Pilateswerx LLC, owned by Rachel Brandow, of Fort Dodge, recently opened at 801 Central Ave. Brandow is a personal trainer who works with individuals and pairs for Pilates. She meets with clients inside 2020 Health and Wellness, a fitness studio opened and owned by Fonda Nelson, of Fort Dodge.

Brandow recently moved to Fort Dodge from the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. She has been a personal trainer since 2015 and became certified to teach Pilates in 2017. When she moved to Fort Dodge recently, she was looking for a new fitness studio or club to continue teaching Pilates at.

“There’s nobody around here,” she said. “There’s nothing around here. I looked before I even moved here.”

The closest Pilates studio or class was in the Des Moines area.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
Rachel Brandow, left, is the owner of Pilateswerx LLC, which is located at 801 Central Ave. inside 2020 Health and Wellness, which is owned by Fonda Nelson, right.

“There’s no way I’m driving to Des Moines every day to teach Pilates,” she said.

That’s when she connected with Nelson to set up in 2020 Health and Wellness.

Pilates is a type of fitness exercise that was developed during World War I by German boxer and physical trainer Joseph Pilates. According to a study conducted to review existing literature and develop a definition for Pilates exercise from the University of Western Sydney, Pilates is “a mind-body exercise that requires core stability, strength, and flexibility, and attention to muscle control, posture, and breathing.”

For the workout, Brandow uses a machine called a “reformer,” an apparatus that uses various springs, a sliding carriage, ropes and pulleys to create resistance for different workouts.

“In Pilates, there’s an order to it so it stimulates your nervous system in a specific order,” Brandow said. “What you learn is how to conduct the exercises and keep things plugged in as you move to the next thing. There’s a specific order to the things and there’s different levels — one, two, three, four and five. Obviously, the higher it gets, the harder it gets.”

The Pilates workout bridges the gap between the body and the mind, creating a connection between the two, Brandow said.

“It’s literally a game-changer because a lot of times, most people do things without even thinking about it — their mind isn’t even involved,” she said. “It’s just their body just wants to do it that way.”

Brandow received her training and certification in Pilates at The Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado.

Her instructors, sisters Amy and Michelle Taylor, both trained under Romana K, who was Joseph Pilates’ protegee.

When Brandow was learning Pilates, she decided very quickly that this was something she needed to share with the world. The workout has many benefits, she said.

“Even as a personal trainer, I had a really super tight low back and every time I did a core exercise, I used my lower back and literally you could just barely touch my spine and it felt like somebody knuckle punched me,” she said. “That’s how tight my vertebrae were. And then I started learning this and my spine completely freed up. I never had any issues with my back anymore.”

She’s also worked with individuals going through physical rehabilitation for various issues like scoliosis, knee replacements, broken ankles, hip replacement and more. All of the exercises are able to be modified to fit the individual’s abilities, Brandow said.

At this time, Brandow only offers individual and partner training. Appointments can be made by calling 262-391-0250.