Fort Myers’ Happy Life Movement looks more like a jungle gym than a Pilates studio. Opened last year, it’s the only local facility specializing in classes using the Fuse Ladder, a relatively new, wall-mounted machine rigged with rungs, springs, straps and push-through bars for gravity-assisted workouts.
Despite five years of Pilates experience, I’m initially intimidated by the approach that reimagines the practice through standing, climbing and hanging movements. But, after 20 minutes, I’m hooked. Owner Carolyn Bell leads our group of four through hanging L-sits. Swinging my legs reminds me of childhood play, but my burning core confirms it’s a serious workout. “Three … two … one …” she says. “And now we’re going to hold.”
Carolyn, who trained under Joe Pilates protégé Ron Fletcher, focuses on injury recovery and prevention. Last year, she had an emergency spinal fusion—which typically sidelines patients for at least six months. She credits the ladder for getting her back in the studio in 12 weeks. “I can do lunges and backbends because the equipment [takes the pressure off] my back,” she says.
The 50-minute classes layer breathwork, strength, calisthenics and stretching with progressive intensity. As we move into a ladder-supported handstand, Carolyn assesses each participant, coaching beginners to modify and advanced students to go fully vertical. “I form the class based on the bodies in front of me,” she says. Classic moves like footwork—lifting and lowering heels from different positions—are more intense when done upright. Gravity deepens the burn.
By the end, I feel two inches taller. My spine and hamstring tension have melted. “That’s the beauty of the ladder,” Carolyn says. “The same effort produces better results.”