Pilates stopped being slow stretching on a mat in the corner of the gym long ago. The new versions work with springs, machines and trademarked methods - and promise a double payoff: a stronger body and a calmer head. Elsa Pataky, who swapped yoga for Pilates at 50, says she was drawn to the more delicate, focused movements and to the fact that the method "focuses a lot on the core" - the stomach and back muscles that keep you upright.

"They respond to what we're looking for today: to feel strong and to look after our bodies," says Paula Tabuyo, an instructor and founder of a Pilates studio in Madrid. The only question is which version suits you and how much time you need to give it.

On the mat: looks easy, isn't

Floor Pilates, without a machine, looks the simplest from the outside. "Some exercises require quite a lot of control and strength," Tabuyo warns. It works the core, mobility and posture, and improves coordination, balance and stability. Although it's low-impact on the joints, it has a cardio component too: according to the instructor, a session burns around 300 to 500 calories, depending on intensity, duration and the person. You can step it up with bands, balls and weights, but you don't have to. The biggest advantage is that you don't need anything - "you can do it anywhere, at home or in a hotel room".

Megaformer: bigger machine, more resistance

The megaformer is a beefed-up version of the classic Pilates machine. "It has more springs, which means it offers more resistance and intensity. The machines are wider and longer than the classic ones and have bars and straps that make them safer," explains Sandra González, founder of a studio in Getafe. Each class is usually dedicated to one part of the body - arms and core, shoulders and back, glutes - so no workout is the same as the last. That's exactly what keeps people coming back.

Lagree: the newest and the toughest

One step further is Lagree, a method that came to Spain from Los Angeles. It's done on special megaformer machines, but according to singer Clara Muñiz, who has opened two studios in Madrid, the difference lies in the registered method, refined over more than twenty years. "We work very slowly and without releasing the tension, so the muscle never rests," she says. The result, she argues, isn't just how the body looks but how you feel in it: "much stronger".

How often and for how long

Instructors agree on one thing: without consistency, there are no results. For beginners on the mat or the reformer, the advice is two sessions a week. "With a good instructor, going twice a week, you'll start to feel an improvement in one to two months," says trainer Becca Alonso. For Lagree, Muñiz recommends three to four sessions a week, combined with other sports, and enough rest for the muscles.

All three versions grow from the same root - the method Joseph Pilates created at the start of the 20th century and called "Contrology": complete control of body and mind through strength, breathing and concentration. That's why the rules are the same everywhere: firm stomach, shoulders away from the neck, open chest, breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. The machines are the fashion. The breathing and posture are the method - and for those, as the instructor herself says, a mat on the living-room floor is enough.