Sunshine Coast pilates business Sor Studio designed for elite athletes
A young entrepreneur is working to dispel the perception that pilates is mostly for women – one plank at a time – at her “next level” Mooloolaba studio.
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A young Sunshine Coast woman is working to push the boundaries of the perception that pilates is a female-dominated exercise.
Sor Studio owner Angela Heath, 24, opened her “next level” Mooloolaba reformer studio in 2022 where she wanted to create a space for people of all fitness levels, right up to elite athletes.
She said there was an idea that pilates was “nothing more” than a clinical stretch for women.
“I place significant emphasis on opening my studio to high performance athletes as this is my background and my passion,” she said.
Ms Heath, a former state-level hockey player, said her intimate studio focused on supporting athletes given pilates helped with movement, muscle growth and injury prevention.
The former Darwin resident said she has worked with Sunshine Coast Wanderers Football Club player Piper Vidulich, and Greater Western Sydney Giants footballer Nick Haynes.
She said she was happy to see more male members try her studio.
“Men are actually giving it a shot,” she said.
Ms Heath took up pilates while training for a marathon and from there became an instructor and started private classes.
She said she took the big leap to open a studio after the space, previously owned by her hairdresser, was put on the market.
“It all sort of fell into my lap at once,” she said.
The former University of the Sunshine Coast student said she bought her venue with the help of her parents.
Today, Ms Heath said her classes have slowly grown to having 25 to 30 members each week, with classes being 80 per cent full.
This year, she said she wanted to focus on growing her two-person studio and exposure around the country, not limiting herself to the sunshine state.
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