In 2023, one of my best friends, Katy, told me that she was going to quit teaching group fitness and go into bodybuilding. She was going to try her hand at the Bikini Competition stage. In 2024, I knew I was turning 40. Despite owning a Pilates and Fitness studio, I decided that I needed to really make my health a priority. I was inspired by Katy’s journey and asked her for some guidance. She introduced me to her coach who got me on a nutrition and workout plan. In August 2024, I signed up with Elite Physical Training with Coach Gareth Sapstead from the UK. I only asked that my workouts be programmed for the equipment I had in my Pilates and Fitness Studio.
In March of 2025, I broke my elbow. Never in my life had I felt so defeated. As movers, it is HARD to be in a space where you can’t move! My strength training had all been done in my space. My gym offers a variety of equipment, including barbells, kettlebells, dumbbells, a TRX suspension trainer, and a functional trainer. Almost every lower body exercise also required upper body to hold the weight. Given the broken elbow, I had to look elsewhere to train. I bit the bullet and joined a gym. One that had equipment that required just moving a pin. All of a sudden, I could do pendulum squats, leg press, adduction, and abduction on a machine. The doors opened to hack squats, leg extensions, and hamstring curls! This was a different weightlifting ball game that came with results.
I never had a real goal of competing. I just kept it open and said, “Maybe one day.” Well, fast forward to Sept 20, 2025, and I was on the same stage in San Antonio as Katy. We picked the show in San Antonio because my friend and our coach were both going to be there, and it would be a good entry in the world of Wellness (the division in which I competed and won!).
I had been to a few shows before San Antonio to support friends. Being at these shows taught me a LOT about what posing should and shouldn’t look like. After watching the girls walk on stage in 4-5-inch heels and arched backs, all I could say was, “Those girls need Pilates! Can you imagine how badly they need a roll down to decompress that lumbar!?”
Being on the stage wasn’t much different. I hired Sheronica Henton, a Miss Olympia winner and all-around rockstar, to be my Posing Coach. I’m normally pretty comfortable in my body, and in my space-until I get in those high heels and a tiny rhinestone bikini. As a Pilates Teacher, I’m accustomed to thinking about our containers or wheels being in alignment. When Sheronica told me to walk with my glutes up to the sky, you would have thought she was telling me that the sky was purple. This movement did NOT compute in my body. And then I was supposed to make it look natural! As Pilates teachers, we use the muscles we need, and keep the rest relaxed. On stage, the only thing you need to keep relaxed are your hands. Your face doesn’t even get to relax because you are expected to smile the whole time!
During the process of training my muscles and training my poses, I thought about my Pilates background often. It wasn’t just after hard training days that I was thankful for Pilates, but after posing practice too. The two-way stretch felt SO good on my spine and joints. It helped me feel long and aligned after contorting my body in unnatural ways and pushing it to the limits.
I wasn’t always a gym rat. I was really happy living in my Pilates world. When I started taking strength training seriously, I felt so fortunate that I had such a strong movement foundation. Pilates covers all of the functional movement patterns, and then some. It all translates perfectly into the gym.
Practicing things like bridges on the reformer gave me power, form, and control for barbell hip thrusts and glute drives. Doing footwork and feet in straps gave me the information I needed to keep a neutral spine during squats and deadlifts. Kneeling abdominals is basically an abdominal roller, but it made me feel a little safer. Seated and kneeling arm work really helped me figure out how to stabilize and mobilize my scapula to get the most out of my upper body workouts.
All in all, my bodybuilding experience made me appreciate Pilates more than ever. Will I compete again? Who knows. Will I continue strength training and Pilates? Absolutely. Do I believe that everyone should be doing both? YOU BET. I personally don’t believe that the reformer should be used to make major muscle gains like you’d get in the gym, but I wholeheartedly believe that the movement foundation that you get in a Pilates studio will prepare you not only for life, but for making those muscle gains in the gym.
Keep moving, friends!
Cathy Redifer got her degree in Education and stuck with teaching in schools for a bit before finding Pilates. It changed her life and quickly became a passion. Now she gets to couple her love of education and passion for movement. Cathy is a firm believer that knowledge is power. She’s dedicated to continuously to learning, so that she can pass her knowledge and passion to others. Helping people find their strength and their inner power gives her extreme happiness, whether it’s mental and/or physical. As an Educator for Balanced Body and a studio owner, she gets the pleasure of helping people find their most powerful selves! Find her on Instagram at: @alignpilates_cathy
