Why We Don’t Count Reps—We Count Effort
Lifespan Pilates NYC - The Only Romana’s Pilates International™ Training Center in Manhattan
‘In Romana’s Pilates, we don’t do a lot of reps—but we demand a lot of effort.’
It’s a quote we’ve heard echoed by master instructors, apprentices, and longtime clients alike. And it’s not just a saying—it’s a principle. A defining truth of what makes Romana’s Pilates different from other approaches to fitness, movement, and Pilates itself.
In most contemporary fitness environments, the rule is: more is better. More reps. More time under tension. More sets to ‘feel the burn.’
But in Romana’s Pilates, we know that when the body is placed correctly, aligned precisely, and guided with true intention, fewer repetitions can actually produce more powerful results.
That’s because it’s not the repetition that creates the transformation—it’s the quality of the effort.
Romana taught that when an exercise is performed correctly—when the body is integrated, the breath is used properly, and the movement is initiated from the powerhouse—you don’t need to do it ten times to make it effective.
You might only need three.
Maria Sison-Wright, of Fairfax Va. Romana’s Pilates International™ Teacher trainer w/apprentice @ Lifespan
This is where the wisdom of the method comes in. The exercise isn’t just movement—it’s a diagnostic. A reset. A test of control and concentration.
When done well, a single repetition with full focus can leave you more sore, more awakened, and more connected than a hundred reps done mindlessly.
That’s why our teachers spend so much time on placement. On transitions. On the small corrections that align the body in space.
Because when the setup is right, and the effort is sincere, the system works fast.
You feel the work.
You feel the shift.
And you feel it sooner than you expect.
Romana’s Pilates is not about rushing or repeating. It’s about refining. That’s what makes it elegant. That’s what makes it hard.
And that’s what makes it work.
So the next time someone asks why you didn’t you focus on counting reps in your Pilates session, tell them:
“I didn’t need to. I did three. And I felt every single one.”
This is the Pilates that Romana taught.
The Pilates that works when you work it.