Pilates Reformer exercises are the exercises you do on a Reformer, otherwise known as a Pilates machine. If you’ve taken Pilates classes or exercised at home with a video or DVD, you may have never done actual Pilates Reformer exercises before.
If you can find classes in your area that offer you the use of the Reformer, consider giving them a try. Joseph Pilates designed the Reformer to give the ultimate workout with few repetitions in a short amount of time. There really is no comparison the Pilates Reformer exercises.
You can still get all the benefits of Pilates if you simply do the movements that mimic those one can do you on the Reformer. This is the type of Pilates most classes teach, and that you’ve done if you’ve ever done Pilates with an at home recorded workout.
But doing Pilates Reformer exercises is like doing twice as many Pilates movements on your own. The intensity is greater, and the movements are being doing exactly as they were intended when youre on a machine. The high cost of Reformers is the biggest reason many areas dont offer classes that use Pilates machines.
The Reformer is a unique type of exercise machine. It uses straps, pulleys and springs, and has a sliding platform that allows you to use the weight of your own body as resistance. Many different exercise machines made today use a similar setup, but the Pilates Reformer was the first machine designed quite that way.
Over 100 original Pilates exercises can be performed on one machine, which is an amazing number. And the design of the Pilates Reformer is such that you get the full benefit of each movement in every stage, whether youre pushing or pulling. No matter what kind of Pilates Reformer exercises youre doing, your muscles are being toned throughout the entire movement.
Using resistance bands or other resistance equipment during Pilates workouts is a popular way to offer some of the resistance benefits of a Pilates machine, but if you can find classes or a studio that offers Pilates Reformer exercises you might want to take advantage of it.
Pilates Reformers can be purchased for home use today. When they were fairly new, only celebrities and the very wealthy could own a Pilates machine. Now, they make them to fit every budget, and a good, used Reformer is something you might be able to find. A new Reformer will probably cost somewhere around $3,000, so if you find one for $200, be wary of the quality of the machine, even if its used.
If youd like to try a Reformer but there arent any classes that offer the exercise in your area, look into private Pilates instruction. These sessions usually involve a Pilates machine, and can help you determine if one is a good investment.
After you try it, you might decide that your regular Pilates movements will do until Reformer classes are available. Keep watching, as new classes offering Pilates Reformer exercises are cropping up in most areas.