MATWORK INSTRUCTOR TRAINING · NATIONALLY & INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED
Our foundation Pilates instructor certification designed for people who want to teach Matwork Pilates in studios, gyms, allied health settings, online or in their own Pilates business. Learn 88+ Matwork exercises online, then complete a 4-day practical course face-to-face or fully online via Zoom.
Online Pre-Course Study
Face-to-Face or Online via Zoom
Online Post-Course Study
Receive Your Qualification
The Studio Pilates Matwork Course is our foundation Pilates instructor training course, designed to give you the qualification, practical skills and confidence to become a world-class Matwork Pilates instructor.
Developed by physiotherapists and grounded in the latest science, we teach you how to instruct 88 Matwork exercises – from effective cueing and correcting technique to modifying for injuries and pregnancy and programming flowing one-on-one and group classes.
With hands-on practice and personalised instructing feedback, you’ll graduate ready to confidently teach real clients in Pilates studios, gyms and allied health settings, online or in your own Pilates business.
If you don’t come from a comprehensive Anatomy background, you will complete the Studio Pilates Anatomy Course in conjunction with the Matwork Course.
Reviewed by Studio Pilates Training Academy · Last verified October 2026
One qualification, more ways to instruct! The Studio Pilates Matwork certification gives you the skills and qualification to confidently instruct Matwork Pilates across a wide range of settings.
Teach Matwork classes in independent Pilates studios.
Instruct group and one-on-one Matwork sessions.
Bring Pilates into appropriate clinical and rehabilitation environments.
Teach clients and classes virtually.
Build your own classes, client base or Pilates business.
Learn everything from foundational core activation exercises essential for rehabilitation and pre and postnatal clients through to our intermediate repertoire loved by stronger clients, athletes and dancers. A broader exercise repertoire means more tools in your instructor toolbox, more variety and better outcomes for your clients.
Pay your course in easy instalments.
Learn more →
Free hard copy manual in Australia + NZ.
Digital manual included worldwide.
Learn to build Matwork classes that flow, challenge and seriously work the body, with the skills to dial the intensity up or down for the person in front of you.
Everyone learns differently. That’s why the Studio Pilates Matwork Course combines a comprehensive Online Training Centre with a 400+ page course manual, giving you multiple ways to learn, practise and master the course content at your own pace.
Hundreds of workshop videos, including a detailed video breakdown of every exercise, plus self-paced observation classes, sample workouts, programming, injury and pregnancy training.
Your comprehensive reference guide covering exercises, cueing, muscle activation, modifications, programming and more.
Explore the origins and evolution of Pilates, Joseph Pilates’ original method and inventions, the Pilates philosophy and principles and the science behind how Pilates works.
Master pelvic and spinal positioning, Pilates breathing, shoulder blade and neck positioning and correct core muscle activation.
Learn to identify common postural types including lordosis, kyphosis, flatback, swayback, scoliosis and joint hypermobility, plus understand their implications for Pilates.
Learn how to confidently instruct Pilates using the Studio Pilates Cueing Formula, with practical techniques for verbal, non-verbal and tactile cueing, exercise demonstration and correcting client technique.
Learn and master 88 beginner to intermediate Matwork exercises, including correct movement and muscle activation, troubleshooting client form and modifications for injuries, pregnancy and mobility. Reinforce your learning with a full exercise write-up on the course manual, online exercise workshop videos, self-mastery classes and observation classes.
Learn how to screen clients, identify when exercises may need to be modified and understand when to refer to an appropriate health professional, alongside essential professional practice and workplace safety principles.
Learn how to safely modify Pilates for common injuries and conditions, including back and neck pain, disc problems, sciatica, SIJ pain, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis as well as pregnancy, postnatal recovery, pelvic floor concerns and abdominal separation.
Learn how to confidently program one-on-one and group Matwork classes that flow from one exercise to another seamlessly, including exercise selection and sequencing, class duration, intensity and exercise substitutions. You’ll also receive six sample class programs and practical before, during and after-class tips developed from decades of Pilates experience.
Here are just some of the practical tools you’ll master in the Studio Pilates training to hit the ground running in the real world. Because knowing Pilates exercises and knowing how to teach are two different things.
Learn how to begin your classes, so clients get the most out of each session.
Master a simple, proven method for explaining exercises clearly so clients ‘get it’ immediately.
Put your skills into practice with hands-on instructing, individual feedback and plenty of opportunities to build your confidence.
Our courses are developed by physiotherapists and are based on the latest science around core muscle activation. This clinical approach filters through everything we teach, so you understand the body, the exercises and how to confidently modify to keep your clients safe and help them achieve their goals.
There’s more to programming a great Pilates class than choosing a collection of exercises.
At Studio Pilates, we teach you to program using the Centring Principle – activating the muscles at the centre of the body before moving outwards to the larger, more peripheral muscles.
You’ll learn why abdominal activation comes first, why activating the glutes before certain leg exercises can change the way an exercise is performed and why preparing the scapular stabilisers before upper-body work can be important.
We also explore exercise sequencing and layering including how the exercise performed immediately beforehand can influence where a client feels the next exercise and how working the same muscle group progressively can build activation, strength and endurance.
It means you’re not just learning which exercises to put together. You’re learning the science behind why you put them together.
“Engage your core” can mean a lot of things. We teach you exactly which muscles you’re trying to activate, how to activate them correctly and why it matters.
Studio Pilates co-founders Jade and Tanya Winter developed their T-Zone concept in 2003, drawing on research out of the University of Queensland into the relationship between the pelvic floor and transversus abdominis.
The T-Zone gives instructors a clear way to teach the coordinated activation of these deep core muscles, beginning with the pelvic floor and adding Transversus Abdominis activation before movement.
Throughout your training, you’ll learn the anatomy behind this activation, how to feel and recognise it and how to teach it clearly to your clients.
So instead of simply cueing someone to “tighten their core”, you’ll understand what you’re asking their body to do.
Real bodies don’t always perform an exercise exactly as the textbook says they should.
That’s why every exercise you learn is supported by detailed information on common injuries, pregnancy, modifications, regressions and progressions.
You’ll learn what to consider when a client experiences pain, can’t perform the standard exercise or feels the movement somewhere they shouldn’t – and how you can adapt the exercise while maintaining its intended purpose.
It gives you more than a repertoire of exercises. It gives you the knowledge to make better decisions when the person in front of you needs something different.
Real bodies don’t always perform an exercise exactly as the textbook says they should.
That’s why every exercise you learn is supported by detailed information on common injuries, pregnancy, modifications, regressions and progressions.
You’ll learn what to consider when a client experiences pain, can’t perform the standard exercise or feels the movement somewhere they shouldn’t – and how you can adapt the exercise while maintaining its intended purpose.
It gives you more than a repertoire of exercises. It gives you the knowledge to make better decisions when the person in front of you needs something different.
We don’t believe anatomy should be something you learn once and then leave behind when you start learning exercises.
Throughout your Matwork training, anatomy is connected directly to the movement you’re performing.
For every exercise, you’ll learn the target muscles, accessory muscles and stabilising muscles involved, helping you understand which muscles are creating the movement and which are working behind the scenes to provide control and stability.
That knowledge then feeds into your cueing, corrections and modifications.
Because when you understand what the body is doing, you’re in a much better position to teach it.
As a prerequisite to enrolling in this course, you –
This course is nationally and internationally recognised training and has been approved by a number of leading health and fitness bodies.
If you are a member of any of the following health or fitness bodies, you are able to claim professional development points upon completion of this course.
*You must be a registered Personal Trainer and/or Group Exercise Instructor in order to attain AUSactive CECs, Fitness Pilates Instructors and Pilates Method Teachers are also eligible for CECs. The Matwork Programming and Progressions Course must also be completed to be recognised as a Fitness Pilates Instructor.
** If you hold a Certificate IV in Massage and are registered with AAMT, you can claim the full 20 CPE points upon also completing the Studio Pilates Anatomy Course. Members with a Diploma of Massage are not required to complete the Anatomy Course as a prerequisite
Discover how our courses connect and where they can take you.
From your first day of study to your first classes as a qualified instructor, you’re never left to figure it all out alone. Our team is here to answer questions, calm the nerves, help you through your training and continue supporting you after graduation as you put your new skills into practice.
Study question? Not sure where to start? Nervous about your practical course? Just need to talk something through? Our friendly Student Support team is available Monday to Friday. No question is too big or too small. Give us a call or chat online via live chat.
Get answers when it suits you. Your online Instructor Support Library is available 24/7 with helpful resources and answers to many of the questions that come up throughout your training.
Learn in an encouraging environment with a Master Course Facilitator who’ll watch you instruct, provide personalised feedback and help you build confidence putting your skills into practice.
Your support doesn’t stop when you receive your certificate. Once you’re out there instructing, you can still reach out to us with questions about your teaching, exercises or putting your training into practice.
Once you complete all course requirements and assessments, you’ll be a fully certified Studio Pilates Matwork Instructor. The Matwork Course is approved by leading health and fitness bodies including AUSactive, ESSA, REPs (NZ), AFAA and NASM, so you can also claim professional development points. Find out more about what your Studio Pilates certification means.
You can view all of our upcoming course dates HERE.
There’s no such thing as booking too far out!
COMPLETING ANATOMY + MATWORK TOGETHER
Anywhere you like. Studio Pilates Matwork graduates teach in Pilates studios, gyms, town halls, parks and their own businesses. You’ll have the skills to work with individual clients for both rehab and toning, and to take a matwork class in a large group setting.
The Matwork Course is the foundation of our freestyle instructing pathway, qualifying you to teach matwork Pilates in any setting. The Platinum Instructing Course trains you specifically to teach Reformer classes within Studio Pilates boutique studios using our SPTV technology. To teach Reformer outside the Studio Pilates network, pair Matwork with our Reformer Course.
You must be enrolled in or have completed the Studio Pilates Anatomy Course, or have equivalent studies in Human Anatomy and Physiology. If anatomy is new to you, simply enrol in Anatomy and Matwork together. Not sure where your knowledge sits? Test your anatomy knowledge here. Members of Massage and Myotherapy Australia with a Diploma of Massage do not need to complete the Anatomy Course.
Yes. The 4-day practical course can be completed face to face at a Studio Pilates course venue or fully online via Zoom. Both are delivered in exactly the same way, with the same content and the same Studio Pilates online training centre. Learn more about completing the course via Zoom.
A relatively new computer (not a phone or tablet), a light, quiet and private space, ideally hard copies of your Studio Pilates manuals, and internet speeds of at least 15 Mbps download and 5 Mbps upload. You’ll move between Zoom breakout rooms to practise instructing, so a stable connection matters for you and your fellow students. See the full Studio Pilates Zoom course requirements. These don’t apply to the combination learning option.
You’re assessed in five ways:
You receive access to the Studio Pilates online training centre (148 videos), Australia’s most comprehensive online Pilates training resource, plus a 496-page Studio Pilates Matwork manual. Students in Australia and New Zealand receive a free hard copy of the manual. International students use the digital (PDF) manual and can contact us to pay just the shipping for a hard copy.
Up to 15 CECs through AUSactive, 15 PDPs through ESSA, 20 CPEs through Massage and Myotherapy Australia and 20 CECs through REPs (NZ), plus points with Physical Activity Australia, AFAA, NASM and AHPRA. See the full list under the Recognition section.
Yes, Studio Pilates offers payment plan options so you can start your training today. View flexible payment instalment options.
Already a qualified Matwork Pilates instructor? Give us a call on one of the numbers below to chat about bridging options –
The minimum age to complete our courses is Australian grade 10 or the equivalent. You also need to be at least 16 years of age.
Absolutely not. There is no ‘right age’ to become a Pilates instructor.
Our Matwork Course is designed for people from all walks and stages of life. You don’t need to be the youngest, strongest or most flexible person in the room. You’re learning how to instruct Pilates, not how to perform like an athlete.
In fact, life experience can be a real asset. Great instructors connect with their clients, communicate clearly and understand that every body moves differently.
Whether you’re 25, 45, 55 or beyond, if you have a passion for Pilates and helping people move well, age shouldn’t be the thing that holds you back.
Absolutely. Our students come in all ages, shapes, genders, appearances and backgrounds. There is no one way a Pilates instructor should look and appearance certainly doesn’t make someone a great instructor. What matters is your passion for Pilates, your ability to connect with people and your desire to help them move and feel better. Great instructors aren’t defined by how they look. They’re defined by how they teach.
Absolutely. We have students from all over the world complete our instructor training. You’ll need to meet our English language requirement of IELTS Band 8, and we also recommend allowing yourself extra study time to practise your spoken cueing. Rewatching the Self Mastery Workouts and practising cues aloud can really help and our Instructor Support team is there to support you throughout your training.
