Pilates Intake Form: Template, Example and Tips

A Pilates intake form is the document a new client completes before their first session so you know their health history, injuries, Pilates experience, goals and consent before they ever step onto a reformer or mat. The free template below covers eight sections: contact details, a readiness screen, injury and surgery history, pregnancy and pelvic health, movement history, goals, consent for hands-on cueing, and studio policies. Copy it, fill in the bracketed parts, and you have a working form for private, duet, group reformer or online mat clients today.

Where you run it matters as much as what it says. In Coachful, the coaching platform we make, the same questions can sit on your booking page as intake questions, your policies go out as an agreement the client signs before the first session, and the answers are stored on the client record next to their sessions, check-ins and payments. The rest of this guide walks through where the form fits in a client's first weeks, the template itself, why each section is there, a filled example and the ways to send and store it.

Where does a Pilates intake form fit in the client journey?

The intake form belongs between the first enquiry and the first session: after someone has decided to book, before you plan their first class. Sent any earlier, it scares off people who are only browsing. Sent later, you end up screening a client verbally while they are lying on the carriage.

For most Pilates instructors the first weeks look like this:

1. Enquiry. Someone finds you through your website, a studio referral, a physiotherapist or social media, and asks about privates, an intro package or online classes.
2. Booking. They pick an introductory private or an assessment session. This is the natural moment to ask the short version of your intake: contact details, main reason for coming, and a yes or no on current injuries or pregnancy.
3. Full intake and agreement. Within a day of booking, they complete the full form below and sign your studio policies (cancellations, payment, hands-on cueing consent).
4. Review. You read the answers, flag anything that needs clearance from a doctor or physiotherapist, and plan the first session around what you learned.
5. First session. You confirm the key answers in person, watch them move, and note what you observed.
6. Between sessions. Short check-ins replace re-sending the whole form: how did the last session feel, any new pain, anything changed medically.
7. Every few months, or after a life change. A full update after surgery, pregnancy, a new diagnosis, or every six to twelve months for long-standing clients.

Splitting the intake this way keeps the booking step light and the full form focused. If you are still setting up the business side, our guide on how to start an online Pilates business covers the order in which to put booking, payments and delivery in place.

What should a Pilates intake form include? The full template

Copy everything in this section into your form tool or document. Replace every [bracketed] item with your own details. The wording is written for clients, so it can go out as is once the brackets are filled.

Header

[Studio or instructor name] Pilates Client Intake Form
Thank you for booking with [your name]. These questions help me plan sessions that suit your body, history and goals. Your answers are confidential and stored [where you store them]. Please answer as fully as you can; if you are unsure about a question, write "not sure" and we will talk it through at your first session. This form takes about [10] minutes.

Section 1: About you

1. Full name
2. Preferred name and pronouns (optional)
3. Date of birth
4. Email address and mobile number
5. Preferred contact method: email / text / WhatsApp
6. Emergency contact: name, relationship, phone number
7. Occupation, and how many hours a day you spend sitting, standing or driving
8. How did you hear about [studio name]? If a physiotherapist, doctor or other practitioner referred you, please give their name and practice.

Section 2: Readiness for exercise

Please answer yes or no. A "yes" does not mean you cannot do Pilates; it means I may ask you to check with your doctor first.

1. Has a doctor ever told you that you have a heart condition or high blood pressure?
2. Do you feel pain in your chest at rest, during daily activities or when you exercise?
3. Do you lose balance because of dizziness, or have you lost consciousness in the last 12 months?
4. Have you been diagnosed with any other chronic medical condition (for example diabetes, osteoporosis, a neurological condition or an autoimmune condition)?
5. Are you currently taking prescribed medication for a chronic condition? If yes, which condition (you do not need to name the medicine)?
6. Has a doctor, physiotherapist or other health professional told you to avoid or limit any type of movement or exercise?
7. Have you had surgery, a fracture or a hospital stay in the last [12] months?

Section 3: Injuries, pain and surgery

1. Do you have any pain right now? If yes, where, and how strong is it on a scale of 0 (none) to 10 (worst imaginable)?
2. Which positions or movements make it worse? (For example bending forward, twisting, lying flat on your back, kneeling, arms overhead.)
3. Please list past injuries, with the approximate year and whether they still bother you. Include the neck, shoulders, back, hips, knees, ankles and wrists.
4. Have you been diagnosed with any of the following? Tick all that apply: disc bulge or herniation / spondylolisthesis / scoliosis / sciatica / osteopenia or osteoporosis / hip or knee replacement / joint hypermobility / arthritis / carpal tunnel or wrist pain / other: [space].
5. Do you ever have numbness, tingling or weakness spreading into your arms or legs?
6. Are you currently seeing a physiotherapist, osteopath, chiropractor or doctor for any of the above? If yes, may I contact them to coordinate your exercise plan? Yes / No

Section 4: Pregnancy and pelvic health

Skip any question you prefer to discuss in person.

1. Are you currently pregnant? If yes, how many weeks, and has your midwife or doctor cleared you to exercise?
2. Have you given birth in the last [12] months? If yes, how many weeks ago, was it a vaginal or caesarean birth, and have you had your postnatal check?
3. Have you been told you have diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles)?
4. Do you ever leak urine when you cough, sneeze, jump or lift, or feel heaviness or dragging in the pelvis?
5. Have you seen a pelvic health physiotherapist? If yes, did they give you exercises or precautions?

Section 5: Pilates and movement history

1. Have you done Pilates before? Never / a few classes / regularly in the past / I practise now.
2. Which kinds? Mat / reformer / Cadillac or tower / chair / barrels / online classes.
3. What other exercise do you do in a typical week, and how often? (Walking, running, strength training, yoga, swimming, sport, dance.)
4. Is there any exercise or piece of equipment you dislike or feel nervous about? (Some people dislike lying with their feet in straps, rolling backwards or going upside down.)
5. For online sessions: what space and equipment do you have at home? Mat / small ball / magic circle / resistance band / foam roller / chair / home reformer.

Section 6: Goals and preferences

1. What is the main reason you are starting Pilates now?
2. What would you like to be able to do, or feel, in [3] months that you cannot today? (For example "carry my toddler without back pain", "run a half marathon without hip pain", "feel strong after menopause".)
3. Which matters most to you? Tick up to three: core strength / posture / flexibility / back or neck pain / recovery after injury / balance and bone health / sport performance / pre or postnatal fitness / stress relief / general fitness.
4. How many sessions a week can you realistically commit to?
5. How do you prefer to be taught? Lots of explanation / mostly demonstration / short cues and get moving / not sure yet.
6. Is there anything else that would help me teach you well? (Hearing, eyesight, anxiety in group settings, language preference.)

Section 7: Hands-on cueing, photos and communication

1. Pilates instructors sometimes use light touch to guide alignment, for example a hand on the shoulder blade or rib cage. Are you comfortable with this? Yes / Yes, but ask me first each time / No, verbal cues only.
2. Are there any areas you would prefer I avoid touching? [space]
3. May I take photos or short videos of your posture or movement for your own progress record? These are never shared without separate written permission. Yes / No
4. May I send you [practice videos, reminders, a short weekly check-in] between sessions? Yes / No

Section 8: Studio policies and declaration

1. Cancellations. Private sessions cancelled with less than [24] hours' notice are charged in full or deducted from your package. Late arrivals finish at the scheduled time.
2. Packages and payment. Packages of [5 / 10] sessions are paid in advance and expire [3 / 6] months after purchase. [Refund terms.]
3. Online sessions. You are responsible for a safe, clear space and stable footing. If the connection drops, [what happens].
4. Your health. I will tell you if anything in this form means I need clearance from your doctor or physiotherapist before we start or continue. I will let you know straight away about any change in your health, pregnancy, new injury or new medication.
5. Scope. I am a Pilates instructor, certified by [certifying body]. I do not diagnose or treat injuries or medical conditions, and Pilates sessions are not a substitute for medical care or physiotherapy.
6. Stopping. You can stop any exercise at any time. Please tell me straight away if you feel pain, dizziness, shortness of breath or anything unusual.
7. Privacy. Your answers are stored [where], kept for [period] after our last session, and shared only with your permission or where the law requires it. You can ask to see or delete your data at [contact].
8. Declaration. I confirm the information above is accurate to the best of my knowledge. Signature, printed name, date.

If you want to change sections or tailor the questions for reformer-only or online-only clients, the template above works as a starting point in any tool. For more question ideas across coaching niches, see 15 coaching intake form questions with practical examples.

Why is each section there, and what should you watch for?

Every section earns its place by changing what you teach in the first session. If a question never changes your plan, cut it; long forms get rushed or abandoned.

Two of these sections are distinctive to Pilates. The hands-on cueing question exists because tactile cues are a normal part of many Pilates teaching traditions, and consent should be recorded rather than assumed. The equipment question in section 5 matters because the reformer, Cadillac and chair involve springs, straps and moving carriages, and some new clients find lying in straps or inverting uncomfortable. Asking ahead lets you choose a first session they will enjoy.

The readiness questions in section 2 follow the idea behind the PAR-Q+ (the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone, published by the PAR-Q+ Collaboration). That questionnaire is copyrighted, so the template paraphrases its approach rather than copying it. If your certifying body or insurer asks you to use the official PAR-Q+, use the current official version alongside this form.

What must Pilates instructors add for safety, scope and privacy?

A Pilates instructor teaches exercise; they do not diagnose or treat. The form protects your clients and you only if your process matches that scope: you screen, you refer when something is outside it, and you keep records proportionate to what you need.

Red flags that need clearance before you start

Ask the client to get written clearance from a doctor, midwife or physiotherapist before the first session, or before continuing, if they report any of these:

• Chest pain, fainting, or dizziness with exertion
• High blood pressure that is not controlled, or a heart condition without guidance on exercise
• Surgery, a fracture or a hospital stay within the period you set (many instructors use 6 to 12 weeks for minor procedures and longer for joint replacement or spinal surgery; follow the surgeon's instructions)
• Numbness, tingling or weakness spreading into the arms or legs
• Diagnosed osteoporosis, especially with a past fracture, without guidance on which movements to avoid
• Pregnancy without clearance to exercise, or any pregnancy complication (bleeding, placenta concerns, high blood pressure)
• Unexplained weight loss, night pain or pain that is getting steadily worse

Two answers need same-day medical attention rather than a clearance letter: new loss of bladder or bowel control with back pain, and chest pain at rest. If either appears, tell the client to contact a doctor or emergency services now, and do not hold a session.

Scope of practice

Keep the scope line from section 8 in the form and repeat it in conversation. A client who writes "I want to fix my herniated disc" needs to hear that you can teach them to move well within the limits their physiotherapist sets, not that Pilates will treat the disc. If you hold a clinical qualification (for example you are also a physiotherapist teaching clinical Pilates), your professional body's record-keeping rules apply and a clinical record system is the right home for those notes.

Sensitive data and local law

Health, pregnancy and pelvic health answers are sensitive data. In the European Union and the UK, data about health is a special category under the General Data Protection Regulation (Article 9), which generally means you need explicit consent to process it and a clear reason for each item you collect. In the United States, HIPAA applies to health plans, healthcare clearinghouses and providers who bill electronically; the HHS Privacy Rule summary explains who is covered. Most independent Pilates instructors are not covered entities, but a studio inside a physiotherapy clinic may be. State privacy and consumer laws also vary, so check with a local attorney or your insurer when in doubt.

Practical rules that hold almost everywhere: collect only what changes your teaching, store forms somewhere access-controlled rather than in an email inbox or a shared drive folder, state how long you keep them, and delete them when that period ends.

How do you set up a Pilates intake form in Coachful?

In Coachful the intake is not a separate document that lives in a folder. It is split across the steps where the client already is: booking, signing, the first session and the weeks after it. Here is how each part of the template maps to the platform, and what the client sees at each step.

Coachful is a coaching platform for coaches and instructors who deliver programs, not just one-off sessions. One subscription covers booking, payments, contracts, program delivery with habits and check-ins, courses, a community, a website with funnels and email, and an AI assistant, with one login for you and one branded app for your clients. It suits a solo Pilates instructor running privates and online programs, or one growing into a small team. It does not handle clinical record-keeping or insurance billing, it is not HIPAA-certified, and it is not a class-pass marketplace. You can start with a free trial, and the Coachful team will set things up for you through the free white-glove build service. We make Coachful, so weigh what follows with that in mind.

Step 1: Put the short intake on your booking page

Create a session type for your introductory private or assessment, set your availability, buffers between sessions (useful for resetting springs and wiping down the reformer) and minimum notice, then add intake questions to the booking. Use the booking-stage questions from the journey table: reason for booking, current injuries yes or no, pregnancy yes or no. Coachful detects the client's time zone, syncs with Google, Apple/iCloud or Outlook calendars, and can create a Zoom, Meet or Teams link, or use built-in video, for online mat sessions. Clients get email reminders, plus SMS 24 hours before and WhatsApp one hour before once messaging is enabled.

Each new booking appears on the Intakes page, where you can see upcoming intake calls, how many converted, and who still needs a follow-up.

This short walkthrough shows the Intakes area in practice:

Step 2: Send the policies as an agreement signed before the first session

Section 8 of the template becomes a coaching agreement with e-signature. The client signs it before the first session, and the signed copy is stored on their client record. If a client has already signed a paper form at a studio, you can drop the signed PDF into the Agreements tab instead. Our coaching contracts page covers the agreement feature in more detail.

Step 3: Send the full health and history sections

Sections 1 to 7 can go out as a form from your resources (Forms & Worksheets is one of the resource types), so the client completes it in their branded app before the first session. Their answers are stored on the client record with their intake answers, notes, tags, sessions and payments, and you can export the full client data as a ZIP, form responses included, whenever you need to.

Because Coachful is not HIPAA-certified, keep this form to what a Pilates instructor needs to teach safely. Clearance letters, imaging results and clinical notes belong in your client's clinical system, not in your coaching platform. If you also work as a physiotherapist, keep clinical notes in a clinical record system.

Step 4: Review answers before the first session

Open the client's record before the session. Everything from the booking questions, the signed agreement and the full form is in one place, along with your notes. Michelle, the built-in AI assistant, can brief you before sessions from the client's live data, which helps when you are teaching back-to-back privates. Add a tag such as "osteoporosis precautions" or "touch: ask first" so it is visible every time you open the record.

Step 5: What the client sees

The client opens your branded space inside the Coachful app (it carries your branding; it is not a separate app under your own App Store account). Their coaching hub shows the next session, any required pre-session items, and tabs for programs, sessions, progress and documents. Pre-session items show up in the same place as the session itself, so clients see what to complete before class and you are not chasing answers by text that morning.

Step 6: Replace repeat forms with check-ins and habits

After the first session, a short weekly check-in does more than re-sending the form. Use the coaching flows library to set up a welcome flow and a weekly check-in with three questions: how did your body feel after last session, any new pain or change in health, anything you want to work on next time. Add habits that support your sessions, such as a 10-minute daily mat routine or a breathing practice, and clients track them with streaks.

Step 7: Programs and the Fitness & Nutrition pack

If you sell a multi-week program, such as a six-week postnatal return-to-core course or an online mat foundations block, build it with weekly goals and daily tasks. The Fitness & Nutrition pack adds a workout builder with an illustrated exercise library, client logging, progress photos and measurements, and private form-check video with timestamped coach comments. There are no stock exercise videos, so you attach your own demonstrations, which for Pilates is usually what you want anyway, since your cueing is the product. Clients enrolled in a group program are added to a cohort group automatically.

Step 8: Packages and invoices

Session packages, subscriptions and payment plans run through your own Stripe Connect or Razorpay account, with an invoice for each transaction and manual invoices when you need them. Session credits cover the "10-session package" policy in section 8. Coachful charges no platform fee on payments; only Stripe or Razorpay processing applies. Plans are flat monthly, with lower plans capping the number of clients (Current plans: Lite: $29/month for up to 5 clients; Solo: $49/month for up to 20 clients; Pro: $99/month with unlimited clients; Studio: $199/month with unlimited clients).

Why Coachful stands out: a free white-glove service. From Create, choose "We'll build it for you", describe what you want, and attach up to 8 reference links and up to 10 files, such as your current paper intake form, studio policies and logo. The Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours. For a Pilates instructor that could be this intake form, an intro-session booking funnel or a six-week program outline. Nothing gets invented: no fake credentials, testimonials or prices, and gaps are left for you to fill. Read more about the free white-glove service.

How else can you send and store a Pilates intake form?

You can run this template on paper, in a shared document, in a form builder, through an e-signature tool or inside practice software. The choice comes down to where the answers end up and whether you can find them again when the client is on the reformer in front of you.

Paper and PDFs are fine for your first few clients, but answers end up scattered across email threads, and nothing reminds a client to update them. Google Forms is quick to set up, but health answers landing in a shared spreadsheet is exactly what privacy rules warn against, and there is no legal signature. Studio platforms such as Momence and Arketa are built around class schedules and memberships; they suit a studio selling group reformer classes more than an instructor delivering privates and programs. Practice Better documents charting and practitioner forms, and Dubsado is a contract and workflow CRM for service businesses without programs, habits or check-ins.

For a ranked comparison of the tools themselves, see best software for Pilates instructors.

What does a completed Pilates intake form look like?

Below is an example for a fictional client, written to show how real answers read and what an instructor does with them. Every name and detail is invented.

Example only: fictional client

Section 1. Name: Hannah Morales. Date of birth: 14 March 1984. Contact: email and text preferred. Emergency contact: Daniel Morales (husband). Occupation: accountant, about 8 hours a day sitting. Referred by: her physiotherapist after a course of treatment for low back pain.

Section 2. All "no", except question 6: her physiotherapist advised avoiding heavy loaded spinal flexion for now and building up gradually.

Section 3. Current pain: low back, 2 out of 10, worse after long days at the desk and when bending to lift her son. Past injuries: right ankle sprain (2015), no current issues. Diagnoses ticked: disc bulge (L5/S1, 2025). No numbness or tingling. Still seeing her physiotherapist monthly; happy for the instructor to contact them.

Section 4. Not pregnant. Gave birth 3 years ago (caesarean). No diastasis recti diagnosis. Occasional leaking when she sneezes; has not seen a pelvic health physiotherapist.

Section 5. A few mat classes at a gym, years ago. Walks 30 minutes most days. Nervous about the reformer carriage moving. Has a mat and a resistance band at home.

Section 6. Main reason: wants to stay out of pain after finishing physiotherapy. In 3 months: "lift my son and sit through month-end close without my back aching". Priorities: back pain, core strength, posture. Can commit to one private a week plus home practice. Prefers short cues and demonstration.

Section 7. Touch: yes, but ask first. Photos: yes. Weekly check-in and practice videos: yes.

Section 8. Signed and dated.

What the instructor does with this example:

• Emails the physiotherapist, with Hannah's permission, to confirm which movements to limit and for how long.
• Plans a first session on the mat and the reformer with a heavier spring setting so the carriage feels stable, avoiding loaded flexion as advised.
• Suggests, without diagnosing, that Hannah mentions the leaking to her doctor or asks about a pelvic health physiotherapist referral.
• Tags her record "touch: ask first" and "physio guidance: limit loaded flexion".
• Sets a weekly check-in and a 10-minute desk-break mobility habit.

What are the most common Pilates intake form mistakes?

Most problems come from asking too much, too late, or in the wrong place.

• Sending the full form at enquiry. People who are still comparing studios will not fill out pelvic health questions. Ask the short version at booking and the full form after.
• Collecting clinical detail you do not need. Medication names, imaging reports and diagnosis letters add risk and rarely change a Pilates session. Ask whether a clinician has given movement guidance instead.
• Assuming consent for touch. Record it, honour "ask first", and revisit it when a client's circumstances change.
• Never updating the form. A client who started with you before a pregnancy, surgery or new diagnosis needs an updated health section. Use a check-in question to catch changes.
• Storing answers in an inbox. Email attachments are hard to find, hard to delete on schedule, and easy to forward by mistake.
• Treating "yes" as a reason to turn someone away. Most "yes" answers mean you need guidance, not that the client cannot do Pilates.
• Policies that do not match how you work. If you never actually charge for late cancellations, do not write that you will. Clients read the agreement, and inconsistency erodes trust.
• Not reading the form before the session. The point of collecting answers in advance is to plan with them. Block 10 minutes before each new client's first session.

For a deeper look at reviewing intake answers, see our guide on how to create a coaching intake form, and if you also coach strength clients, the personal training client intake form covers the gym-floor version.

Is this Pilates intake form legal or medical advice?

No. This template is a practical starting point, not legal, medical or financial advice. Laws on health data, consumer contracts, cancellation fees and liability vary by country and state, and your insurer or certifying body may have specific requirements.

Have a local lawyer review section 8 before you use it, especially the cancellation, refund and package-expiry terms and any liability wording. Ask a physiotherapist or doctor you work with to review section 2 and your red-flag list if you teach clients with complex conditions, pre and postnatal clients, or older adults with osteoporosis. If you work within a clinic, follow the clinic's record-keeping rules.

Frequently asked questions about Pilates intake forms

Is this Pilates intake form template free to use?

Yes. Copy the template into any document or form tool and adapt it for your studio. You can also build a version with the intake form generator, then run it through booking, agreements and check-ins in your practice software.

How long should a Pilates intake form be?

Aim for something a client can finish in about 10 minutes. The template has eight sections, but most questions are tick boxes or yes or no. Cut any question that never changes how you teach.

Can I use the PAR-Q+ instead of section 2?

Yes, if your insurer or certifying body asks for it. The PAR-Q+ is published by the PAR-Q+ Collaboration and is copyrighted, so use the official current version rather than a copied one. Section 2 here paraphrases its approach for instructors who want a shorter screen.

Do I need a separate waiver as well as an intake form?

Many instructors combine policies, scope and a declaration in the intake, as section 8 does, and keep a separate liability waiver. Whether a waiver is enforceable, and what it must say, depends on local law, so ask a local lawyer or your insurer.

How often should clients update their intake form?

Ask for a full health update every 6 to 12 months and after any pregnancy, surgery, new diagnosis or new injury. Between updates, a weekly or per-session check-in question about new pain or health changes catches most issues.

Should online Pilates clients complete a different form?

The same form works, with two additions already in the template: the home equipment question in section 5 and the online session policy in section 8. Add the client's location so you know who to call in an emergency during a live session.

Is Coachful HIPAA-compliant for storing health information?

No. Coachful is not HIPAA-certified and does not sign a business associate agreement, so it is not for clinical records or insurance billing. It is GDPR-ready and suits the screening answers a Pilates instructor needs to teach safely; clinical notes belong in a clinical system.

What is Coachful's free white-glove build service?

Every Coachful plan includes a free white-glove build: you describe what you want, such as an intake form, booking funnel, website or program, attach references and files, and the Coachful team builds it inside your account, usually within about 24 hours. It does not include recording videos, logo design or ad management.

Can clients book and fill in the intake in one step?

In Coachful, short intake questions sit on the booking page, so clients answer them as they book. The fuller health form and the signed agreement follow before the first session, and everything lands on the same client record.

Which other intake templates are useful for Pilates instructors?

If you also offer wellness coaching, the health coaching intake form template covers lifestyle and habit questions, and the coaching forms and questionnaires page lists the form types you can run between sessions.