According to the American College of Sports Medicine’s annual Worldwide Fitness Trends forecast for 2026, balance, flow and core strength exercise formats are one of the top rising fads in the industry. This is reflected by the recent Pilates boom that’s resonating across generations.
One community rec center that’s taken full advantage of this surge in popularity is the YMCA of Greater San Antonio. Beginning in October 2024, the Y turned an existing, but underperforming Pilates Reformer program at one location into an unlimited membership model.
Kiera Obst, the director of Pilates at the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, said the Y restructured the membership model from pay-per-class to an unlimited class, monthly flat rate that’s additional to general YMCA membership.
“With our sights set on continued growth, the Pilates membership offered to YMCA members for $125 a month can be used city-wide, at any location we offer Pilates Reformer,” said Obst. “The unlimited Pilates program has been a smashing success. We have over 300 memberships, a team of 15 incredible instructors and the leadership of the YMCA to support the program. It is a financially very healthy program.”
Program Details
To start, the YMCA team invested in the growth of this Pilates push by increasing their Reformer amount from six to 12. Also, the Y increased available classes from 16 to 35 per week. The success of the unlimited membership model demonstrated the YMCA was fulfilling the needs of the community at a very competitive price point.
“The YMCA ensures that we are ‘For All,’” said Obst. “The foundation of our nonprofit is we’ll never turn anyone away for not being able to afford what we have to offer. The Pilates program is no exception. We proudly offer generous financial aid/scholarships so that cost is never a barrier to entry.”
Since its inception, the unlimited program has grown from about 100 people to well over 300, increasing profits each month. In 2025, the program netted $100,000.
Obst said members love the offering, not only because they love Pilates, but they also like the instructors, accessibility and flexibility in a robust schedule to choose from. The Y offers an array of classes for all levels, classes specializing in Parkinson’s disease and other specialty populations, classes geared toward the 60-plus population, and even family Pilates Reformer classes.
“We attribute the continued growth of the Pilates Unlimited program to our members,” said Obst. “Every single day we have new faces in our classes, mostly from members who’ve invited their friends and loved ones to join them.
Meeting a Need
Creating a program like the YMCA of Greater San Antonino’s Pilates offerings as a community rec center isn’t typical due to all many moving parts. However, Obst said what made this program possible and successful has been a perfect storm: an industry-niched leader, the support of the YMCA and trust of leaders.
“Creating a new sales structure within the YMCA with a very niched focus and a substantial investment would create hesitation in most organizations,” said Obst. “However, the YMCA leaders saw the vision and believed in what the program could be.”
She said Pilates is commonly known for having very high price points, which is the exact opposite intention of the movement that Joseph Pilates envisioned. Prior to her role as the director of Pilates at the YMCA, Obst was a Pilates studio owner in Buffalo, New York, and learned firsthand the dichotomy between the cost of business and truly serving the community.
“I had always dreamed of being able to make high-quality movement more financially accessible to more people. I struggled to maintain that sort of structure all while being a sustainable business,” said Obst. “But I saw an opportunity at the YMCA, knowing the heart of its mission. With a sound five-year business plan, financial support and a clear vision, we have built a thriving, growing program.”
Lasting Advice
Obst said for other center leaders who want to start their own Pilates program, any offering can be successful with well-positioned people, trust and a little bit of risk.
“To start a Pilates program, it’s so important to find industry-knowledgeable leaders who really understand the nuances of what Pilates is, how the trends are moving, what the community needs are and the one thing that can give your organization the cutting edge.”
In the case of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio, that one thing is eliminating as many barriers as possible to support the whole-health journey of community members.
“Finding a team of instructors who are bought into the mission of your organization and serve as a liaison between your vision, their passion and members’ needs is critical,” said Obst. “Being an organization that offers trust, autonomy and support for the growth of a program is essential.”
