I tried Pilates by Izzy's streaming platform STRONG BY IZZY: my honest thoughts

   Izzy Samuel, also known as Pilates by Izzy is one of YouTube's most popular Pilates instructors, quickly gaining popularity thanks to her viral 25 Day Pilates x Strength challenge. While Izzy's workouts might not be exactly Pilates, her wonderful fusion of sculpt workouts, low impact cardio and the aforementioned practice has earned rave reviews from followers and casual practicers alike. With over a hundred fully guided classes posted on YouTube for free, Izzy has made her method accessible to everyone with an internet connection, even for those without any fitness equipment. 

Screenshot from STRONG BY IZZY

  In May 2025, Izzy launched STRONG BY IZZY, her own streaming platform with exclusive videos on demand and scheduled fitness challenges. The exclusive workouts at STRONG have been advertised as a step up in difficulty, with longer classes targeted at those wishing to level up their practice. Izzy's YouTube workouts are fairly challenging, so I couldn't quite envision how these advanced workouts could be. The STRONG membership is priced at $34,55 a month and $355,99 a year, basically providing subscribers with an online workout studio with a growing video library. 

   Though I love Izzy's content, the hefty price tag and my desire to keep exploring free options for myself and the blog kept me from subscribing. Luckily enough, Izzy decided to provide open access for two weeks to select exclusive videos from STRONG, allowing myself to try the platform and some of its content.

    A total of twelve videos were made available to the public during this open access period, with nine with Izzy herself as the instructor and three taught by guest instructor Georgia Swart. The four signature training styles in STRONG were also present in this open access event, with three videos per style made available. These style classifications are exclusive to the platform, each being described as follows:

   Strength: Blending contemporary Pilates with strength based principles to build endurance and power. Dumbbells are required equipment for every Strength class, other props might also be required. Three videos of this style were made public during the open access period, all taught by instructor Georgia.

   Stronger: Strength based sessions with heavier weights and compound movement, blending principles of Pilates with functional strength training. A minimum of 5 kg (around 9 pounds) dumbbells and up are recommended for this style, a stark change from Izzy's YouTube content. Three videos were made available, all taught by Izzy.

   Sweat and Sculpt: Fusing HIIT, strength training and Pilates, this style includes high intensity moves with the precision of Pilates to build endurance, strength and stability. Light weights and other props are used for these sessions, with dumbbells being required for almost all videos. Three videos were made available, all taught by Izzy.

   Sculpt: Slow burn class style with controlled movement, with steady flow through intentional sequences. Most of the Sculpt workouts require little no equipment, making them ideal for frequent travelers. Three videos were made available, all taught by Izzy.

   After learning about each style, I realized I couldn't try the Stronger classes without heavier weights, so I chose to try Strength first. As mentioned above, all the videos available in this style were taught by instructor Georgia, whom Izzy credits as an inspiration for her Pilates practice. This definitely made me curious, so I opened the browser version of STRONG and prepared my props. I would like to mention that STRONG does not have an APP version for Roku devices, so I had to mirror my PC's screen to my TV. The video quality was not ideal due to mirroring, but I didn't encounter further technical issues.

   Georgia's teaching style is very similar to Izzy's, fairly assertive with clear cues without being overbearing. All the classes I tried were pretty difficult, with multiple layers and using various props to increase the challenge.  Overall, most of the moves and progressions were fairly similar to Izzy's YouTube content, though the layers of each move seemed to go on for longer. I found myself yearning for a move to finish, to then being immediately prompted to progress to yet another similar layer. I'm aware this style is more aimed at building strength therefore requiring more repetition than usual, but it didn't feel particularly well sequenced. Another shortcoming of the videos I tried is that Georgia does not put as much emphasis in easier modifications, sometimes being barely mentioned through the workout. 

    Despite this, the classes were certainly an unprecedented challenge for myself, leaving me dripping in sweat and reconsidering my own strength. Another plus to STRONG is that many videos are longer (from 45 minutes to an hour), providing pretty much a studio class experience at home. And while most of the videos in the open access trial were over 30 minutes, the platform does provide users with shorter videos for express workouts.

   I wanted to try the Sculpt styles after finishing the Strength videos, but I was busy with work so I only had the chance of trying Sculpt and Strength. The three videos were taught by Izzy herself, with dumbbells being required for every workout. I challenged myself to match Izzy's weights and went through all three videos during three consecutive days. 

  All three videos were far more challenging than most of Izzy's YouTube uploads, the faster pace combined with the usage of dumbbells being a killer combo. While most moves might be pretty familiar to followers of the YouTube workouts, the quick transitions and longer active times might caught seasoned practitioners off guard. I found myself stopping and modifying, something I don't usually do with the free content. Perhaps it was due to my irregular schedule during those days, but the muscle soreness was pretty noticeable a day after.

   To be completely frank, I personally wouldn't choose STRONG as my main fitness resource if judging from this open access trial. Izzy and Georgia are excellent instructors and the classes I tried were extremely challenging, but the workouts are simply too difficult for me to follow regularly. And while I didn't try the other two styles, I feel the format was just too similar to the YouTube content to justify the hefty price tag.   However, I only had limited access to select workouts, and what I browsed from the Strong and Sculpt sections seemed fairly promising, so perhaps trying those instead might've changed my opinion.

   I'm in a fitness rut right now, so I want to try different things every day, having such challenging workouts might burn me out ever further. I think I can only recommend STRONG to those very familiar with Izzy's style and with a moderate to high level of fitness, especially looking for being challenged every single day. I read some of the comments posted on the website's comment section, many people raving about feeling truly challenged and feeling stronger

  But if you're like me and want to keep your routine more moderate or are not that confident with your Pilates and sculpt performance, I recommend sticking to the occasional Pilates by Izzy YouTube uploads.