232 Pilates Digest | Movement Refined


The Power of Moving Slowly

How slowing down improves strength, alignment and neuromuscular control

One of the first things people notice in a 232 Pilates session is the pace. In my studio, the exercises are not rushed. The movements are carefully curated and unfold slowly, often with deliberate pauses and thoughtful transitions. For someone accustomed to faster workouts or high intensity classes, this can feel surprising at first.

I recently had a private session client come to me after deciding he was no longer interested in the high intensity style workouts he had been attending. He explained that he wanted to start working out more intelligently and with greater attention to how his body was actually moving. Pilates immediately offered something different. Instead of rushing through exercises, we slowed the movement down and focused on control, alignment, and precision. I added additional spring tension where needed because this client was strong.

Slowing the body down reveals something important. Without momentum, the body must rely on coordination and deep structural support to complete even the simplest movement. When exercise speeds up, the body often compensates by relying on momentum or by allowing the largest muscle groups to take over the work. While this can make movement feel easier in the moment, it can also mask imbalances and allow inefficient patterns to persist. The reformer in my studio was the right machine to aid in identifying this particular clients’ asymmetries.

When movement slows down, compensations and asymmetries become harder to hide. Each joint must organize itself more carefully, and the muscles surrounding it must engage thoughtfully to guide the movement. With out a doubt, what appears simple on the surface with my clients can quickly become quite challenging when every inch of motion is controlled.

At 232 Pilates, we use this principle deliberately. The resistance of the springs encourages steady, measured movement rather than abrupt effort. As the reformer carriage moves out and returns, the body must control both bi-lateral phases of the motion. This creates sustained muscular engagement rather than short bursts of effort. The result is not just strength, but a more refined relationship between the muscles and the nervous system.

One of the most valuable outcomes of this slower pace is the development of neuromuscular coordination. When movement slows down, the brain has more opportunity to process what the body is doing. Small adjustments in alignment become noticeable. The body begins to sense where weight is shifting, where joints are drifting off center, and where deeper support is needed.

This may seem far-stretched, however, I like to think that this neuromuscular coordination we do using Pilates equipment is akin to the slow, fluid and controlled motion of Tai-Chi, but with added resistance and props. Could we actually just be implementing this ancient wisdom on Joe’s 100 (ish) old apparatuses?

I witnessed over time that this process has already begun to improve my client’s awareness and alignment. As we move through the exercises more slowly, he has started to notice where his weight shifts, when his ribs begin to lift, or when his hips try to rotate out of position.

These are subtle things that often go unnoticed in faster workouts. By slowing the movement down, he is learning how to stack the joints more efficiently and distribute effort through the correct muscular chains. In Pilates, this often means the deeper stabilizing muscles of the torso, hips, and spine begin working together to support the movement rather than allowing the larger muscles to dominate the work. The result is a kind of strength that feels integrated and controlled rather than forced.

The slower pace creates space to notice breath, alignment, and the subtle transitions between positions. These details are where much of the work actually happens.

For many people, this can shift their perspective on what a workout should feel like. A session does not need to be fast to be demanding. In fact, moving slowly often reveals just how much control the body must develop to move well.

At 232 Pilates, this intelligent pace is not about making exercise easier. It is about refining how the body moves. By removing momentum and emphasizing control, I focus on building strength with precision, awareness and alignment.

-Diana Muchmore, March 13, 2026

232 Digest is a weekly journal on movement, Pilates, and intelligent exercise written from the studio floor at 232 Pilates in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.