Global fitness brand, STRONG Pilates, has announced plans to open 50 new studios across the UK over the next three years following a strategic restructure of its operations, and has appointed Stuart Broad CBE, the former England international cricketer, as its official brand ambassador.
Stuart Broad
The company says its enhanced focus on the UK market comes as ClassPass data reveals Pilates had overtaken strength training as the UK’s most popular fitness genre in 2024, with reservations having grown by 33 per cent in the last 12-months.
Mark Armstrong and Michael Ramsey, co-founders of STRONG Pilates, said: “The UK represents one of our most significant growth opportunities globally. We’re intensifying our focus on this key market to provide the UK community with a world-first fitness format that includes Pilates, strength training, cycling and rowing.”
The franchise currently operates three sites across London and one in Dublin, Ireland, with the STRONG Wimbledon launch earlier this year, marking the first of 50 planned locations under the new operational framework. The studios offer members low-impact reformer Pilates with high-intensity cardio training via the globally exclusive Rowformer and Bikeformer machines.
STRONG has also launched new strength conditioning equipment this year that allows members to perform squats and deadlifts with substantial loads on the Rowformer and Bikeformer, which is says combines two of the UK’s most popular fitness genres – Pilates and strength training – in one workout.
Broad commented: “I wish STRONG Pilates was around when I was playing cricket as it truly provides both mind and body balance. You have the Pilates element which controls the movement and relaxation in breathing, combined with the aerobic which pushes the body forward. STRONG has kept me in great nick, so it’s exciting to share the burn with the UK fitness community.”
‘Shaken up the Pilates genre’
Armstrong and Ramsey said that since inception, STRONG Pilates had significantly shaken up the Pilates genre, particularly among the male demographic: “Our male members have more than doubled in the last three years, disrupting a predominantly female dominant genre. Stuart’s appointment as ambassador reinforces our mission to showcase STRONG Pilates’ low impact and sustainable training benefits as a new standard for the future of fitness.”
STRONG Pilates also operates studios across Australia, Dubai, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, and the U.S., with further locations planned in Bahrain, Malaysia and South Korea.
Posted: 11th March, 2025