The Rise Of The Reformer

First, a little history lesson. During World War I, Joseph Pilates invented the very first Reformer. It looked very different from the sleek carriages we see today. While working with injured and bedridden soldiers, Joseph Pilates developed a way for them to exercise without standing. He attached springs to hospital beds and used the bed frames to provide resistance and support.

Reformer Pilates has grown significantly in popularity over the past few years, with studios opening everywhere. However, this rapid growth calls for caution. Many gyms now offer Reformer sessions without a true understanding of the principles and fundamentals of Pilates. As a result, classes are often delivered at a fast pace, overlooking the precision, control, and mindful movement required to ensure a safe and effective practice.

Social media has shaped the belief that Reformer Pilates is only for the elite — the strongest, most flexible, and most advanced — and is often promoted as more challenging than mat work. In reality, the Reformer was designed to be taught first. It serves as a teaching tool, helping individuals develop awareness, feel how the muscles work, and understand movement patterns with support and feedback.

Mat Pilates, on the other hand, requires you to fully support your own body weight and engage the muscles without assistance. It demands a deeper level of strength, control, and coordination. The Reformer helps you learn the movement, while mat work is the true test of mastery.

I decided to write this blog after something recently came to my attention. In my role as a teacher trainer and assessor, I have noticed that many individuals who wish to pursue a career solely in Reformer Pilates — and who complete their Level 3 Pilates qualification as a prerequisite — often have a limited understanding of how to truly develop strength within their own bodies.

It appears that those who focus only on the Reformer may be experiencing only half of the benefits of the Pilates method. To fully understand and develop strength, it is essential to test and challenge the body without assistance, and to explore how that strength translates when the support is removed.

An outstanding instructor is someone with a highly developed sense of body awareness and proprioception. Instructors who have navigated personal injuries or specific challenges in their own bodies gain a deeper understanding they can bring to their teaching. Whether it’s sciatica, a slipped disc, or neck and shoulder pain, these experiences become valuable lessons. Each challenge offers an opportunity to learn, grow, and enhance the way they guide their students.

This is an important point to acknowledge, as I frequently receive enquiries for one-to-one sessions following negative experiences in mat-based classes. I often ask clients a simple question: Did the instructor get off the mat? The answer is usually no. When this happens, individual needs are often overlooked, and participants are not being properly supported within a group setting.

The Reformer is a fantastic tool for rehabilitation, for those with hypermobility, and for anyone who feels apprehensive about getting down to the floor for fear of not being able to get back up. It allows individuals to feel and understand muscle activation as resistance is applied through the body, supporting stability, coordinated breathing, and fluid movement. This mindful approach helps bring a sense of calm into daily life and can have a positive impact on overall mental health.

When classes become fast-paced and overly intense, students can lose sight of the fundamentals that make Pilates so effective in the first place. Control, coordination, concentration, form, and stability are compromised. When these elements are lost, the core principles and foundations of Pilates are lost too — and it is no longer true Pilates.

The takeaway is simple: research your instructor. A well-trained Reformer teacher should have at least two to three years of experience teaching mat work before adding the Reformer to their repertoire.