Raven Ross Is Breaking Every Rule in the Pilates World

If you’ve never experienced the “Pilates shakes”—that full-body tremor that hits around minute 30 of a class—you are missing out on what might be the most humbling fitness experience of your life. Pilates is the “it girl” workout, flooding YouTube feeds and fitness apps with deceptively simple movements that will leave even former athletes questioning their strength.

At the center of this viral moment is Raven Ross, the Love Is Blind season three alum who’s turning her PilatesBodyRaven brand into an empire built on the premise that Pilates should be for everyone, not just the thin and wealthy. 

After a decade working in traditional studios, Ross noticed something that bothered her deeply: a lack of diversity in both instructors and clients. She says, “It’s the whole reason I started on YouTube. In studios, I saw there was not a lot of diversity in skin color, body type, or background. And there is still a lack of diversity. I am so glad I am doing what I set out to do.”

So three year ago she took her mission online, building a YouTube channel that now boasts over 400,000 subscribers and an Instagram following of more than a million followers across her accounts. Her app, launching June 14, promises to make studio-quality Pilates accessible to anyone with a phone and some floor space.

Calling out the gatekeepers

After a TikTok recently went viral for claiming “200-pound people can’t do Pilates,” a larger conversation has emerged about toxic Pilates culture. The creator faced swift backlash—losing her job and studio membership—but for Ross, the incident highlighted a deeper problem in the fitness world.

On Sunday Sports Club, Ross says, “It would save us all so much grief [if people didn’t post videos like that]. Where it really starts is a place of self-love. Why are we being so hard on ourselves to fit into this image of thinness or a certain body type? It’s to the point where when you see other people not subscribing to that, it bothers you.”

Ross laughs, “Sometimes, people need to develop their frontal lobes before they talk on TikTok. It should be a requirement before having a platform.”

Pilates works muscles you don’t usually exert

Ross’s own Pilates journey wasn’t love at first sight. As a former dancer, she initially dismissed it as too “woo woo”—all breathing and tiny movements that didn’t seem like real exercise. But when she needed something to maintain her dancer physique, she gave it another shot with the right instructor.

“It was like a light bulb moment,” she recalls. “I feel the muscles I should be feeling, and I feel stronger in my everyday life. I feel how this is going to support my body. Also, I realized how much it helps people.”

That revelation explains why Pilates humbles even the most athletic people. You will get the pilates shakes or “shake like a stripper,” says Ross, “because you are tapping into those muscles you wouldn’t use if you were doing deadlifts.”

The workout targets stabilizing muscles and challenges your body in ways that traditional strength training misses, which is why someone who can bench press their body weight might struggle to hold a simple Pilates position.

Don’t be afraid to modify in Pilates

Ross’s approach to teaching centers on the idea that modifying exercises isn’t failure, it’s smart training.

“Work out with the body you have today. Not your body from yesterday or last year,” Ross says. “You remember what you used to be able to do, but it doesn’t matter.”

This philosophy comes from experience. Ross, who used to be a serious weightlifter, has embraced what she calls her “old lady body” and the “just showing up” mentality over the all-or-nothing approach that leads to burnout.

“Pilates is complementary to so many body types. You want to have a workout that will make you feel good and that you’ll be comfortable doing. Doing a little bit each day is what it’s all about,” she says.

Building beyond the screen

Next year, Ross plans to expand beyond digital with her first brick-and-mortar studio location, completing the circle from traditional studio employee to online disruptor to studio owner. But her mission remains the same: making Pilates accessible to people who’ve been told it’s not for them.

In a fitness world obsessed with before-and-after transformations and extreme challenges, Ross is betting on a simpler idea: Movement should feel good and be available to everyone, regardless of size, skill level, or bank account.

For someone building a Pilates empire, that’s a pretty solid foundation.