Pilates Training with Faith Levine

“As a Medical Massage Practitioner I believe in incorporating stability, mobility, & targeted muscle activation into your everyday life. Pilates is an amazing way to do this and Faith’s passion and knowledge of Pilates is astounding. Her gentle and graceful personality is intoxicating. Her professionalism and attention to detail keeps me loyal. Pilates is already Physical Therapy in motion and her dance background brings and fresh and needed perspective to the field. She’s seriously the best!”

-Ainslee W.

SKIP TO BOOKING/REGISTRATION

Hi, I’m Faith Levine.
faith levine
I love sharing my passion for health and physicality with every body. 
Movement has always been woven into my life; I was running around the West Virginia farm where I was born, trying to keep up with my big sisters, as soon as I could walk. I started my formal dance training at 6 years old and started teaching dance at 18.
 I began working as a personal trainer and group exercise instructor in 2005 after graduating from the University of Utah with a B.F.A in Modern Dance.
Over the years I have taught Modern Dance technique, yoga, running, strength training, HIIT/interval training, Mat and Equipment Pilates, and Dance Conditioning and incorporate any or all of those movement styles into my classes and sessions today, depending on what YOU need. I have taught in corporate gyms, independent gyms, community centers, community colleges, universities, boutique fitness studios, yoga studios, and am now operating independently, teaching virtually and in-person in Charlottesville, VA.
Through decades of personal study and working with amazing mentors and clients I have seen time and time again that exercising with a keen awareness of form is paramount to deriving absolute benefits from the work.
I incorporate dance and yoga principles, aspects of traditional strength training, and my knowledge of Interval/HIIT training into sessions that are primarily a Contemporary Pilates practice. My classes and training sessions emphasize working through correct posture and alignment and are individually tailored to suit participants needs.

I strive to be a “teaching assistant” along the path to you becoming the ultimate authority on your body. 

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BOOK PILATES EQUIPMENT PRIVATES HERE

THRIVE IN 15 REGISTRATION

BOOK VIRTUAL PRIVATES HERE

“I am so happy that I found Faith at the beginning of my Pilates practice! Faith is deeply knowledgeable about Pilates and other forms of movement and is a warm and encouraging teacher. More than that, she’s able to effectively apply her knowledge to an individual’s needs with a keen eye, perceptive cueing, and a holistic outlook on fitness. I’ve learned a ton about anatomy and the way bodies work just from taking her classes! Also, as someone who is more interested in functional improvement rather than changing the way my body looks, I *deeply* appreciate that I have not once heard talk of “beach bodies this” or “slimming that” in her group classes or in our private sessions. I’ve worked with Faith for just under a year and have made remarkable progress in my strength and movement patterns, and have experienced total abatement of my chronic back pain. This is particularly impressive because the majority of our time together has been virtual. You really can’t go wrong with Faith’s guidance!”

-Christine S.

Check out Gracefulfitness on YouTube for examples of my teaching style

gracefulfitness@live.com

28 Days of Planks

Planks are an almost perfect exercise.

In fact, when you throw in some variations, they can be an absolutely perfect exercise.

“Perfect” in this context means adaptible to different abilities, promotes strength AND mobility, turn it into a Mountain Climber or Plank Jack and you even get bone-building impact work and heart strengthening cardio.

I have created a simple (but not easy!) 28 Day Plank Plan that I want to share with you.

This Plank Plan is Intermediate; it assumes that your wrists and shoulders are fine with weight-bearing, it assumes that you have a familarity with plank form, it assumes that you don’t have diastasis recti (abdominal separation), it assumes that you are free from acute or chronic low back issues that could be exacerbated by regularly loading more than your used to.

Check out this quick tutorial on Deep Abdominal Engagement for form tips.

Are you interested in a Beginner plan with options that don’t include being on your wrists/shoulders, shorter holds, more discussion on form? Let me know, I’ll happily make one!

Are you looking for a more Advanced Plank Workout? Check out this quick and hard one from my YouTube Channel.

28 Day Plank Plan

  • Plank everyday for 28 days.
  • A different plank variation for each day of the week (7 total).
  • Three sets each day-feel free to break up the sets throughout the day, especially as the time increases.
  • Increase the amount of time you do the plank each week; 20 seconds each set for week one, 30 seconds for week two, 45 seconds during week three, and finally 60 seconds for the final week.
  • Focus on form. Form over the timer. If your form starts to fail you, rest.

Day 1, do Plank #1, Day 2/Plank #2, and so on for the first 7 days. Week two, start back at Plank #1 but with longer sets.

Week One

3 sets of plank

Each set is 20 seconds (either holding or moving side to side, depending on the variation)

Week Two

3 sets of plank

Each set is 30 seconds (same as week one: hold or side-to-side)

Week Three

3 sets of plank

Each set is 45 seconds (same as week one: hold or side-to-side)

Week Four

3 sets of plank

Each set is 60 seconds (same as week one: hold or side-to-side)

Have fun with this! Recruit “accountability buddies” to plank with you, take pictures of your daily plank, share, and tag #gracefulfitness so I can give you public props!