Boutique Fitness Is Moving Beyond Traditional Pilates. Lagree Shows Where It’s Headed.
Lagree is everywhere on social media right now, with celebrities and trainers raving about the burn from a machine called the Megaformer. What many people do not realize is that it might not actually be Pilates at all, but a separate method entirely.
What is the Lagree method?
Lagree is a patented exercise method designed to strengthen, tighten and tone muscles efficiently, according to the Lagree website. Sebastien Lagree created it in Los Angeles while training clients who already practiced Pilates but wanted more visible physical change.
Lagree said he saw a gap in traditional reformer work. “When I was first introduced to Pilates in 1998, I saw that there was no progressive overloading and no protocol for muscle gain or fat loss. It was never about shaking or sweating. But the body will not change unless it’s stimulated and prompted to change,” Lagree told Pop Sugar. The idea sparked after he saw a Pilates reformer in a local studio. He added platforms and cables to create the Megaformer, originally called the Proformer. Multiple Megaformer versions now exist, and they can only be used in Lagree-licensed studios.
How is Lagree different from regular Pilates?
The two methods share some equipment principles but pursue different fitness goals. Regular Pilates is often rehabilitation-focused, while Lagree was designed for muscle tightening and toning without bulking up.
José San Miguel, a movement instructor and studio manager at FlowCorps Durham, described reformer workouts as a spectrum with Pilates and Lagree as distinct points and many variations in between. Lagree built his original method for actresses and models already in peak shape. “I had to really use my knowledge of body sculpting and then create this workout,” Lagree told Pure Wow. Both styles are low-impact, but they were built for different purposes. Equipment also separates them. The original Pilates reformer developed around the 1920s is typically wood, smaller and uses a single sliding platform. Lagree’s Megaformer, introduced in the early 2000s, has two sliding platforms and was built for higher-intensity work that develops muscular endurance.
What does a Lagree class actually feel like?
Expect shaking, sweating and soreness the next day. The method is intense on muscles but easy on joints, according to the Lagree website.
A class includes planks, lunges, push-ups and Lagree-specific moves like the “Super Lunge” and “Scrambled Eggs.” It is centered on 10 core principles known as the “Magic 10,” designed to force physical change. The variety is part of why people keep coming back, instructors say. “The Lagree method is constantly evolving. As is the equipment we use. There’s a new version of the Megaformer recently launched, so the workout never becomes boring and you’ll never plateau,” Lorraine Jenkins, a qualified Lagree and Pilates instructor and founder of Love Lagree, told Life 360.
Is Lagree harder than regular Pilates?
Lagree was deliberately built to be more physically demanding than traditional Pilates, with progressive overload baked into the method. Regular Pilates can deliver a strong workout, but it was not originally designed to make you shake and sweat.
Jenkins said clients often describe a single Lagree session as the closest thing to a personal training experience. The format combines strength training, cardio and core work alongside balance and flexibility in one class. There is also a grey area around what counts as “real” Pilates today. The Pilates world has expanded into adaptations like Pilates sculpt and heated Pilates, far removed from the original Joseph Pilates method but still capable of delivering a solid workout. Across formats including mat, reformer and hybrid, the benefits include improved posture and pain relief.
Why do celebrities like Nicole Kidman do Lagree?
Lagree was originally built for that exact crowd, actresses and models already in peak physical condition who wanted to sculpt without bulking up. Today its fans include Nicole Kidman and Gwyneth Paltrow, plus countless models across studios from West Hollywood to Brentwood.
Beyond the celebrity factor, group fitness classes appear to offer real mental health benefits regardless of method. A study published in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association found group workouts lowered stress by 26%, and participants saw significant improvement in quality of life. Solo exercisers put in more effort but saw no real change in stress and limited quality-of-life improvement. “The communal benefits of coming together with friends and colleagues, and doing something difficult, while encouraging one another, pays dividends beyond exercising alone. The findings support the concept of a mental, physical and emotional approach to health that is necessary for student doctors and physicians,” said Dayna Yorks, DO, lead researcher on the study.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
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