Lisa Dobrisky says she was a good runner before her personal trainer recommended Pilates. But once I started doing it, I saw a huge improvement.
“Before that, I was making the team and reached the semi-finals at the World Championships,” said Dobrisky, who competed in the 1500m for Great Britain.
It wasn’t until she started doing Pilates that her running career really took off.
“My training has paid off tremendously,” she said. “I went from reaching the semifinals but not making the finals to finishing fourth at the Olympics.”
Now, Dobrisky and her business partner, Sammy Corona, have opened Arizona Pilates Studio, located at the corner of German and Alma Schools, to help others understand the benefits Pilates has to offer.
She credits Pilates with improving her overall conditioning and strengthening the muscles she needs to compete internationally. Dobrisky’s top time before she started Pilates was 4 minutes, 5 seconds, she said. She then ran her 1,500 meters in 3 minutes and 59 seconds.
“It’s a huge leap forward in time,” she says.
She and her husband, Ricky Seuss (also an Olympian), moved to Arizona because their coach used to train there during the offseason. Her fourth place came at the 2008 Beijing Games. She also competed in the 2012 London Olympics.
Corona said the new business is off to a great start, as it offers a more contemporary style of Pilates that is currently popular in New York and California.
“Traditional Pilates will be a little more clinical,” Corona said. “It makes a little more sense rehab-wise. It’s going to be a little slower paced and the rehab will be a little more targeted.”
“Yes, the springs are heavier, the pace is slower, and the class sizes are much smaller,” Dobrisky said.
Their website states, “We use a combination of heavy tension springs to increase strength and muscle mass, along with lighter springs that activate stabilizing muscles to improve balance, posture, and mobility.” I use them in combination.
“Each class is carefully chosen to provide a fun and unique experience to keep you motivated, challenged and craving more.”
The Pilates machines at Arizona Pilates Studio are part of a more contemporary style of Pilates that is currently popular in New York and California.
The two women worked as Pilates instructors at different franchise studios. They say they took the plunge and opened their own studio because they wanted their clients to have a more intimate experience.
“I’m a worrier. I would say Sammy is in the moment right now,” Dobrisky said. “She was like, ‘Oh, this is what’s happening.’ I looked at everything, every detail. I analyzed every worst-case scenario to her nth degree.”
They say that’s the secret to making their partnership work. They are very different and can balance it out.
“There are compromises on things, but we are totally against it,” Corona said. “I think we complement each other.”
The only promotion we did before opening was on social media. It went well and they had all their first sessions booked.
They are having a sale on founder fee memberships. Unlimited sessions are $185 per month. A 12-class package costs $165 per month, and an 8-class package costs $145 per month.
There is a discount for those who pre-pay for one year.
We offer classes for beginners to advance their sessions.
“We’ve worked in places before where we had high turnover and were able to offer low prices, and the only way we can do that is by having twice as many people in the door,” Corona said. Told.
“You start to lose touch with the people coming in, everyone starts to become a number, they are replaceable.
“We don’t want that here. We want people to feel valued, so we want to build a really strong community.”
