Frog Temple Pilates

Dropped in for a Friday mat class with Christina and I will definitely be back. She was energetic, focused, and made adjustments when necessary. I am really hoping to come regularly! My only gripe, and it isn’t the studio, it’s the crowd there – was there were a few regulars there that were complaining about the mat class being larger than usual (there were 8 of us)…and basically said that all the new people were resolutioners. I’m an avid ultramarathon runner and lift weights regularly. I’d like to add Pilates to my regimen to prevent injury and encourage flexibility so I’m hardly a resolutioner. I guess there are snobs in every athletic discipline :)
That said… I will be back!!! I loved Christina!

Took my first class today, equipment private with Paula and it was excellent. Clear instructions and positive verbal adjustments made for a very favorable experience. Was met by Randi upon entering and I could tell right away why this place gets the high ratings it does.

This Pilates studio is great… as long as you don’t have kids! I joined as a new mommy (trying to regain strength and lose those pesky post-​pregnancy pounds!) I had newborn twins and my schedule was HECTIC. I was a client for a few months before I had to cancel because my childcare canceled. Frog Temple enforced a policy to charge me for the full session ($ 80) even though I was not able to attend. This is a tough policy for moms to uphold!!! I have since found an amazing studio (with a more personal approach to customer service.)

Classical Pilates at its best. I searched the city for a studio that was TRULY classical, friendly, and clean and bright. this place is it. Trust me, I did the leg work to find a studio that met all those points! I have so much respect for Randi’s practice & teaching style. This is reflected in ALL of her instructors. I practiced Pilates for 2 years with a personal trainer at my gym prior to Frog Temple. Learning the method under Randi & her instructors has greatly enhanced my knowledge & appreciation of what Pilates can do for you not just physically, but mentally & emotionally as well.

Best Pilates Studio in the Universe!!!
Don’t forget to Breathe…

Randi Whitman owner of Frog Temple Pilates is a true professional. Her studio teaches classic Pilates and under Randi’s tutelage her instructors pay constant attention to detail and correct body position. Can’t say who is my favorite because every instructor is great and their diverse way of teaching makes your Pilates experience never boring.
From the first few times you attend classes you see and feel the difference in your body strength and flexibility. Most of her instructors are meticulously trained by Randi and apprenticed for a year or more before they begin teaching at her studio. I’ve taken Pilates classes at various studios and spas but in my opinion, Frog Temple offers the best

The prenatal and postnatal mommy and me classes with Marcia are absolutely phenomenal. When I was pregnant the prenatal classes helped stretch the muscles that were achey and strengthen the muscles I needed. After the baby, we have both enjoyed the postnatal classes. It has been a really great way to get back in shape, plus my son loves it. Marcia is great when he gets fussy! I wish I would have known about these classes earlier!

Love Frog Temple! They introduced me to and made me a life long believer in the power of pilates. They have amazing instructors and they really make an effort to know everyone in the class and make sure they have a great experience. Their prices are a little steep (as are all other boutique studios), so I go when I can afford to. However, they are truly awesome about extending packages and helping you out if you ever need it. Truly great!

if you are in Chicago, and are willing to try anything to improve your relationship with your body before, during, and after having a baby, then I have a suggestion based entirely on personal experience. Get in your car, on the train, bus, or by foot to pilates class with Marcia Brenner at Frog Temple Yoga in Bucktown. She melds exercise with therapy by slowly and gently helping women find access to their bodies in ways that respect emotional and physical pain barriers. Rather than pushing through, she welcomes women to sink into their sensations, noticing what happens and how the body wants to repair itself. Using guided imagery and irreverent humor, it becomes safe to feel curious about what’s happening on the inside.
Marcia’s therapeutically informed approach to exercise is great for women during pre and postnatal development, as well as for women seeking alternative avenues to strengthening and healing the body they were born with.

I don’t typically write reviews, but this place has made such a positive impact on my pregnancy that I felt like I had to help get the word out.
Before I was pregnant, my primary workout was running with some strengthening and yoga mixed in, but sadly, I wasn’t one of the lucky ones who could continue running far into their pregnancy. I continued with some cardio at the gym, but felt lost as to how I could safely strengthen while pregnant. I heard great things about Frog Temple and was so happy I checked them out!
Not only are the classes wonderful at strengthening, but the stretching feels out of this world and helps to ease those aches and pains that come along with a growing belly. Marcia is a fabulous instructor who offers wonderful insight and advice throughout the classes. I am 21 weeks pregnant and plan to stick with my Frog Temple classes through my pregnancy and beyond!

Pilates is something I spent about 3 years working up to. I mean it looked cool in all of my Google searches about it. Something about all the people in the pictures appealed to my inner child who still wants to do somersaults and handstands. But inevitably I would look at the schedule and realize I couldn’t a) afford said classes or b) make the ridiculous times of said classes. Who works 9 — 5 and can leave for a 945 am or a 330 pm class? My boss would love it if I walked out of a meeting stating Pilates as my reason for an early departure. Riiiigggghhhhtttt.
Anyway, Frog Temple surprised me when I found them. The classes are very reasonably priced in comparison to many other studios, the schedule is actually achievable with classes starting at 6 am for the early riser and also into the evening for those of us who are ready to burn off some steam after 5 pm. If you are lucky enough to take a class with Marcia, I promise you will be hooked. She is hilarious, smart and very witty, and she knows more about your pelvic floor and fascia than you will ever want to know. She’s the reason I have not strained my back in about a year despite long plane rides and continuous treadmill running. Pilates has become my new therapy. Going to her class about once a week means my posture is about 85% better; my treadmill time is not plagued with «ouch that hurts, I’ll just run through it pain» moments; I have strength in places I never knew I even had muscles and my stress levels after leaving are minimal thanks to her bright and lively commentary. You will go into her classes tense and potentially in pain and leave lighter, happier, and stronger after the work she’s going to put you through. Oh and you will have learned something new. Definitely check out Frog Temple but be sure to leave me a mat in Marcia’s class.

I took the Reformer class with Marcia last night. It was absolutely fantastic! I left feeling like I did something great for my body and I’m still up for a workout today (albeit quite sore all over — not just in my abs). I am looking forward to my next class!

I have been attending the prenatal pilates classes with Marcia. I highly recommend this class to all expectant moms. They offer packages too — $ 150 for 10 classes.

Great pilates spot, but a bit pricey! I’m looking forward to trying their $ 5 mat classes that they offer with new instructors.

So everyone knows that real beauty is on the inside, not the outside. Well, maybe, but did you know that one of the most gorgeous parts inside of you is your spine? Yes, that long series of bones and discs and nerves is where all the magic happens. And if you treat your spine well, it will be a shining, glowing example of the Fountain of Youth — forever fresh and unspoiled, flirtatiously flexible and attractively bendy.
With my former beloved Pilates studio at a new downtown address, I was bereft and lost. Where to go without feeling singled out because of my lovely lady lumps? Where would I feel comfortable in a land stereotypically populated by taut boyish ballet bodies, perky non-​asses, and thighs that did not touch on the inside? I put off making a decision, content to sweat it out at Bikram classes and occasionally hit the gym.
Finally, as my lower back was aching for some Pilates and my stomach muscles needed to get their ass kicked, I decided to go for it. Knowing that Frog Temple had been around for several years, I checked out their website and was very impressed with the tone and tenor of the studio. I snapped up a VERY reasonable new client package, and arrived in April of 2010 for a private session with Rose.
HOLY HELL Rose kicked my ass. But she did it in a way that absolutely respected my boundaries and weaknesses and because I could relax into her expert direction, the workout I got was STELLAR. She kept me moving, stretching, crunching, tucking, lifting and flexing for what seemed like a year but was only an hour. I love getting my ass kicked by those in authority, so I was HOOKED.
Since then I have taken a handful of group classes on the mat and the equipment with several other instructors, including Randi, the owner, who was also AMAZING. She talked about lines of energy going up and down the body, and attached the concept back to the breath and the movement and it was AWESOME. She also encouraged me to make modifications without sacrificing form, and again, I really appreciated the fact that my pudge was not a negative factor in the session. I also have seen a range of body types coming to all types of classes, which is fan-​freaking-​tastic.
So now post-​Saturday morning session, my spine is radiant with rosy cheeks and sparkling eyes (metaphorically, of course). My beautiful spine and I are definitely going to invest in more Pilates sessions at Frog Temple!

What happens when a runner tears her medial meniscus & is instructed not to run by her doctor.
Well, I ran.
Once, Twice, Three times a dumb a*%,
Then I finally listened to the medical advice I paid for and looked for alternative jiggly reducing workout.
I’m a cardio girl… I need shortness of breath and sweat in order to feel like I got a good workout. This was my first experience even attempting pilates and now I“m hooked! Pilates will not only tone and strengthen
Thanks to the amazing instructors, my favs are Randi (owner) and Rose, my abs have been sore and I’m a bit more aware and purposeful with my movements during class. My only complaint would be that the instructor doesn’t actually do the moves with you so you’ve got to look to more experienced pilates goers for a visual. They do come around from time to time to correct you.
I’ve been taking the open mat class ($ 50 unlimited weekday classes for one month) and would definitely recommend it to beginners. There are usually 5 – 6 people during morning mat classes. It’s not out of the ordinary to see an instructor taking another instructor’s class, so you know that these classes are going to work you out!
I find it pretty convenient that I can sign up for classes online. Just remember that there’s a 12 hour minimum notice to cancel. Another nice touch is that they have extra hair ties in the bathroom just in case you forget or break yours. They only have little wooden cubbies to store your belongings so don’t bring anything too valuable.

I found this place based on a recommendation from my marvelous Pilates instructor in LA.
Well, I wasn’t disappointed. Similarly trained in the Boulder method, owner Randi Whitman is, simply, brilliant. Deeply knowledgeable, intuitive, paradoxically laser-​focused and laid back, Randi will insure you learn Pilates from the inside out… or more deeply hone the skills you’ve already developed.
I’ve also had the good fortune to take private classes with several other instructors as well as group classes. All are different, with varying strengths. But each is just excellent. I’m really getting into the group classes because the energy comes from other people; it’s not solely up to you!
All in all, just a great place. I go there twice a week and cannot imagine my life here in Chicago — much less my health — without it.

I’m not usually a pilates or yoga type of person, but it’s getting a bit more difficult to keep up with my insane spinning, kickboxing, running and weightlifting workouts throughout my pregnancy. I had heard/​read good things about the prenatal pilates class at Frog Temple Pilates so thought I’d check it out.
The first class here is free (whoo hoo), but after that it’s $ 18/​class. Or I believe it’s $ 15/​class if you buy a package. There were a total of 7 pregnant women in my class. Some of them were due a month before me yet I looked way smaller than me. Hmm… maybe I do need to start doing more of these pilates classes?
Our instructor, Emily, was super sweet and perky. She chatted away throughout the class, which definitely made the hr fly by. It was pretty much all your pilates basics, although we stayed off our backs since that’s a no-​no after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
This class would have seemed easy peasy several months ago, but everything is more difficult when pregnant. By the end of the hour I felt like I got in a good workout and a much needed stretch. I’d definitely be up for going to more of these classes, but I’m not a fan of the times. As of now they offer prenatal pilates Tuesday evenings at 7:15pm or Fridays at 4:30pm. I’m more of a morning workout person and if they were to offer more classes in the morning (hint hint Frog Temple) I’d be one of the first pregnos in line to sign up!
Oh, and for those of you not pregnant you’ll be happy to know Frog Temple has a ton of regular pilates classes throughout the day as well. Check ‘em out!

I do not know how they do it, but the instructors at Frog Temple have a wonderful way of making the horrid burning and shaking of your abs and butt from Pilates into an enjoyable experience. Every class here that I have taken has been excelent.
All of the instructors have their own style, so each class has a unique flow. However all of them will leave you with that familiar burn the next morning. I like taking both equipment ad mat classes just to keep things interesting, but they are always offering boot camps, or other combo classes to add even more variety into your workout.
Class sizes are nice and small so they dont just bark moves at you, but will come over and fix your form and give a little encouragment when needed. If my pocketbook and abs would allow it, I would be here every day!

Wonderful, wonderful experiences at Frog Temple. The space is perfect, the instructors are knowledgeable, and the prices are reasonable. They offer a plethora of classes at all different times — you will be able to find something for you.
I have been going to Frog Temple since January 2009 and I cannot say enough good things about them. I have been touch and go for the past 6 weeks, and once I needed to leave class early… my instructor called my home to see how I was doing. Top notch instruction.
I love love love Frog Temple. Your first class is free. Try it.
Parking is difficult but public transportation is nearby. Enjoy!