Reformer Pilates - What To Expect and What Is It? & Pilates in Brighton & Hove
by Liz Seyi Digital marketing managerWhat Is it? And What Can You Expect?
The Pilates reformer is
quite a daunting thing when you first lay your eyes on it. A mind-boggling
mishmash of straps, springs, cushions and blocks, it kind of resembles a
medieval torture device. But the reformer is far from a torture device. To
understand its longstanding place in the practice you have to go right back to
the very beginning.
Pilates was developed by a German man called Joseph
Pilates. During the second world war Pilates was interned as a German National,
and during his internment he got the chance to work as a nurse. It was here
that he started to experiment with attaching springs to hospital beds so
patients could still strengthen their muscles whilst they were bed bound.
So, the reformer is essentially like a bed, known
as the carriage, with springs attached that moves back and forth either by the
user pulling on the straps or pressing against the foot bar. You can also add
or remove springs during your workout to increase, or decrease the amount of
resistance.
Through his lifetime Pilates designed numerous
pieces of equipment and apparatus to aid his practice, but the reformer remains
the most famous and popular. If you’re a regular at the a Pilates studio you’ll
have likely seen them lined up, so if you’re wondering how to actually use one,
or just starting out in the world of Pilates and looking to devour as much info
about the practice as you can, then this guide should cover your early
dalliances. I have tried to answer all my most asked questions.
What Are The Benefits Of A
Reformer?
The reformer gives the user support and encourages
precision and correct body placement in each and every exercise. The feedback
from the reformer allows the user to feel any areas where the body is
misaligned or places of weakness. Each session offers a low impact, balanced,
full-body workout that improves core stength while toning and lengthening the
muscles against the resistance of the springs.
Reformer Pilates is also great for improving
posture and with its requirement for intense focus on the correct placement of
the body, it is fantastic for mental health as it really requires you to focus
in and be present in your body.
How Does Reformer Pilates Differ
From Pilates On A Mat?
Reformer Pilates gives the body a frame to work in,
this provides immediate feedback so, in my opinion, Reformer Pilates is
actually easier to get right than mat Pilates. There are huge benefits to gain
from both, and actually in an ideal world mat and Reformer Pilates would be
practiced by everyone.
Did you know that the way Joseph Pilates ran his
studio was that people would come into the studio to use the apparatus — the
reformer, tower, Wunda chair — and then he would send them home with the mat
work as a home workout.
This is very much how I like to work. I train
people in my studio using all the apparatus to really work the body and hone in
on technique. Then their home workouts are done via my Pilates On Demand platform,
which contains a huge bank of my mat workouts. I find this balance the best for
real progression.
Changing The Springs And Finding
The Right Resistance
The first thing to note is not all reformers are
the same. Classical Pilates reformers have four springs all with the same
tension, while contemporary reformers have five and these are colour coded with
different tensions.
The springs are easy to change and I like to teach
my clients how to change their own springs from lesson one. The reason for this
is the transitions between exercises actually become part of the workout
further down the line, and so it is important to know how to change your own
springs to keep the flow of the workout.
In regards to finding the right resistance, there
are set spring settings for each exercise, so, it is simply a case of
remembering these. However, often an experienced teacher or client will play
around with the spring settings depending on what focus you want to find in the
exercises. Often people think that more springs make it harder, which is not
actually always the case.
What Are The Straps For?
Classical and contemporary Pilates reformers differ
slightly here in terms of the design of the straps and they are manufactured by
many different companies. On a classical reformer the carriage is moved with
leather straps and on a contemporary reformer ropes and risers are used.
The original classical reformers come with the long
27 inch extension straps, which are used for exercises such as leg circles and
frogs, as well as more advanced exercises such as long spine massage.
Essentially each of the straps, and handles, are used to pull or push the
carriage against the resistance of the springs and your own body weight using
your arms or legs.
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Created on Nov 9th 2022 04:39. Viewed 156 times.