Pilates is a type of exercise that focuses on strengthening the body and increasing its core power. The goal is the betterment of your general physical shape and overall wellness.

Not unlike yoga, the main elements in Pilates training are fixed in balance, posture and flexibility. One of the things that sets Pilates apart from other sports types of training  is that the possibility of an injury doing Pilates is minimal.

Pilates is all bout the link between our bodies and minds – while practicing Pilates your mind should always be aware of your breathing patterns and the ways in which your body is moving.

This method is coined by Joseph Pilates of Germany, a carpenter and gymnast fom Mönchengladbach. He invented Pilates as a program for injured dancers and soldiers while he was living in the United Kingdom. Pilates believed in an extremely close connection between the health of the body and that of the mind. During the Roaring Twenties he immigrated to the US and opened his first Pilates studio in New York. In the beginning this for of exercise bore a name of “Contrology”.

Joseph Pilates created the original device in 1946 and even though since then not much has changed in the machine itself, it remains one of the core equipment in practices of the Pilates Method. A Reformer bed consists of a metal or wooden frame with springs that are use to encrease or decrease the resistance. At the foot of a Reformer bed is, you guessed it, the foot bar while inside the frame, on inner rails lies and moves back and forth the softened standing platform or “mobile platform” which is equipped with small wheels for easy sliding. On the opposite side of the bed you’ll see a head rest and above it a set of so called ropes and pulleys for you to use with your hands and feet. The way Pilates exercises work on a Reformer is: you use the resistance of springs to lengthen and stretch the muscles and strengthen your body while at it. The resistance also helps your balance and increases the mobility span of your joints.

A Reformer is one of the most beneficial and hence well-loved devices in a contemporary Pilates studio. The Reformer bed with its moving platform guides, balances and eases you into the potential of your body – even if you’re a total beginner and have never exercised in your life. Meanwhile the precision and concentration required for the optimal results from every exercise lets you escape from the everyday world, as you learn to control your mind better.

The Reformer also allows training with higher intensity, requiring better coordination and balance thanks to the variety of springs in the device that serve as the counterstand to the movement you’re performing. Every exercise is directed at a specific muscle group. Pilates classes focus on the strength of your core muscles, muscles of your thighs and the lumbar area – these are the key muscular regions of our physical wellbeing.

Reformer Pilates is better than Pilates on Mat. This is due to many things: the variety of the exercises is significantly wider; the exercises usually work with muscles in a bigger span of movement which is ideal for building and toning the muscles as well as increasing the stability of the joints. When we work out on the Reformer, we engage more regions of our bodies than when we practice Pilates on Mat where the focus is solely on the core part of our body. Meanwhile Reformer Pilates allows us to engage the whole body with every little peripheral group of muscles. The Reformer also allows a full stretch for the body thanks to the resistance springs which cannot be reached in Pilates on Mat.

There are many benefits associated with practicing Reformer Pilates, here are some of them:

• Helps relieve back pain
• Improves posture
• Adds grace to your movements
• Builds muscle tone and endurance
• Improves control over breathing
• Provides excellent fat burning exercise
• Strengthens core muscles
• Improves overall coordination, balance and flexibility
• Increases self-esteem and well-being of mind and body

Yes! The Reformer is suitable for people of all ages, skill and coordination levels and physical shape. In reality the device itself is used widely outside of the Pilates studios, too – you could find a Pilates Reformer in rehabilitation centers, schools, gyms and hospitals. Reformers are often used for physical rehabilitation with sports people, people recovering from injuries or even for neuro-muscular disorder treatment in kids and adults.