Meet the Pilates Reformer: What It Does and Why We Love It
If you’ve never taken Pilates before, the Reformer can look a little... confusing. There’s a moving carriage. Springs. Straps. A footbar. Maybe a box sitting on top. And somehow you’re supposed to get on this thing and exercise?
Here’s the good news: you are absolutely not supposed to know how a Pilates Reformer works before your first class. That’s quite literally what your instructor is there to teach you. And once you understand what the Reformer does, all those springs and straps start to make a lot more sense.
So, what is a Pilates Reformer, exactly? And why has this particular piece of equipment become practically synonymous with Pilates?
Let’s get into it.
What Is a Pilates Reformer?
A Pilates Reformer is a piece of exercise equipment originally developed by Joseph Pilates as part of the larger Pilates method. At the center of the Reformer is a padded platform called the carriage, which moves back and forth along a frame. The carriage is connected to springs that provide varying levels of tension. There’s also a footbar, straps, pulleys, shoulder blocks, and other components that can be used depending on the exercise.
Which sounds like a lot when you list it all out. And honestly? It is.
The beauty of the Reformer is that all of those components allow one piece of equipment to be used in an enormous number of ways. You can lie down, sit, kneel, stand, push, pull, rotate, stabilize, stretch, and occasionally find yourself in a position that makes you wonder exactly how you got there.
That versatility is a big part of why we love it.
How Does the Reformer Work?
The springs are where things get particularly interesting. Unlike traditional weight training, where adding more weight generally makes an exercise harder, spring tension on a Pilates Reformer isn't quite that simple.
Springs can provide resistance, but they can also provide assistance and support. Sometimes adding a spring makes an exercise more challenging. Sometimes taking one away does. Sometimes a heavier spring gives you the support you need to access a movement, while a lighter spring requires significantly more stability and control.
Context matters. The carriage adds another piece to the puzzle because it moves underneath you. Your job isn't simply to move from Point A to Point B. You also have to control your body, the carriage, and the springs throughout the movement.
That’s where the Pilates part comes in.
So, What Is Reformer Pilates?
Reformer Pilates is Pilates performed using the Reformer as the primary apparatus. And while the equipment gets a lot of attention, the machine itself isn't what makes something Pilates.
Pilates is a method built around principles like control, precision, alignment, breath, coordination, and purposeful movement. The Reformer gives us a pretty brilliant environment in which to explore all of those things.
In a well-taught Pilates Reformer class, you aren't just learning exercises. You’re learning how your body moves through them.
Where are you creating stability? Where are you compensating? Can you control the carriage instead of letting it control you? What happens when the spring tension changes for this exercise? Can you maintain your alignment while your arms or legs are moving?
That’s the work.
What Does a Pilates Reformer Workout Actually Work?
Short answer: quite a lot. A Pilates Reformer workout can incorporate the entire body, including your core, legs, glutes, back, shoulders, and arms. Depending on the exercises and spring settings, you may work on strength, mobility, stability, balance, coordination, and control— often several at the same time.
That last part matters. Pilates doesn't always isolate one muscle and ask it to work by itself. Exercises frequently require different parts of the body to work together while you maintain control somewhere else.
Your legs may be moving while your pelvis stays stable, your arms may be pulling against the straps while your trunk resists rotation, you may be standing on a moving carriage while controlling how quickly that carriage moves.
Suddenly, a relatively simple-looking exercise has a lot going on. And no, harder doesn't always mean heavier springs, faster movement, or a more complicated exercise. Sometimes the hardest thing we can ask you to do is slow down and actually control what you're doing.
What Are the Benefits of the Pilates Reformer?
One of the biggest benefits of the Pilates Reformer is just how adaptable it is. Because the springs, carriage, straps, footbar, and body position can all be adjusted, instructors have a lot of options for changing an exercise based on the person doing it.
The Reformer can be used to develop:
Full-body strength
Core strength and stability
Mobility and flexibility
Balance
Coordination
Body awareness
Movement control
Better understanding of alignment and technique
It also gives you something that can be incredibly useful when learning Pilates: feedback.
The springs tell you things. The carriage tells you things. If the carriage slams home every time you return it, we have information. If one side is doing significantly more work than the other, we have information. If changing the spring tension suddenly makes an exercise feel completely different, yep—we have information.
The equipment gives both you and your instructor another way to understand what your body is doing. And that’s a lot more interesting to us than simply getting through as many reps as possible.
Is Reformer Pilates Good for Beginners?
Very. But there's an important distinction here— beginner-friendly does not mean easy.
If you're completely new to Pilates, you have quite a bit to learn, and that's okay. You don't need to study beforehand. You don't need to know the terminology. You don't need to understand spring settings. You don't need to be flexible, coordinated, or "in shape enough" before you walk through the door.
You need someone who knows how to teach you. That’s why we have Reformer Foundations classes at The Pilates Studio.
Foundations gives you time to learn how the equipment works while building the strength, control, body awareness, and understanding you'll use throughout your Pilates practice. And despite the name, Foundations isn't something you necessarily leave behind once you become "good" at Pilates.
Experienced practitioners go back to the fundamentals all the time. Because the better you understand the work, the more there is to find in it.
Why Do We Love the Pilates Reformer?
Because you can keep learning on it. Your first few classes might be spent figuring out where your feet go, which spring your instructor just told you to grab, and how on earth everyone else knew what "short box" meant.
Then things start clicking. You stop thinking so much about the equipment. You recognize exercises. You understand what different spring settings do. You notice where you're compensating. You gain strength and control.
And eventually, you revisit an exercise you've done dozens of times and discover something completely new about it. That's the difference between simply taking Pilates classes and developing a Pilates practice.
The Reformer gives us an incredible amount to work with— but the real progression happens in how well you learn to use it.
Try Reformer Pilates in San Diego
If you've been curious about Reformer Pilates in San Diego but have been waiting until you know what you're doing, consider this your permission to stop waiting. You're not supposed to know yet.
At The Pilates Studio, we keep our classes intentionally small so our instructors can actually teach—not just demonstrate from the front of the room and hope everyone figures it out.
New to Pilates? Start with Reformer Foundations. We'll teach you the equipment, the fundamentals, and the work from the beginning.
And if you want to see what all the fuss is about, our $40 Unlimited Intro Week gives you up to seven classes to get started. Springs, straps, moving carriage and all.
We’re excited to meet you, but if you’re not quite ready, feel free to contact us and ask us anything.