The Pilates Reformer: what is it and how does it work?
The Pilates Reformer is one of the most versatile pieces of exercise equipment ever designed. This specialist machine was designed nearly 100 years ago by Joseph Pilates himself, while he interned in an English hospital during World War I. He engineered a way to rig springs onto hospital beds to offer light resistance exercises to bed-ridden patients, then later refined his invention into what has become known as the Reformer today.
The basic mechanics of the Reformer are very simple. It involves a sliding carriage based inside a wooden or metal frame, with hand or foot straps attached to ropes which revolve around a pulley system. The carriage attaches to the frame by an adjustable set of springs, which deliver varying levels of resistance to each exercise. In a Reformer Pilates class, you will move between sitting, lying and standing on the carriage, pushing, pulling or holding it steady against the tension of the springs. This spring-loaded resistance is what sets Reformer Pilates apart from mat-based Pilates and every other form of exercise.
Reformer Pilates is generally more intense and dynamic than mat Pilates, and the repertoire of exercises is far greater. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of exercises that can be performed on the Reformer, providing far more variety and the ability to work the entire body, including peripheral muscles of the arms and legs, rather than focusing mainly on the core alone. More muscles are able to be worked harder and in a larger range of movement, leading to increased strength, tone, posture, mobility, flexibility and much more.
The focussed training method of Pilates combined with the added resistance of the Reformer, makes Reformer Pilates an excellent sport-specific training tool. On most machines, up to 5 springs can be added which provides an incredible amount of resistance, challenging even the strongest of athletes. With a focus on core strength and stabilisation, as well as muscle endurance, lactate tolerance, coordination and peripheral joint stability to name a few, plus the ability to target specific muscle groups, Reformer Pilates is cleverly used by many athletes as a cross-training tool to enhance their athletic performance.
In addition to adding resistance to exercises to increase their difficulty and challenge your strength, the springs of the reformer can also offer assistance in some exercises, lightening the load on your muscles and joints. The machine also enables the option for clients to exercise whilst in the horizontal plane, as opposed to being vertically loaded and weight bearing through their joints. This makes Reformer Pilates great for rehab purposes also, offering an accessible form of exercise and speeding up injury recovery. With the ability to easily regress or progress any exercise by adjusting body position and spring tension, Reformer Pilates is truely a workout suitable and complimentary to all lifestyles and fitness levels.
The Pilates Reformer machine can look intimidating to many first time users, but don’t be scared! Once you have completed just one or two workouts on the Reformer, you will have a much greater understanding of its workings, how it can work for you, and you will realise just what an impressively versatile and effective piece of equipment it really is! And it’s fun!