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The reformer is an important tool often used in Pilates that can isolate muscles, add resistance, and allow for a full range of motion. It enhances the benefits of any Pilates routine, but with its platform, wheels, and pulley system, it can seem a bit daunting to beginners. And for those who perform their Pilates at home, purchasing a reformer is an expensive investment. Here’s what you need to know about the benefits of using the reformer and alternative solutions if you don’t have access to a reformer yourself. 

Why Isolate Muscles?

When we move to accomplish something in real life, we tend to use a range of muscles to support our motion. While it is important to practice compound movements in our exercises to mimic those real-world patterns, isolation exercises help us to target specific muscles individually. Isolating particular muscles through specific exercises allows us to place an increased focus on weaker muscles in our body, or any muscles that we particularly want to enhance. Training those muscles in isolation eliminates our ability to call upon other, stronger muscle groups to support the movement like we can in compound exercises, making isolation movements a particularly good choice if you’re experiencing any muscle imbalance. 

The reformer can be used to isolate specific muscles and force us to develop strength without help from surrounding muscle groups, which is especially beneficial if they are chronically under-used or are recovering from an injury.  

Why Add Resistance?

Body weight exercises can be very fruitful and help you develop strength, to a point. Once you have trained your muscles to the point where you can move your body weight with relative ease, additional resistance is needed to continue challenging and strengthening your muscles.  

Resistance training isn’t just for athletes who need to push their bodies to their limits, it is necessary for anyone who wants to improve their physical fitness. Bodyweight exercises are also resistance exercises, however, the intensity of that resistance is limited by the weight of your body. Increasing resistance with the help of tools like the reformer allows us to continue to challenge and grow our muscles once we’ve plateaued at the bodyweight level. When done in quick succession, reformer exercises can also boost your heart rate and improve your cardiovascular fitness too.  

Why Focus on a Full Range of Motion?

Pilates movements on the floor do not always allow us to achieve a full range of motion. However, making each and every joint work through its full range of motion is important in order to maintain that range, especially as we age. It can be particularly important for those who are recovering from surgery or any injury which, without physical therapy, could end up limiting their range of motion. The reformer can allow you to move your joints through a full range of motion in ways that are more comfortable for you.  

Alternatives to a Pilates Reformer

If you don’t see yourself investing in a reformer anytime soon, what are the alternatives? You can attend classes at studios which have reformers, or you can simply do mat Pilates without one. There are also several other more affordable equipment options which can enhance your Pilates workouts, including: 

• Foam rollers 
• Resistance bands 
• Hand weights 
• Weighted balls 
• Stability balls 
• Blocks  

There are many ways to modify your core Pilates exercises with these tools. Talented instructors can show you how to make the most of your routine even when you don’t have a reformer. Sign up for a reformer class today with ABsolute Pilates or join in one of our matwork classes!  

Though some might assume that Pilates is a modern fitness craze born from diet culture and social fitness classes, that is certainly not the case. Pilates has been practiced for over a century, originally created and developed by one man during World War One. It has evolved through the years and incorporated modern exercise science into its practice, while staying true to its roots and core principles. 

If you’re a fan of Pilates or simply interested in history, this blog is for you. We’re going to explore the origin of Pilates and how it evolved through the years to become the fun and effective exercise technique that we use around the world today. 

The Invention of Pilates

The form of exercise we know as Pilates is named after its creator, Joseph Pilates. Born in Germany in 1883 to a gymnast father and a naturopath mother, Joseph himself became a competent gymnast, diver, boxer, and skier.  

In 1912 Joseph was living in England and working as a self-defense instructor. As the First World War took over the globe he found himself held with other German nationals at the Knockaloe internment camp on the Isle of Man, where he developed his own exercise method and practiced the techniques with his fellow internees. However, it was not yet called Pilates – in Joseph’s lifetime, he referred to his exercise techniques as “Contrology.” Many of his first students in the internment camp suffered from various injuries and ailments, which allowed Joseph to tailor his Contrology techniques to act as a successful method of recovery and rehabilitation. 

Following his four-year internment, Joseph continued to develop his technique before emigrating to the United States in 1926. He and his wife, Clara, opened a fitness studio in New York in which they continued to develop and teach Pilates to a range of clientele who were looking to hone their abilities or recover from injury. While Joseph was the man behind the method, it’s said that Clara was the primary teacher in the studio. With limited English to work with, they relied heavily on hands-on correction to teach the method. Many dancers attended Joseph and Clara’s studio, as well as a handful of celebrities of the time including famous dancers, authors, and actors. Among the original Pilates athletes, about 60% were men.  

Equipment and Methodology

If you enjoy Pilates as part of your exercise routine, you likely know that there is a range of equipment that may be used to accompany certain exercises. As Joseph Pilates developed and honed his initial Contrology techniques he also created and utilized equipment, which he referred to as apparatus. 

While in internment, Joseph made use of hospital beds rigged with springs in order to provide resistance while exercising. He continued to develop various pieces of equipment to accompany his exercise techniques as his resources grew, and he ultimately created a range of apparatus, many of which are still used in Pilates today. Among his inventions include early versions of the Reformer (originally called the Universal Reformer), the Cadillac, the Wunda Chair, the High “Electric” Chair, the Spine Corrector, the Ladder Barrel, and the Pedi-Pole. 

Joseph believed that physical health and mental health were interrelated, and he referred to the combination of mind, body, and spirit as the “whole-body.” He based his techniques on the pillars of breath, whole-body health, and whole-body commitment. Also integral to Joseph’s methodology were the principles of concentration, control, centering, precision, and flow. 

In 1932 Joseph published a booklet titled “Your Health,” followed by another titled “Return to Life Through Contrology” in 1945. These texts, accompanied by the teachings of his former students and apprentices, allowed Pilates to continue on and gain traction even after his death in 1967.  

Contemporary Pilates

The Pilates we know and love today is often a combination of modern Pilates techniques alongside the traditional methodology of Joseph’s original methods. The equipment has evolved, and the evolution of exercise science has continued to shed light upon the lasting success of Joseph’s original Contrology concepts. However, contemporary Pilates is still grounded in the philosophy and movement patterns developed by Joseph over a century ago. 

Pilates has a unique history behind it, and it’s a tried-and-true approach to exercise that has stood the test of time and only continues to gain traction. If you’re interested in joining in and getting active with some Pilates exercises, contact us at ABsolute Pilates. We offer classes in-studio and online for students of any level of experience looking to work up a sweat and improve their abilities!