A new kind of Pilates studio has landed in Gambrills, and it's built around machines with rowing handles and bike pedals bolted on. STRONG Pilates opened its first Maryland location at 1041 Route 3 N. on Sept. 5, kicking off a plan to bring six studios to the state over the coming months.
The Gambrills studio opening was reported by WBAL News Radio, which noted the company intends to expand well beyond Anne Arundel County. Next up is Columbia, where STRONG plans to open a studio in the Hickory Ridge Village Center in September 2026, according to the same report. A Gaithersburg location is slated to follow in January, with Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring also on the company's Maryland roadmap, per the station's reporting.
What Actually Happens Inside a Class
STRONG's format leans on two pieces of equipment that set it apart from a traditional reformer studio. The Gambrills location features 10 Rowformer beds, which pair a Pilates reformer with a rowing machine, and nine Bikeformer beds, which attach a bike to the reformer frame, according to STRONG Pilates. Classes run 45 minutes and blend Pilates, strength and cardio training in a group setting, the studio's site says.
Michael Ramsey, who co-founded the company with Mark Armstrong in 2019, is listed as co-CEO of STRONG Pilates. Ramsey told the station the brand stands out in a crowded Pilates market thanks to its low-impact style and the mix of disciplines packed into each session.
Timeline Has Shifted Before
Not every account of the Gambrills rollout has lined up neatly. Earlier company expansion materials listed the Gambrills studio as opening in August, according to a release from Fitt Insider, before the station's more recent reporting pinned the actual opening to Sept. 5. The company's own figures on its size have also moved around: a report from Chain Store Age put STRONG's footprint at more than 120 studios across 15 countries with 200 more locations in development, while earlier materials cited by Fitt Insider described more than 110 studios across 14 countries and a further 200 confirmed to open. Membership totals have shifted too — Chain Store Age cited more than 50,000 global members, up from a figure of more than 47,000 in an earlier announcement.
Part of a Bigger Pilates Wave in the Region
Gambrills isn't an isolated case. The broader DMV boutique fitness scene is in the middle of what Axios described as a Pilates-heavy refresh, with at least seven new studios opening around the region in recent months. Jetset Pilates opened its first D.C. location in May, LG Movement recently opened a reformer and Cadillac studio in Bethesda, and FS8 has opened locations in Ballston and Old Town blending yoga, Pilates and low-impact training, per Axios's reporting.
Anne Arundel County has seen its own version of this trend play out already. FS8, a concept combining Pilates, tone and yoga, was announced for Severna Park in February, with The Daily Record reporting it would mark the brand's third studio in the greater Baltimore area, joining locations in Canton and Timonium. Demand for the format nationally has been climbing for years — the 2025 ClassPass Annual Report found Pilates reservations jumped 66% year-over-year and remained the platform's most-booked modality for a third straight year, according to Athletech News.
For now, Gambrills residents have the only operating STRONG Pilates studio in the state, with Columbia planned as the second. Whether the rest of the planned Maryland locations land on the timeline the company has described remains to be seen, but the Gaithersburg, Bethesda, Rockville and Silver Spring expansions would give STRONG a presence stretching from Anne Arundel County into Montgomery County.
