Andrea Speir Launches New Pilates & Strength App

The Speir Pilates founder is launching Merus as a standalone digital platform, bringing her functional strength-meets-Pilates approach to a more accessible, mat-based format

Andrea Speir is taking her Pilates expertise beyond the reformer studio with Merus, a new digital fitness platform combining mat Pilates with functional strength training.

Speir, the founder of Southern California reformer studio brand Speir Pilates, launched Merus independently from her studio business as a way to make her training method available to people without access to studios, gyms or extensive equipment.

The platform marks something of a return to Speir’s roots. She began teaching mat Pilates 21 years ago and is now bringing that format together with the strength training and movement principles she has developed over more than two decades as an instructor.

Merus is also Speir’s response to what she sees as a growing disconnect between some modern mat Pilates programming and functional training. The workouts emphasize strength, form, core connection and movement that translates to everyday life rather than choreography.

“I built Merus because I wanted to use my 21 years of education in fitness and circle back to where I started — a mat,” Speir said. “This time, bringing everything I’ve learned over two decades and pouring it back into those who don’t have access to studios, gyms or equipment.”

Merus offers individual workouts and structured programs requiring minimal equipment, including a three-day Pilates flow, seven-day strength and Pilates plan and 28-day program designed around the physical demands of perimenopause.

The platform also includes livestream classes, community forums, goal-setting and calendar tools and custom workout playlists. Speir is launching The Merus Journal alongside the app, with editorial content focused on functional training, women’s health and holistic wellness.

Merus is available through its web platform, with iOS and Android apps rolling out, too.

The launch comes as the lines between Pilates and strength training continue to blur.

Pilates operators have increasingly incorporated heavier resistance and dedicated strength programming as consumers prioritize muscle building. Strong Pilates, for example, recently told Athletech News that its strength-based class had become the most-attended format in the brand’s history, surpassing its more Pilates-focused workout.

Solidcore has similarly leaned more heavily into strength-training language, while reformer brand JetSet Pilates recently introduced new formats that place a greater emphasis on strength.