Claire Pier
Claire has always been involved in sport. As a child she spent much of her time training to be a gymnast. With hard work and dedication, she achieved a place in the National Gymnastics Squad, representing Great Britain in many Junior Internationals. Claire then transferred to trampolining, in 1990 she was selected as a member of the Great Britain Team who competed in the World Age Group Championships. After her competitive career, Claire took the natural progression into coaching other up and coming gymnasts. Along side this, she chose to study sport at degree level where she gained a comprehensive understanding of the components (physical and psychological) which are crucial to top class performance in sport. After graduating from Worcestester University, Claire took up a full time coaching position at a Centre of Excellence for Gymnastics and Trampolining and worked as a key member of staff for several years. This role eventually led her to specialize in the “body preparation” and “strength and conditioning” training of athletes.
Claire became interested in Pilates after pregnancy. Like many women, she found pregnancy and post natal recovery a real physical challenge. She became interested in other disciplines which could offer her a safe, effective and enjoyable way to ease her body back into its pre-pregnant condition. Amazed by the miraculous results on her own body, she realised that Pilates fitted the bill perfectly.
Claire chose to seek the most thorough Teacher Training courses available, to gain a thorough understanding of this form of physical fitness training in her own body. So that she could effectively learn to share this with others. She initially embarked on the Body Control Pilates training course, after which she deepened and broadened her knowledge further by training under Suzanne Scott at the Scott Studio which has led to her becoming certified Pilates Foundation UK instructor. Whatever her clients’ goals, Claire can adapt Pilates in a way which enables them to work towards them. Her attention to detail is always a trademark of her work. It is for these reasons that Claire has such a loyal client base. People can see the results for themselves and have found an effective way to achieve their fitness goals. Above all Claire's classes are interesting, creative and fun!
Claire has also worked as an exercise practitioner, teaching specialized seated exercise classes to elderly residents in care and nursing homes. She also manages to combine her interests in Pilates and sport by working as a freelance Pilates teacher supported by British Gymnastics and the English Institute of Sport (EIS). This involves Claire attending World Class Training Camps, teaching Pilates to the National Trampoline Squad, as well as working on an individual basis with some of their top athletes. One of the things that Claire likes the most about Pilates is that it is “inclusive” not “exclusive”. No matter what your age or fitness level there are Pilates exercises to suit you. Claire works hard to tailor the exercises to fit her clients, not her clients to fit the exercises!