Russo Pilates
October 2018 | Valley Village, CA
“Carrie firmly believes in practicing and teaching on Gratz and Gratz alone because they stay true to Joe’s original dimensions and spring tensions.
If you change the equipment, you change the work.”
Carrie Russo,
Russo Pilates
STUDIO
Russo Pilates is owned and operated by Carrie Russo in Los Angeles, CA and is proud to be a Romana’s Pilates Studio dedicated to teaching the truest method of Joseph Pilates’ body of work. After teaching for a decade in the heart of West Hollywood, Carrie decided to open her own studio near Studio City. Having a fully equipped Gratz studio was simply the only choice. The studio is nestled in a private quaint area, providing the one on one attention Carrie prides herself on giving each and every client. The mission: Have Fun and Work Hard! And yes, BOTH are had in each and every session you have at Russo Pilates!
PEOPLE
Carrie earned her certification from the prestigious Romana’s Pilates program in 2005. Romana’s Pilates is recognized as one of the most elite classical Pilates certifications in the world. While in training, Carrie studied under the direct tutelage of Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates famed protégé. Carrie’s unique style of teaching combines her expert knowledge of the craft and genuine enthusiasm for helping people transform their bodies. Carrie approaches every session with her core philosphy: Working hard and having fun are not mutually exclusive.
Carrie has taught many clients from celebrities, to elite athletes, to regular folks. All body types, all walks of life. Carrie has worked with both men and women with chronic back pain, chronic knee pain, shoulder pain - and over time has witnessed her clients become pain free. She has taught numerous women through their pregnancies and they come back thanking her for it!
Romana once said something to Carrie that she’s never forgotten, "If you're not having fun then what's the point?". That has become the cornerstone for Carrie's teaching. You will work hard and she can be tough, but it's pretty much a guarantee you will be laughing at some point every session. Carrie is proud to say she still has several clients that were her firsts back in 2005. She attributes this to her sincere interest in her clients' goals and desires, connecting with them and genuinely caring. She always says: "This isn't about what I want, it's about what you need."
Carrie is a highly sought after instructor and teaches workshops for both teachers and Pilates enthusiasts around the globe. She takes great joy in sharing her knowledge and passion for Pilates.
Carrie continues to gain international recognition through social media as she has dedicated her Instagram account to educating the masses on Classical Pilates and showing how accessible and fun it is. She can be found on Instagram at @russopilates.
EQUIPMENT
Carrie is so passionate about the importance of using Gratz equipment for so many reasons from the dimensions that dictate the position of the body, the tension of the springs that create the true work, to the feel of the equipment while you move. Let’s focus on the feel of the equipment. The feedback you get from the equipment is unparalleled. You are not lying atop the apparatus in a disconnected way. Rather, you are working WITH the equipment. If it were a car we would say you could feel the road. That is what we call feedback. It is the magic of the “in” on all Gratz apparatus that is what truly transforms the body. But what does that really mean?? What would typically happen in a session is the carriage (on the reformer) will “bang on the in.” All the teacher has to say is, “Don’t bang the carriage.” The client has something tangible to know and feel and Viola! The next rep, they bring the carriage in with no bang! To the untrained practitioner, all they know is they did what the teacher asked them to do. But we, as the trained teacher, know so much more happened. The “bang” tells us that the student’s powerhouse disengaged. Without getting into anatomy and how the body works and what we require of the body in that moment…. all things that will overwhelm a client, we give them a simple cue: “don’t bang the carriage”. When they successfully bring in the carriage quietly, we know they have engaged their powerhouse and CONTROLLED the carriage. To work on equipment that glides in and doesn’t allow for the bang to happen, is taking away from the purpose of the work. After all, Joseph Pilates originally called his work Contrology.
LOCATION
Russo Pilates
Valley Village, CA
Website: www.russopilates.com
Follow Them On Social Media
Instagram @russopilates
