualified instructor or at minimum a mirror and video recording of yourself to self-diagnose. I've seen people reinforce bad patterns because they couldn't tell the difference between the target cue and what they were actually doing. The monthly subscription model means you lose continuity if you cancel. Each month is self-contained, but the progression across months builds complexity. Skipping months creates gaps that show up during the harder drills. If your budget is tight, consider buying three months at once if there's ever a bundle discount, or wait for an annual pass if one appears.
Who should and shouldn't subscribe
This works well for intermediate to advanced practitioners who already know their way around standard apparatus work and are looking for subtle refinement rather than foundational instruction. It also suits instructors who want fresh material to add to their teaching repertoire without spending hours designing sequences themselves. It is not suitable for complete beginners, for people with acute back injuries, or for those seeking a community or accountability component. If you need someone to watch your form or answer questions, this isn't that resource. A private coaching arrangement or an in-person advanced workshop would serve you better.
Pilates Workout Tricks Monthly: Where to find it
The subscription page is located at the official site associated with the creator's name, which you can search directly. Look for the current monthly pricing, the sample PDF that's offered freely, and the cancellation policy. The sample lets you see the format before paying. I'd recommend downloading it and comparing the depth to what you'd get from a free YouTube tutorial. The gap is narrow on beginner topics and wider on the advanced mechanical breakdowns. If you decide to proceed, start with one month. Work through the drills slowly. Track your progress in a notebook with dates and observations. After 30 days you'll know whether the material matches your goals without committing to a longer term. The content is solid if your setup and experience level align with what it expects. Outside those conditions, save your money and invest in a few sessions with a certified instructor instead.
