movement.design.lab

movement.design.lab Movement Design Lab is a Pilates & GYROTONIC® Method studio based out of Steamboat Springs, CO.

By helping you learn how your body is designed to move, take your running, skiing, cycling, hiking, climbing and all around life beyond your expectations.

03/02/2026

Nothing speaks louder than just seeing the shapes of bones and observing how they are designed to move!

It’s a long one, but if you teach Pilates or the Gyrotonic Method, understanding lumbar spine flexion & extension is critical!

Be sure to save this so you can easily review it later or even show to your clients who may struggle with low back movement.

🤓💪🏼📚

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Just in case you missed it, the MDL movement mentorship special ends tonight! Get 3 private, 1:1 mentorship sessions for...
02/27/2026

Just in case you missed it, the MDL movement mentorship special ends tonight! Get 3 private, 1:1 mentorship sessions for $400. After tonight the price goes back up to $450. All packages have a 6 month expiration date so you can buy now and schedule later.

See link in bio to purchase.

I can’t wait to geek out with you! 🤓📚💪🏼

Just in case you missed it, the MDL movement mentorship special ends tonight! Get 3 private, 1:1 mentorship sessions for...
02/27/2026

Just in case you missed it, the MDL movement mentorship special ends tonight! Get 3 private, 1:1 mentorship sessions for $400. After tonight the price goes back up to $450. All packages have a 6 month expiration date so you can buy now and schedule later.

See link in bio to purchase.

I can’t wait to geek out with you! 🤓📚💪🏼

02/26/2026

The answer to yesterday’s movement jeopardy is?

NO. I should not expect more lumbar flexion in the Pilates chair hamstring 3 exercise that I was demonstrating.

Here’s why: when we look at the data on neutral lumbar curves, the average tends to fall around a 55 degree lordosis (extension) curvature. This is the NEUTRAL curve. We also know that the average amount of flexion, starting from neutral, is then 65 degrees of flexion. This means that the end sum of movement is about 10 degrees of kyphosis (flexion). Which, honestly, it’s not much! Especially when compared to the thoracic or cervical regions.

Now, can there be outliers who are not this? Of course! There are absolutely some individuals who can bend their lumbar back past 10 degrees and there are also plenty of people who CANNOT. Some people are maximally flexing their back and it will still be slightly extended.

The key piece is to understand that the lumbar spine isn’t designed to flex as much as the cervical or thoracic spines and to stop assuming that it “should.”

So to the question, should I flex my lumbar spine more? It does depend on the person. This video shows my comfortable end range. Could I aggressively try to posteriorly tilt my sacrum more, sure, but what’s the point? This is probably 1-2 degrees shy of my end range and I’m getting great abdominal engagement with zero “tweaky” feelings. I should also mention, I do not have a health history of low back pain/pathologies so there are no counter indications to this movement for me.

It’s always hard to film short 50-90 sec videos to adequately describe information that can be quite nuanced but honestly, starting with kinesiology basics is a great place to start.

Any questions?

And if you’re a fellow movement professional looking to buff out your movement science knowledge, head to the link in my bio to get on my email list to stay up to date on all of my workshops and mentoring offerings.

🤓📚💪🏼

Ps - thanks to for creating their beautiful & transparent database!

We say it all the time, but what does it really mean to teach to the person in front of you? Do you only teach specific ...
02/23/2026

We say it all the time, but what does it really mean to teach to the person in front of you?

Do you only teach specific programmed lists of exercises or do you pause, and think about what your client may want that day?

Online, I constantly see debates about what real Pilates is, or examples of only the exact choreography with the biggest ranges of motion, but does any of that matter for your client?

Are you able to help your clients reach their goals?

Are your clients thrilled with their results and referring their friends and family?

Are you able to keep your classes and private books full?

If you’re a fellow movement professional, let me know. Do you struggle with how to teach to the client in front of you? Or did I miss any tips on how to best do this?

💪🏼🤓📚

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Still over here trying to witness, process, and understand the heaviness/hurting of our country but also still show up t...
01/30/2026

Still over here trying to witness, process, and understand the heaviness/hurting of our country but also still show up to be the light for my family, community, & clients.

Just in case you’re new to my account, please know this is where I stand. Yes, I’m a Pilates & Gyrotonic teacher but I STRONGLY believe in science, basic human rights for ALL, protecting Mother Earth, & that immigrants make our country great.

It’s silly that this somehow seems radical or bold to even make a post like this, but here we are.

And just to be extra clear - F**K ICE.

A little Friday to 2016 bc I heard all the cool kids are doing it…😜 ®︎ #2016
01/16/2026

A little Friday to 2016 bc I heard all the cool kids are doing it…😜

®︎ #2016

New year, new intro post! 👋🏼For those of you who recently found my account - welcome! I’m so glad you’re here.My name is...
01/07/2026

New year, new intro post! 👋🏼

For those of you who recently found my account - welcome! I’m so glad you’re here.

My name is Bre Dumke Helfrich, MSc, PhD, and I am, to put it plainly, a movement geek.

In a sea of online wellness nonsense (seriously, WTF?), I’m here to help people move their best & teach other movement (Pilates, Gyrotonic, personal trainers, PTs, yoga, etc…) teachers how to do the same.

I literally fell into my career as a movement teacher (see slide 3 for evidence 🙈) & admittedly, I couldn’t have picked a more perfect career for myself.

As a former D1 sprinter & mega biology nerd (true story: I still remember the day I learned about mitochondria as an elementary school student and was IN AWE), I love teaching the applied side of movement science to clients & other movement professionals looking to deepen their own teaching skills. This work helped me return to all the sports that I love following my accident & I love getting to share it with others.

I earned my MSc in Health & Exercise Science from Colorado State University and my PhD in Health & Kinesiology from the University of Utah. I am a fully certified Pilates teacher ( - woo!), Gyrotonic Method (all equipment & all levels), and Gyrokinesis Method Teacher.

After owning & operating a stunning, brick studio in downtown Salt Lake City, UT for over 11 years, my family & I decided it was finally time to move back to Colorado and relocated last fall to Steamboat Springs.

If you made it this far, say hi! And if you have any questions, my DMs are always open. As much as I am not a big tech person, I love getting to connect with movement professionals all across the globe. 🤓💪🏼🌎

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Salt Lake City, UT
80487

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 1pm

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