REFORMER PILATES: WHAT IS IT? WHO’S IT FOR? AND HOW TO GET STARTED!

You’ve heard your mum, hairdresser and neighbour talk about how much they love their Pilates Classes, but you really don’t know what it is or if it’s right for you!

Well you’re in luck, because today we are about to tell you all the things you ought to know about Reformer Pilates and if it’s the right thing for you and your body.

First things first!

What is a Pilates Reformer?

The Reformer is the name for the piece of equipment pictured below it’s main components are the carriage, springs, straps and the footbar (shown below)

Reformer Components

The Reformer consists of a solid, steady frame (not all are solid timber) and within that frame there are numerous moving parts. Outlined below are some of the individual components that make up a Reformer:

• Carriage – the carriage is what you sit, stand, kneel or lay on. It glides up and down and is where the movement for each of the exercises occurs.

• Footbar – sounds pretty self explanatory right, that’s where you are wrong, it’s not just feet that rest on this, we have exercises where you rest your hands on here and some exercises don’t use the footbar at all (but where do my feet go we hear you ask? Keep scrolling to find out).

• The Springs – these are the resistance (like your weights at the gym) each spring colour corresponds to a different strength. The springs add the resistance to each of your movements!

  Use different combinations of springs to get the desired resistance for your particular exercise, unlike your usual weights however making an exercise heavier doesn’t always make it harder in some cases using a lighter spring will in fact challenge you more and maybe even in a different way.

• Straps – There are two different sized straps attached to a rope and around a pulley. These straps are where your hands or feet go (but never at the same time). Put some springs on and place your hands or feet in the straps and you can add a challenge to the upper body and the lower body.

What Exercises Can You Do on the Pilates Reformer?

You’ll be amazed by the many ways that you can exercise on the Reformer and quite frankly once you start Pilates on a reformer you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life! #pilatesaddict

You’ll be forgiven for thinking that Pilates on the Reformer is a fad, but they have in fact been around for over 100 years and will no doubt be around for hundreds to come.

The reformer can be used in many different ways to allow you to perform a full body workout, and a Reformer Class at Bay City will give you just that. Our Reformer Classes will give you a great mix of Upper body, lower body and core strengthening exercises as well as stretching & mobility.

Check out the videos below for an example of the kinds of exercises you might find yourself doing in a Reformer Class at Bay City Health Group

Who can do a reformer class at bay City Health Group?

The versatility of the Reformer means that virtually anyone can participate in our reformer classes, You don’t have to be super co-ordinated or really flexible to attend a class.  The Reformer exercises are adaptable to each individual and with only a maximum of 5 Reformers in our classes and highly experienced Pilates teachers you’ll always have someone to adjust the exercise to you and your body’s needs.
If you’ve been out of the exercise game for a while and/or never done Pilates before don’t shy away from attending a class, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by just how great you’ll feel and how easily you pick up the exercises.

What’s the Best way to get Started with Reformer Pilates?

If you don’t have any movement limitations, pain or an injury that impacts your day to day function then you can book yourself straight into a Reformer Pilates Class by downloading our app:

*for Apple users click the button below:

*and for Samsung/Android users click this button:

If you are new to Pilates and brand new to the Reformer then we recommend booking into a Beginner Reformer Class. Once you know your way around the reformer and you are feeling up to a bit more of a challenge then the Intermediate Reformer Classes are your next step!

New to Bay City Health Group? It’s your lucky day! You can get your first class with us for FREE (Yep!! Zilch, nada, nothing). All you have to do is download our app (use the link above), create a profile and then select the ‘free first session’ option.

What should I do if I have pain or an injury and still want to do Pilates?

If you do fall into this category then you CAN absolutely still do Pilates with us, we have a team of Physio’s and Osteo’s who are all trained in Pilates. So, not only can we help assess and treat any injuries or ailments you may have, but we can also get you started with an exercise and Pilates program tailored just to you.

If you do have an injury, pain or movement limitations we’d strongly recommend you attend an initial Assessment with one of our team and you may even benefit from some of our Clinical Pilates/Exercise Rehab Sessions. To find out more about this you can visit our Clinical Pilates Page here:

So Now What….???

So now that you know what a Reformer is, you know some of the exercises that you might do in a class and that it’s really not as scary as it might first seem, there’s really only three things you need to do next….

1. Download our APP and check out our timetable.

2. BOOK in for your FIRST FREE session

3. COME TO A CLASS AND JOIN IN THE FUN!

We can’t wait to see you in the studio soon!

And don’t forget if you have any other questions about our classes or anything at all please do not hesitate to call our lovely receptionists on 03 52293220 or send us an email to: team@baycityhealth.com.au