S'pore Pilates Studios Using Zhang Linghe & Other Heartthrobs To Motivate Students

Need more motivation to work out? Forget personal trainers and fitness apps — how about Zhang Linghe staring back at you while you're struggling through a plank?

Some Pilates studios in Singapore are tapping into celebrity fandom to make workouts more fun, by placing mats printed with heartthrobs' faces on their reformer machines.

The concept, which first gained traction in China, is simple: if you're going to suffer through a core workout, you might as well do it with your favourite celebrity by your side.

One of the studios riding the trend is E-Five, a dance, Pilates and yoga studio. After spotting similar classes on Xiaohongshu, the studio ordered celebrity mats from Taobao and launched the themed classes this week at its West Coast outlet.

A rep from the studio told 8days.sg that the trial will run at the outlet for a week before moving to E-Five's other branches in Woodlands, Lavender and East Coast.

E-Five isn't the only studio getting in on the action. 8days.sg also spotted similar celebrity-themed reformer classes at Blue Pilates.

The gimmick is straightforward: each reformer machine is assigned a different celebrity. With only six reformers per class, students can choose between stars such as Zhang Linghe, Eddie Peng, Jackson Wang, Wang Yibo, Xiao Zhan and Wang Anyu.

According to the studio, some students now arrive early just to "chope" their preferred reformer, with Linghe currently the fan favourite.

Instructors have even tweaked routines to create more opportunities for students to "interact" with their chosen star. That means fewer front-facing exercises and more planks and positions where students can maintain eye contact with their celebrity crush, said the rep.

While the celebrity mats have generated buzz among existing students, E-Five said it has not seen a noticeable increase in sign-ups so far. The trial has only been running for a week, and the current school holiday period is typically quieter as many people are travelling.

The idea may sound gimmicky, but students say it's surprisingly effective.

"At first, I thought it was just a gimmick, but it turned out to be incredibly motivating," said one student on E-Five’s Xiaohongshu page.

"I could hold my planks longer because it felt like a handsome celebrity was watching me."