Club Pilates

Bios

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  Debbie Blechman

  Pilates Instructor

  During her childhood in Woodbridge, Connecticut, Debbie was active in competitive figure skating and enjoyed pursuing tennis, gymnastics, ballet, and modern dance in her free time. After college, she ran and counseled in a nutritionist’s office before moving to the furniture and design industry as a successful sales executive. About ten years into her thirty-year career, she was introduced to Pilates at Canyon Ranch and fell in love. When the opportunity presented itself, Debbie followed her heart and made a career change. She earned her Pilates certification from the Equinox Pilates Institute: a perfect fit given her lifelong participation in sports, fitness, and athletic conditioning. With a strong emphasis on the basic tenets of Pilates and the layering of classical exercises, Debbie believes the most important skill one can continue to hone is that of “teaching the body in front of you.” She finds empowerment in bringing a contemporary fitness twist to the Pilates group setting and approaches every class with an open heart, passion and enthusiasm.

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  Duncan Trudeau

  Pilates Lead Instructor

  Duncan Trudeau began his Pilates journey 10 years ago while working the front desk at a Pilates studio. Given the chance to take some classes through work, Pilates allowed him to reconnect with his body and what it was capable of and he quickly fell in love with working out. After going through hundreds of hours of training and gaining his PMA certification he has practiced throughout the DC area, working with a wide array of clients and class types. Since then he has sought out many other forms of exercise including TRX, yoga, free weights, martial arts, and even Pro Wrestling!

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  Huaping  Xu “Sarah”

  Pilates Instructor

  Huaping  Xu “Sarah” first took an interest in Pilates when she worked as a professional Massage Therapist at Level Fitness in 2015. It was during this time she also observed the benefits Pilates had on her coworkers. Sarah took classes consistently and was surprised to see such a profound improvement in her own increased strength, flexibility, muscle strength and tone. After practicing Pilates for over 4 years, she decided to take a Pilates certification course through Club Pilates and trained over 500 hundred program hours to successfully complete this intensive training program and become a certified Pilates instructor.  Sarah’s principal goal is to help improve people’s health. Sarah loves and enjoys teaching clients the value of Pilates while watching them grow and reach their personal goals. In her spare time, Sarah can be found in the swimming pool, on a hiking trail or taking a Pilates class to continue to work on her own personal fitness aspirations. Sarah became a certified classical Pilates instructor in 2019. Her vast experience in the Massage Therapist and spa industry coupled with her Pilates certifications which include: Mat Pilates, Reformer, Jumpboard Footwork, Springboard (RTC) , EXO Chair, Spine Corrector, Ladder Barrel, TRX, TriggerPoint and Body Works. This gives her a deep insight into understanding her clients' bodies. Sara wishes to share her love of Club Pilates which she finds to be friendly— a place where people can learn to strengthen, stretch, and control their bodies at their own pace, while having fun doing it.

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  Susana Mendez

  Pilates Instructor

  Susana has always been physically active through running, cycling and participating in triathlons. She found that Pilates is the perfect complement to an active lifestyle: by working your body from the center out, one can improve posture, increase muscle strength and balance and enhance muscular control of back and limbs. Pilates is useful to athletes looking to improve sports performance and prevent injury, but it is also useful to deconditioned individuals who may be experiencing aches and pains or muscular imbalances. As a biomedical scientist and as an Orthopedic Specialist, she understands and appreciates the science behind the method envisioned by Pilates. She got her certification through Peak Pilates and started teaching right away. She teaches other fitness formats, such as HIIT, Spinning or PiYo, but she considers Pilates her favorite because it trains the body as an integrate whole, it is adaptable to many fitness levels, and increases awareness by connecting body and mind. Individuals that make the commitment to be active for a lifetime inspire her to continue to be active and use her fitness education to bring clients forms of exercise that are safe and rewarding. When she is not in the studio, you can find her hiking, biking, gardening, birdwatching or cooking.

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  Ana Paula Da Silva

  Pilates Instructor

  Born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Ana Paula has had a lifelong interest in physical fitness, especially futebol (soccer) and rollerblading. While working in a dance troupe in Chile, Ana became passionate about Pilates as a method for improving her form and relieving overworked muscles. After becoming a mother, Pilates was her key to regaining her physical fitness and she decided to make it her life’s work as well. Ana started her teaching career as an Equinox Pilates Institute certified mat program instructor and followed that with the Comprehensive Pilates Certification Education Program through Club Pilates. She is a member of the Pilates Method Alliance. Ana is fluent in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.