The simple answer: Classical Pilates attempts to stay as close to the teachings of Joseph Pilates as possible, and Contemporary Pilates has taken his teachings and modified or made variations of them. Both styles of training have good points; what really matters is the training that was involved in the certification process. The early training programs developed by Joe and his personal apprentices were rigorous and demanding and teachers were expected to not only gain an in-depth understanding of the method but to also be able to teach and demonstrate a wide variety of exercises on multiple pieces of equipment. The “good” training programs, in my opinion, stay true to these rigorous standards. As Pilates grew in popularity new certification programs have popped up; some only requiring a weekend course to be certified.